No. 7 Duke has won 11 of its last 12 games and rolls into Chapel Hill, N.C. on Saturday as one of the hottest teams in the country. The Blue Devils’ biggest test to date will come Saturday vs. a similarly hot No. 3 North Carolina team inside the Smith Center. The rivalry matchup is one of the biggest games of the college basketball season so far and this season’s edition will factor in heavily to the ACC title race and NCAA Tournament seeding.
Duke is 16-4 overall and 7-2 in the conference, while the Tar Heels are 17-4 and 9-1, following the 74-73 road loss on Tuesday night at Georgia Tech. Carolina is 1.5 games up on the Blue Devils heading into Saturday’s showdown.
Saturday evening in Chapel Hill will be the center of the college basketball world. The game provides a chance for the stars of each team to introduce themselves to the nation. It is the first of two matchups for the Tobacco Road rivals, who will also face off in Durham on March 9.
In any matchup that features two of the biggest brands in college basketball, we know the stars have to step up and perform. You need your best players to play their best. The Blue Devils have been able to rely on multi-year guys like Kyle Filipowski and Jeremy Roach, but the emergence of freshman guard Jared McCain in early December gives the Blue Devils another weapon and a different maker on offense.
The 6-foot-3, 197-pound California native is Duke’s highest-ranked freshman in the 2023 class. He checked in at No. 14 overall according to 247Sports and was the No. 3 combo guard. One of only two Duke players to start every game this season, McCain is averaging 12.4 points per game, 45.3 percent from the field, and 40.2 percent from three. He is adding 4.3 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 1.1 steals per game.
McCain’s Duke career started slow, but like many highly touted freshmen, he is hitting his stride as the calendar turns to February. The trust and confidence that Duke head coach Jon Scheyer had in McCain early is paying off now.
McCain scored 20 points and hit three threes in the loss to Pitt and followed that with 21 points and three triples in the win over Clemson. In December, McCain broke out for over 21 points in three games vs. Charlotte, Baylor, and Queens. On the year, McCain is 43-for-107 from deep.
Heading into UNC, McCain is averaging 15.0 points and 7.5 rebounds over the last two games while shooting 50 percent (11-for-22) from the field. McCain has also recorded five or more rebounds on seven different occasions this season.
Scheyer went out of his way to praise McCain following the win over the Tigers last weekend.
“The last guy I want to touch on, before we open it up, is Jared McCain,” the second-year Duke head coach said. “Jared just has a special belief about him, and when things get tough, you just feel like Jared is going to make a play. You do, as a coach. It doesn’t matter if he’s a freshman. It doesn’t matter if he’s never been in a situation like this before. He just has a belief his team’s supposed to win, and I thought that stretch – I know I was told, right before, 11 points in the final 12 minutes – but it’s more his spirit, just finding a way to win. (I’m) really proud (of him).”
And that is why McCain is not only a player to watch on Saturday vs. UNC, but an X-Factor for the Blue Devils down the home stretch of the season. The reigning ACC rookie of the week is starting to find his groove and is no stranger to bright lights and big games. He is confident.
McCain’s progression parallels what UNC has with rookie point guard Elliot Cadeau, who was ranked two spots ahead of the Duke guard in the 2024 class. Very different players, who both provide their respective teams with an offensive edge in the backcourt. The guard matchups on Saturday are going to be super intriguing. While Duke rolls out a backcourt of 6-foot-5 Caleb Foster, 6-foot-2 Jeremy Roach, the 6-foot-3 McCain, and 6-foot-5 Tyrese Proctor off the bench — UNC is small. Elliot Cadeau is listed at 6-foot-1, RJ Davis is 6-foot, and Cormac Ryan is 6-foot-5. Seth Trimble, Carolina’s best perimeter defense and first sub off the bench, is maybe 6-foot-3.
How UNC defends Duke’s big backcourt and rebounds as a team is just another wrinkle for the always intense in-game chess match.
On Saturday, Duke will have to play their best game to beat UNC in Chapel Hill. Can McCain continue to step up his play and shooting in the sport’s biggest game? His offensive efficiency, all-around play, and continued development are why we are buying stock now on what Duke and McCain can be over the next two months.
The Daily Dish is a daily college basketball column by a rotating cast of 247Sports writers on the biggest stories of the day in the sport and will run through the NCAA tournament championship in April.
