Red Hot Matthew Hurt Scorching Duke Opponents

Sophomore has hit nine of last 11 three-point attempts

Duke sophomore Matthew Hurt has been the team’s leading scorer and top outside shooter all season, but he’s found a new gear in the last two games.

Hurt hit 9-of-11 from three and 16-of-19 overall as Duke blew out NC State and Wake Forest on the road.

“It’s a lot about my teammates and my coaches,” Hurt said. “They put me in a great spot to score and get my shots, so I give all the credit to the coaching staff and my teammates because they do most of the work.”

A pair of freshmen—Mark Williams and Jaemyn Brakefield—have also upped their game on the inside in recent outings, which helps to open things up for Hurt on the perimeter. The bigs have also had more minutes on the defensive end, which frees Hurt, who has had to defend the post at times this year and seen foul trouble because of it, from those defensive responsibilities.

“Yeah. Those are two great players,” he said of his freshmen teammates. “Mark is one of the best rim protectors I’ve ever played with. Jaemyn brings energy. He carried us for a while to start the game. That’s what we’re going to see from him more. He actually got hit in the mouth yesterday, so he had a mouthguard in. He’s been playing well and I’m proud of both of them.”

Duke has also cut down on turnovers on offense, which allows them to run more plays—and shots for Hurt—out of sets.

“Everyone on this team is unselfish,” Hurt said. “Early in the season, we were really turnover-prone. The last couple practices, the last couple weeks, we’ve been hounding on the defensive end and just not turning the ball over, because if we do that, we’re going to be in good shape to win a game. I think we did that tonight and the last two games, and I think we’re going to keep playing hard and try to keep playing smart.”