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NC State point guard Markell Johnson is good at a lot of things. He's in a virtual tie for the ACC lead in assists. He's third in the league in steals and is scoring at a 12.6 point clip.

But for all those attributes, his most dramatic attribute might be his ability to make baskets from halfcourt and beyond.

He did it for the third time this season just before halftime of the Wolfpack's game against sixth-ranked Duke at PNC Arena.

Taking the ball out out of bounds after the Blue Devils' Tre Jones scored with three seconds remaining, Johnson dribbled twice and left fly from just beyond the midcourt line. His shot banked in to increase State's lead to 44-29 after 20 minutes.

"I never call them. I just shoot," Johnson said with a chuckle afterward, adding that his halfcourt prowess is not a fluke. "I shoot those every day after practice."

The three points gave the 6-foot-1 senior 15 for the game on his way to a career-high 28 points. He also had nine rebounds, four assists and two steals with only one turnover in leading the Wolfpack to a stunning 88-66 rout of the Blue Devils.

As was the case with his other two dramatic long shots this season -- against Wisconsin and UNC Greensboro.-- State went on to win the game.

The one against the Badgers was also a halftime buzzer-beater -- a shot he said he made with his eyes closed.

That wasn't the case against UNCG.

"I was locked in on that shot," Johnson said at the time. "Very locked in."

It's a good thing he was. His desperation heave from nearly the same spot as the other two bombs hit nothing but net as the buzzer sounded, breaking a tie and giving the Wolfpack a wild 80-77 win against the Spartans. 

"It's the second time this year I've drawn up a play for Markell to make a (halfcourt) shot," coach Kevin Keatts said jokingly afterward. "So I'm a heck of a coach for that."

It is not known whether there's a an NCAA or ACC record for most halfcourt shots made in a season. But if there is, Johnson has got to be getting close. 

And his still got five more games to go in the regular season and then beyond to add to his total.