NCAA Basketball: Top 16 reveal, Tennessee’s hidden flaw, and more weekly takeaways
By Brian Rauf
3) Cam Reddish is out of his slump and Duke is a different animal because of it
Duke’s biggest flaw coming into this week was their three-point shooting, and I’ve written about how and why they’ve struggled in that area.
That area still isn’t exactly a strength but, thanks to Cam Reddish breaking out of his season-long slump, it’s not a weakness for the Blue Devils anymore.
Reddish came out of high school with a reputation for being one of the best three-point shooters in this class, yet he had been shooting just over 30 percent from deep coming into February. He showed flashes of that when he hit five threes (including the game-winner) against Florida State, but has not shown consistency in that area until recently.
Over the last three games, Reddish is shooting 45 percent from long-range and has made at least four in each contest. It feels like his slump is over and, with it, Duke gets a serious (needed) weapon back.
The Blue Devils have a roster full of players who can shoot from distance but are inconsistent in doing so. One of the reasons many were high on this team in the preseason is because Reddish gave them that legitimate outside threat.
Well, they have been the No. 1 or No. 2 ranked team all season without him shooting at a high level, creating that big weakness. Now, with that weakness no longer being there, Duke’s game has gone to yet another level – which is a scary notion for the rest of the country.