Matthew Hurt’s ascent to an elite scorer could mean big things for No. 2 Duke
For many, Duke’s basketball season is viewed before and after the Nov. 26 upset loss to Stephen F. Austin as the Blue Devils have been unbeatable in every other game.
When looking at Matthew Hurt’s season, the bisecting line lies one game earlier.
The freshman hit what now appears to be rock bottom on Nov. 20 when Duke beat Georgetown on Nov. 22 in New York City.
Since his scoreless effort in five frustrating minutes of play that night, the 6-9 freshman looks more like the consistent scorer Duke believed it had when he signed his scholarship papers.
The upswing in Hurt’s play continued Tuesday night when he tallied a season-best 25 points, nailing five 3-pointers, as Duke hammered Boston College 88-49 at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
After averaging 8.6 points while shooting 41.7 percent from the field over the first six games of his Duke career, Hurt has averaged 14 points and shot 55.7 percent over the last seven for the No. 2 Blue Devils (12-1, 2-0 ACC).
“He’s a little bit stronger, a few pounds heavier,” Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said. “He is one of the main guys who was talking more, on defense and offense. And as a result, his movements are stronger and he takes his shot quicker. It’s just a part of growing up, growing up as a player.”
He’s come a long way since that rough night at Madison Square Garden. As a team, the Blue Devils stood tough that night, rallying to beat Georgetown 81-73 to win the 2K Empire Classic tournament.
Hurt was a no show, though, missing his only four shot attempts. Visibly upset in the postgame locker room with tears in his eyes, Hurt was consoled by senior Jack White. The team captain offered words of encouragement.
Words from White as well as Duke’s coaches have made a difference. Hurt took them to heart and his play and productivity are more befitting of a player rated as a five-star prospect out of high school.
“My coaches have really pushed me to be more efficient on offense,” Hurt said. “They’ve been working with me and done a great job with me.”
Getting more efficient meant being stronger with the ball, making his moves all the more confident. Those parts of his game were missing earlier in the season, particularly in that game with Georgetown.
Now, rather than the ball being knocked away from him, Hurt is able to finish shots in the paint.
The 3-point shooting stroke he was expected to display this season was present against Boston College. Hurt missed all five of his 3-pointers over Duke’s last two games. But he nailed 5 of 10 against the Eagles.
“They were skipping the ball and we were doing a poor job of rotating quickly enough to him,” Boston College coach Jim Christian said. “He’s got a real quick release though. He’s big. So we were actually there a couple of times and he just hit it. He’s a good player, shot the ball really well.”
Hurt’s season average on 3-pointers is now up to an impressive 40.8 percent. He’s hit 12 of 28 (42.8 percent) over these last seven games.
Duke has an all-American candidate patrolling the middle of the lane in 6-10 freshman Vernon Carey, Jr., who averages 17.9 points and 9.0 rebounds per game. Tre Jones is among the nation’s top point guards, averaging 14.6 points and 7.4 assists per game.
Any team that wants to win a national championship needs at least three consistent scoring threats in its starting lineup.
Hurt looks like that kind of player now, having grown his game over the last five weeks.
This story was originally published December 31, 2019 at 9:57 PM.