‘Came out firing.’ How a struggling Matthew Hurt regrouped and helped Duke beat FSU.
With 13 seconds left and Duke ahead of Florida State 66-63, junior Alex O’Connell walked up to freshman Matthew Hurt.
As the volume in Cameron Indoor Stadium seemed to lower a notch, O’Connell had one thing to say.
“Just end it,” he told Hurt.
Hurt, who was fouled on the previous possession after coming down with a critical offensive rebound, was getting ready to shoot two free throws. If he made both, he’d ice the game for the Blue Devils.
Hurt, a freshman, had struggled in recent games. He went scoreless in Duke’s 98-96 win over UNC on Saturday. He had only two points in 11 minutes in Duke’s 63-55 win over Boston College on Feb. 4.
Before Hurt shot his free throws on Monday, the team gathered in a huddle. Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski told his players that Hurt was going to make the free throws. They agreed.
Hurt did, knocking down both of them. Eleven seconds later, when the Seminoles fouled him again, Hurt did it again and pushed No. 7 Duke to a 70-65 over No. 8 Florida State. It was a big win for the Blue Devils, who only 48 hours earlier, had staged a late-game comeback to beat North Carolina on the road in overtime.
Matthew Hurt’s up and down season
Hurt has been up and down this season. He was one of the top prospects in the country coming out of high school, and his ability to shoot from all spots on the floor makes him a dangerous player.
But he’s scored in double figures in three consecutive games only once this year.
After scoring 22 against Miami on Jan. 21, he scored seven points against Pitt on Jan. 28, 12 against Syracuse on Feb. 1, two points against Boston College on Feb. 3, and none in Saturday’s game at UNC.
“Coming off that game, it was hard,” Hurt said of his performance in the UNC win. “I just had to get my mind right because it was a quick turnaround.
“I worked hard in practice. We did some drills we don’t usually do during the season, but I deserved it. I didn’t play well the last couple of games.”
Hurt struggled, especially on defense. He played only seven minutesagainst the Tar Heels and had four fouls.
“I don’t know what I was doing,” Hurt said.
A much-improved Hurt ‘came out firing’
On Monday night against Florida State, he was much improved. He came off the bench, and in his first two minutes of action, hit two 3-pointers. He looked confident. His second was a step-back three, which gave the Blue Devils an early 19-11 lead with 11:47 left in the first half.
“He came out firing,” Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said of Hurt.
Hurt missed his next two shots, but stayed aggressive. He played well on defense, and in a tight game against Florida State, was playing when it mattered most.
Hurt finished with 12 points, and was 6 of 6 from the free throw line. While he had only two rebounds, one was a critical offensive rebound with 13 seconds left that led to Hurt being fouled.
He then hit four free consecutive throws to ice the game.
Sophomore guard Tre Jones said that’s a testament to the work Hurt has put in.
“He was in here working extremely hard yesterday,” Jones said. “We all know that we are going to need him. He knew his name would be called again, and he just has to be ready, and tonight was that night.”
When Hurt stepped to the line, he was ready. He knew it. And so did his teammates, including O’Connell.
“Just end it.” And he did.
This story was originally published February 11, 2020 at 12:17 AM.
