WASHINGTON _ By the statistics alone, No. 1 Duke shouldn't count on Cameron Reddish when it needs a big basket.
The 6-foot-8 freshman has hit 35 percent of his shots overall, including 33 percent of his 3-pointers. In 14 different games this season, Reddish has made less than 30 percent of his shots.
Yet Reddish has authored some of Duke's biggest shots of what's been a magical season so far.
A 3-pointer in the final seconds to win, 70-68, at Florida State? That was Reddish.
A 3-pointer with 1:28 left at Louisville to tie a game Duke once trailed by 23 points on the way to a 71-69 win? Reddish.
A 3-pointer that started Duke's game-ending 7-2 run that erased Central Florida's four-point lead in last Sunday's 77-76 Blue Devils win? Yep, that was Reddish.
"In those moments," Duke assistant coach Jon Scheyer said, "he's following his instincts to the fullest."
That's not always been the case as Reddish has worked his way through an up-and-down season for Duke, which meets Virginia Tech in the NCAA Tournament East Regional semifinal at Capital One Arena Friday night.
More of a ball-handling playmaker in high school in the Philadelphia area, Reddish has adjusted to a new role at Duke.
"In high school I was dribbling it a lot more, obviously going to the basket, stuff like that," Reddish said. "This year I've taken a lot more shots. Basically just making sure I'm shooting it the same way every time, holding my follow through, shooting the same shot."
When the season started, Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski bristled when asked how Reddish would handle being a third option in Duke's offense behind fellow freshman Zion Williamson and RJ Barrett.
Krzyzewski insisted, at that point, all his players were top options in his positionless sets.
Reddish has averaged 29.5 minutes played per game this season, starting 35 of Duke's 36 games. He missed one game due to an illness.
He's a big part of the Blue Devils (31-5) and their quest for an NCAA title.
His 33 percent accuracy on 3-pointers is tied with Williamson for tops among Duke's starters. But that's a hollow honor.
Around the country, there are nine players among the final 16 teams alive in the NCAA Tournament who have made at least 43 percent of their 3-pointers. North Carolina's Cameron Johnson leads that group at 46.3 percent.
Just in the last five weeks, Reddish had a game against N.C. State where he made 2 of 15 shots overall, including 1 of 7 3-pointers. A week later, he was 2 for 11 (1 for 8) at Syracuse.
In Duke's final home game at Cameron Indoor Stadium against Wake Forest on March 5, Reddish went 2 of 11, including 1 of 8 on 3-pointers.
Three days later, the day before Duke closed the regular-season at UNC, Krzyzewski even referred to Reddish as a complementary scorer for the Blue Devils.
With Barrett leading Duke in scoring at 22.8 points and Williamson at 22.5, Duke longs for a consistent third option.
Reddish, who averages 13.6 points, has looked better than that at times _ especially in those key late-game situations. But he's not consistently shot well.
That's why the coaching staff wants him to be locked in to every detail of his shooting routine no matter the game situation.
"He's done that a good amount," Scheyer said, "but I think some of the ups and downs are because of that. He's a big-time player and a big-time winner and I think that's why he comes through in those moments."
Krzyzewski insists Duke's coaches and players remain confident in Reddish, who has taken 25.8 percent of the team's shots. That's third behind Barrett (33.2) and Williamson (27.6).
Krzyzewski doesn't want Reddish to think about his season shooting percentages.
"Actually, I think for anybody, if you keep bringing cumulative with you into the moment, you're not very smart," Krzyzewski said. "And so, whatever, good or bad, you've got to get rid of it. And so in the last few games, actually, Cam has shot very well. And he stays confident because he is confident and we're confident in him. And we have confidence in him."
Reddish has validated that confidence in key moments.
Like his first-team All-ACC teammates Williamson and Barrett, Reddish said the will to win takes over when he takes shots like the 3-pointer he made late against Central Florida last Sunday.
"We all just want to win really badly," Reddish said, "and we all look forward to taking that shot and just being focused and being engaged and being ready."
Krzyzewski is correct about Reddish being on an upswing. In Duke's two NCAA Tournament games, Reddish is shooting 41 percent overall while making 5 of 10 3-pointers (50 percent).
If he makes more shots earlier in the game, maybe Duke won't need him to make as many clutch shots late in the games to keep its season going.
