Duke sophomore Matthew Hurt has been named the ACC Player of the Week after scoring 22 points in back-to-back wins over conference opponents last week.
The sophomore from Rochester, Minn., started with an 8-of-9 shooting performance, including 3-of-4 from three-point range, to lead all scorers in the Blue Devils’ 84-60 win at Wake Forest on Wednesday night. He added four rebounds and two assists in 31 minutes, and Duke outscored the Demon Deacons by 26 points when Hurt was on the floor.
Hurt carried his hot shooting into the matchup with No. 7 Virginia on Saturday night, as he scored nine points in the opening 6:18 of the first half. He went on to hit 8-of-13 from the field, 5-of-8 from beyond the arc and again grabbed four rebounds. Perhaps his biggest play of the night came on the game’s final possession, when he got a piece of Kihei Clark’s potential game-winning three at the buzzer to preserve a 66-65 Duke victory.
Over Duke’s three-game winning streak that includes a 69-53 decision at NC State on Feb. 13, Hurt is averaging 22.7 points while shooting 14-of-19 (.736) from the field and 24-of-32 (.750) from three-point range. He has recorded 10+ points in each of his last six halves of play, and his 109 total points in the month of February lead the ACC.
On the season, Hurt leads the conference in three-point percentage (.469 – fifth in the NCAA) and most threes per game (2.5), while ranking second in scoring (18.5) and third in field goal percentage (.561). He is the nation’s only player shooting better than 56 percent from the field, better than 46 percent from deep and making more than six field goals per game. Hurt and Gonzaga’s Corey Kispert are the only players averaging 55/45/6.
This marks Hurt’s second ACC Player of the Week honor (Jan. 11). Combined with Duke’s four ACC Freshman of the Week nods, the Blue Devils’ six weekly recognitions are the most in the conference this season.
