Scruggs Says Duke is Better than North Carolina
December 17, 2009
Gardner-Webb has been unlucky enough to play both Duke and North Carolina this season in non-conference play. So which team was the tougher match up? It’s the Blue Devils, at least according to Gardner-Webb head basketball coach Rick Scruggs that is. What can we really say? Scruggs is probably the best judge of where both teams are at this point in the season and his team was beaten by 45 by Duke and 21 points by the Tar Heels.
“Carolina runs athletes at you, and they’re long and athletic, a lot like Duke. But Duke shoots the ball so well,” Scruggs told Above the Rim, the Charlotte Observer’s basketball blog. He further added that since the Blue Devils shoot the ball much better than the Tar Heels, “… everything opens up on the floor.”
The numbers don’t lie: Duke is shooting 41.7 percent from 3-point range (compared to 36 percent for UNC). Also, according to Ken Pomeroy, Duke is the third most-efficient team in the land, averaging 123.4 points per 100 possessions (UNC is slightly less at 110.7 points per 100 possessions). However, athletes, not numbers or words, play the game but this might be the season Duke improves its 3-7 record since 2004-05 against UNC.
We can begin to settle this argument where it should be settled, on the basketball court, come February 10th, the first time these two teams meet (this game is a UNC, the second, on March 6th will be at Duke). Be sure to check our college basketball spreads for these games to see who is favored in the match ups.