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ESPN analyst picks Auburn over Duke as best team in college basketball
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
ESPN analyst Andraya Carter is well aware of the discussion around Duke — led by freshman sensation Cooper Flagg — being the best team in college basketball so far this season.
But, on College GameDay on Saturday, Carter made the case for Auburn. As good as Flagg has been, she argued, the Blue Devils may depend on him a bit too much.
“I love this Duke team. I love the way they play. They have this system offensively, but to me, everything still surrounds Cooper Flagg,” she said. “They have a ton of talent, but who creates for that talent? Cooper Flagg creates for everybody. He is the centerpiece for everything … more often than not, they rely on Cooper Flagg.”
“They’re playing without a dominant ball guard. They run their offense through Cooper Flagg, correct. And that’s a good thing,” Seth Greenberg interjected.
“I don’t know if that’s a good thing,” Carter replied. “Even when you talk about a team being full-strength … there’s still in-game slippage, there’s still having an off night, there’s still foul trouble, and to me, Auburn is the best team because they have the most depth to withstand those in-game obstacles.”
While the No. 1 Tigers’ lone loss of the season came against Duke — an 84-78 defeat at Cameron Indoor Stadium — they’ve been rock-solid throughout the year. They take their 16-1 (4-0 SEC) record to Athens as they face Georgia on Saturday.
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
