Evan Miyakawa and Ken Pomeroy spoke with the Montgomery Advertiser's Adam Cole about whether or not Auburn big man Johni Broome is the best player in the country. There was no consensus between the industry titans, who've both devised a metric to determine player impact.
Miyakawa believes Broome clears Cooper Flagg by a good bit, believing the Duke superstar isn't clearly better in any one category.
"I don't see one specific category where Flagg has a clear leg up on Broome," Miyakawa said. "I think Broome's individual stats are better. I think what he's had to face on his schedule is by far better. In terms of team strength, Auburn and Duke are very comparable. They kind of flip-flop back and forth, in terms of the predictive metrics, but certainly from what they've done in terms of wins and losses, Auburn clearly has the best resume in the sport."
Pomeroy gave the edge to Flagg, however.
"Flagg does boast better numbers from distance and the free-throw line. Pomeroy acknowledged that, in his kPOY formula, playing time is a factor, and it's a metric where Flagg has an edge," Cole wrote.
Perhaps Flagg is the superior option. After all, as ESPN's Andraya Carter pointed out, the Blue Devils rely on him much more than the Tigers rely on Broome. Duke plays Cooper ball, while Auburn plays team-oriented Bruce ball.
“I love this Duke team. I love the way they play. They have this system offensively, but to me, everything still surrounds Cooper Flagg,” Carter said, per Saturday Down South. “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.
“I don’t know if that’s a good thing (that Duke doesn't play through a ball-dominant guard). 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.”
Of course, Broome and Flagg would both prefer a national championship over individual awards. Who cuts down the nets in early April will be remembered for longer than who won the Wooden Award.