Duke Basketball: Isaiah Stewart race gives Tom Izzo rematch with Coach K
By Matt Giles
If the top undecided center in the 2019 class soon dons a blue cap with a “D” on it, Michigan State coach Tom Izzo should consider withdrawing in the future from battles that include Duke basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski.
The Duke basketball team’s current record just so happens to be Coach K’s all-time record on the hardwood against Tom Izzo.
11-1.
Part of the reason for that disparity may be a result of a psychological advantage. But another part is that Durham has served as the stomping ground to a greater mass of talent over the years than East Lansing.
One snapshot of that five-star dominance — other than the fact that the Blue Devils have snagged the nation’s top recruiting class three years straight — is a 5-to-1 advantage in the number of former players from each program who have appeared in at least one NBA game this season:
Blue Devils 25, Spartans 5.
And on the 2019 recruiting trail, Krzyzewski’s head-to-head mark against Izzo sits at 1-0. But the one victory was a big one.
Quite literally.
Five-star center Vernon Carey Jr., a 6-foot-10, 275-pound multi-faceted bruiser who is ranked No. 2 on the 247Sports Composite, ripped the hearts out of Spartan fans by pulling out a handkerchief with a Duke logo in the center of it during his announcement ceremony on Dec. 6.
ALSO READ: Vernon Carey Jr. whets Blue Devils’ appetites with latest highlights
Ever since Carey Jr.’s decision, the chatter on Twitter from Team Izzo has centered on the advantage the Spartans should now hold over the Blue Devils in the race for five-star Isaiah Stewart, the top undecided center in the 2019 class.
However, what seems to be a logical advantage may not be an advantage at all; after all, Stewart has repeatedly welcomed playing alongside Carey Jr.
Based on comments from the community of recruiting experts, Stewart’s past comments, as well as his comments on Tuesday night during an Instagram Live interview with Tipton Edits — click “NEXT” below — it seems a) His recruitment is a two-team race, and b) We should all find out shortly whether Izzo has actually discovered the magic beans to beat Coach K…