One of the first things a coach looks at on a stat sheet following a basketball game is apt to be his or her team's success at deterring the opposition's shot-making. That's most readily reflected in team field goal percentage.
Team field goal percentage defense is especially telling for gauging the effectiveness of half-court oriented defenses.
But some defensive schemes render this stat less revealing than others. Mike Krzyzewski's Duke squads usually extend their defense, relying heavily on forced turnovers to disrupt a rival's offensive flow and fuel the Blue Devils' own attack. The coach vows to return to such an approach in 2010-11. A higher opposing field goal percentage is ordinarily a tradeoff in such circumstances.
"Last year we were, I think, as good a halfcourt defensive team as there was in the country," Krzyzewski said of the 2010 national champs. "I thought we won because of our defense and rebounding. But, also, we had big guys and we didn't spread our defense out very much."
This year he intends to maintain a higher tempo and a more full-court game at both ends of the court.
| TOUGH SLEDDING | |||
| Best FG Pct. Defense at Duke Under Coach Mike Krzyzewski (1981-2010) | |||
| FG% | FGM-FGA | Year | Edge v.Opponents |
| .390 | 783-2006 | 2005 | +.055 |
| .391 | 972-2486 | 1999 | +.123 |
| .401 | 883-2202 | 2010 | +.040 |
| .407 | 876-2154 | 2004 | +.064 |
| .411 | 841-2045 | 1998 | +.064 |
| .415 | 880-2121 | 1994 | +.071 |
| .416 | 1028-2471 | 2001 | +.065 |
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