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Sports

Morrsion has an edge over Redick

Sports Guy

Eli Jabbe

Duke and Gonzaga are two schools that have one thing in common: they both have high powered, highly accurate scoring machines.

For anybody who's watched college basketball in the last several years, J.J. Redick's name should ring a bell. He has been one of the nation's best sharpshooters for several years now. Though the senior guard hasn't led Duke to a championship, he deserves credit for his good numbers.

On the other hand, there is Adam Morrison, the junior forward who plays for Gonzaga. Unlike Redick, Morrison has seemingly come out of nowhere to have a great season. Both have many similarities and differences, but the one question that many have asked this season is: which player is better?

Redick, a senior guard, is having a great season when it comes to scoring -- a huge 28.9 points per game. Redick is best known for his Reggie Miller-like free throw percentage (88 percent) and his 3-point shot (43.9 percent). Speaking of three-pointers, Redick broke the NCAA record Tuesday for three-pointers made, which previously stood at 413. But it's Redick's accurate shooting that is the most praised -- and criticized -- part of his game. 

Redick is a good shooter, but he hasn't had a great all-around season. The 6-4 guard is averaging only 2.6 assists and two rebounds, both sub-par for a shooting guard. As a result, Redick is viewed as one-dimensional.

After Tuesday's record night, Redick said, "I'll never be able to completely shed the label of just being a shooter and that's fine with me." 

Morrison, a forward, has had countless 30-point games this season. The Gonzaga junior says he looked up to Larry Bird when he was younger and patterned his game after him as a result. Although he's long at 6-8, the swingman does most of his work on the outside. His 44.6 percentage from beyond the arc is proof that the forward is more than capable from long distance. 

Morrison is involved in a tight scoring race with Redick; he's just behind with 28.8 points per game. The Gonzaga Bulldog is also averaging 1.5 assists and a decent 5.5 rebounds per game. Thanks in large part to Morrison's stellar season, Gonzaga is ranked fifth on both rankings.

I'm going to have to give the edge to Morrison because he is having a slightly better season. It'll be interesting to see where these two players can take their teams in the NCAA Tournament.
 

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