Duke overwhelmed McGill University 103-58 earlier today to complete a perfect 3-0 exhibition tour in Canada.
The Blue Devils were expected to go undefeated on the trip after ignoring calls from Carleton, the best team in Canada.
According to Carleton head coach Dave Smart, he reached out the Duke but his call was not returned:
This is Duke’s first foray into Canada, and yes, Carleton wanted to be part of it.
“I asked if we could go to Montreal or Toronto to play them but there was no call back,” Smart said in an interview. “We really wanted to play them. We want to play anyone of that calibre. It would be a great experience for our guys and show us our holes. I’m not worried about winning or losing, but teams at that level, we want to play.”
Has the Ravens’ success hurt them in attracting opponents?
“I’ve been told coaches are dodging us,” said Smart.
According to a Duke spokesman, the tour was determined by which cities they wanted to visit with the opponents determined after that. Since U.S. teams can only do a foreign tour every four years any chance of a Ravens-Blue Devils matchup will have to wait.
It’s hard to blame the Blue Devils. It would damage expectations if they lost during the trip.
Carleton was a perfect 23-0 last season and defeated four NCAA Division I programs just last week: Cincinnati, Ole Miss and South Dakota State (twice).
