Tightwad Hill: PAC-10 BASKETBALL

Monday, January 08, 2007

PAC-10 BASKETBALL - INSIDE THE NUMBERS

First, if you haven't please visit Ken Pomeroy's website. Bookmark it if you care a whit about college hoops.

Pomeroy does RPI projections, like lots of folks, and he has his own ratings system. They are possession-based and measure offensive and defensive efficiency adjusted for factors such as tempo, 3-point shooting (for a more effective FG percentage stat) and the like. His stats are possession-based; his efficiency rankings show how frequently teams turn the possessions they're given into points (and vice versa). The math is available on his site for your reading pleasure.

In the Pac 10, Pomeroy's overall rankings aren't too much of a surprise (national ranking in parentheses): UCLA (4), Arizona (16), Oregon (25), USC (29), WSU (49), UW (55), Cal (57), Stanford (78), ASU (145), OSU (170). The only surprise (or disappointment) is his low national rankings for the Pac relative to the polls. Non-Pac teams he loves? A&M (2), Memphis (10), Georgetown (12), Indiana (14).

Other tidbits:

Arizona has the 2nd most efficient offense in the nation. Defense not so hot - 89th.
SC has the 13th most efficient defense in the nation, which explains their success this year.
Cal is 56th in offense and 61st in defense (last year Pomeroy rated us 42nd in offensive efficiency and 58th on defense - who knew Braun was such a genius offensive coach?)
Omar Wilkes never gets to the line. He averages 5.7 free throws per 100 FG attempts, a ridiculously low number.
Ryan Anderson takes care of the basketball, averaging only 9 turnovers per 100 possessions. He's 24th in the country in this stat.
In fact, Cal is very strong in ball security - 13th best in turnover percentage.

Anyway, check out the site for more details - the Cal report is here.