Posted by ScooterDevil on February 22, 20 at 13:33:23:
In Reply to: Re: I win is not always a win posted by Big Ron on February 21, 20 at 22:04:16:
The bigger point is that valuing possessions matter. When you take a 35 foot 3-pointer early in the shot clock it matters. Now every possession matters because of these metrics. Teams that start slow but end up coming back to win don't look as good as those that play solid basketball the whole game. ASU is going to struggle with the metrics as long as they continue this trend of having to come back to win games. Focus for a full 40 needs to be a priority.
: : For all those fans that say "a win is a win", that is no longer true in college basketball. ASU is 18-8 and 9-4 in the PAC-12. Arizona is 19-7 and also 9-4. So how is it that Arizona is #7 in the NET and ASU is #40? One game can't make that big a difference.
: : The reason is that all of the metrics now use offensive and defensive efficiency numbers. Well these numbers are just a more complex form of victory margin. Obviously your efficiency looks much better when you win by 20 than when you win by 2. So the close calls and playing poorly against the likes of Princeton, San Francisco, Louisiana, and Prairie View plus losing by 40 to St. Mary's and 30 to Arizona definitely matters.
: - - - - - -
: Best way to assure a good tournament placement is to finally win the PAC championship and then tell the statisticians to go screw themselves. Players seem to be peaking at the right time. Fingers crossed that everybody stays healthy.