SEC stat breakdown UPDATED Jan. 20

[Biggus Piggus]

I plan to update this every week or so.

Pace of play (possessions per game)
75 Tennessee
74 South Carolina
73 Arkansas, Kentucky
72
71 Auburn, Georgia, Mississippi State
70 Alabama
69 Florida
68 Ole Miss
67 LSU, Vanderbilt

Floor percentage (field goals + offensive rebounds / shots + turnovers)
58% LSU
57% Florida, Tennessee
56% South Carolina
55% Arkansas, Alabama
54%
53% Kentucky, Ole Miss
52% Mississippi State
51% Auburn
50% Georgia, Vanderbilt

Floor percentage defense
44% Auburn
45%
46% Kentucky, Vanderbilt
47% Arkansas, LSU, South Carolina
48% Georgia
49% Florida
50% Tennessee
51% Alabama, Mississippi State
52%
53%
54% Ole Miss

Points per possession
1.15 Florida
-
-
1.12 LSU
1.11 Tennessee
1.10
1.09 Kentucky
1.08 South Carolina
-
1.06 Arkansas, Mississippi State, Ole Miss
1.05
1.04 Alabama
1.03 Vanderbilt
-
1.01 Auburn
1.00
-
-
-
-
0.95
-
0.93 Georgia

Opponents' points per possession
0.86 Auburn
-
0.88 Kentucky, Vanderbilt
-
-
0.91 Georgia, LSU, Mississippi State, South Carolina
-
0.93 Florida
-
0.95 Arkansas, Alabama
-
-
-
-
1.00
1.01 Tennessee
-
-
1.04 Ole Miss

Defensive rebounding percentage
72% Arkansas
71% Tennessee
70% Auburn, LSU, Vanderbilt
69% Kentucky
-
67% Florida, Georgia
-
65% Alabama, South Carolina
64% Mississippi State
63% Ole Miss

Offensive rebounding percentage
40% LSU, Tennessee
-
38% Alabama
37% South Carolina
36% Florida, Kentucky
35% Arkansas, Ole Miss
34% Georgia
33% Auburn, Vanderbilt
32% Mississippi State

2-pt field goals per possession
0.32 LSU
0.31 Alabama, Florida, South Carolina
0.30 Kentucky, Tennessee
0.29 Arkansas
-
0.27 Ole Miss
0.26 Georgia, Mississippi State, Vanderbilt
0.25 Auburn

2-pt field goals allowed per opponents' possession
0.19 Auburn
0.20
0.21 Kentucky
0.22 Vanderbilt
0.23 Arkansas
0.24 LSU
0.25 Tennessee
0.26 Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi State, South Carolina
0.27
0.28 Ole Miss

3-pt field goals per possession
0.11 Florida, Mississippi State
0.10 Auburn
0.09 LSU, Ole Miss, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vanderbilt
0.08 Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky
0.07 Alabama

3-pt field goals allowed per opponents' possession
0.07 South Carolina
0.08 Georgia, LSU, Mississippi State
0.09 Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Kentucky, Vanderbilt
0.10 Ole Miss, Tennessee
0.11 Arkansas

Free throw attempts per possession
0.38 Arkansas
0.37
0.36
0.35 Tennessee
0.34 Auburn
0.33 Mississippi State, Vanderbilt
0.32 LSU
0.31 Alabama, Kentucky
0.30 Ole Miss, South Carolina
0.29
0.28 Florida
0.27
0.26 Georgia

Opponents' free throw attempts per possession
0.24 Arkansas, Georgia, Mississippi State, Vanderbilt
0.25 Florida
0.26 Alabama, South Carolina
0.27 LSU
0.28 Kentucky
0.29 Ole Miss
0.30 Auburn
0.31 Tennessee

Assists per possession
0.26 Florida
0.25
0.24 Kentucky
0.23 LSU
0.22 Tennessee
0.21 Auburn
0.20
0.19 Arkansas, Georgia, Mississippi State, Vanderbilt
0.18 Ole Miss
0.17
0.16 South Carolina
0.15 Alabama

Turnovers per possession
0.18 Florida, LSU
0.19 Ole Miss, South Carolina
0.20 Arkansas, Alabama, Tennessee
0.21 Auburn
0.22 Mississippi State, Vanderbilt
0.23
0.24 Georgia
0.25 Kentucky

Opponents' turnovers per possession
0.27 South Carolina
0.26 Auburn
0.25 Florida
0.24
0.23 Georgia
0.22 Alabama, Kentucky
0.21 Arkansas, LSU
0.20 Tennessee, Vanderbilt
0.19 Ole Miss, Mississippi State

2-pt field goal percentage
57% Florida, Kentucky
-
55%
54% Tennessee
-
52% Auburn, Mississippi State
51% Arkansas, Vanderbilt
50% Alabama, South Carolina
49% LSU
-
47% Ole Miss
46% Georgia

3-pt field goal percentage
39% LSU, South Carolina
38% Mississippi State
-
36% Kentucky
35% Florida, Ole Miss
34% Arkansas, Georgia
33% Vanderbilt
32% Auburn
-
30% Tennessee
29% Alabama

Free throw percentage
79% Kentucky
-
-
-
75% Ole Miss
74% Vanderbilt
-
-
71% LSU
70% Alabama, Mississippi State
69% Tennessee
68% Florida
-
66% South Carolina
65% Arkansas
-
-
62% Georgia
-
60% Auburn

2-pt field goal percentage defense
38% Vanderbilt
39% Kentucky
40% Mississippi State
-
42% LSU
43% Auburn
44% Alabama
45%
46% Georgia, South Carolina
47% Arkansas
48% Florida
49% Ole Miss, Tennessee

3-pt field goal percentage defense
29% Georgia
30%
31% Alabama, South Carolina
32% LSU, Mississippi State
33% Auburn, Florida, Kentucky
34% Arkansas, Ole Miss, Vanderbilt
35%
36%
37% Tennessee

Assists per field goal
63% Kentucky
-
61% Florida
60%
59% Auburn
58% LSU, Tennessee
-
56% Georgia
55%
-
-
52% Arkansas, Mississippi State
-
50%
-
48% Ole Miss
-
-
45%
-
-
-
-
40% South Carolina
39% Alabama

Opponents' assists per field goal
35% LSU
-
-
-
39% Mississippi State
40%
-
-
-
-
45% Kentucky
-
-
-
-
50% South Carolina
-
-
53% Alabama, Auburn
54% Florida
55% Vanderbilt
56% Georgia, Tennessee
-
58% Ole Miss
-
60%
-
-
63% Arkansas

2-pt field goal attempts per possession
0.65 LSU
0.64
0.63 Alabama, South Carolina
0.62
0.61
0.60
0.59
0.58 Ole Miss
0.57 Georgia
0.56 Arkansas, Tennessee
0.55 Florida
0.54
0.53
0.52 Kentucky
0.51 Vanderbilt
0.50 Mississippi State
0.49
0.48 Auburn

3-pt field goal attempts per possession
0.32 Auburn, Florida
0.31
0.30
0.29 Tennessee
0.28 Mississippi State
0.27 Ole Miss, Vanderbilt
0.26
0.25
0.24 Arkansas, Georgia
0.23 Alabama, Kentucky
0.22 LSU, South Carolina

2-pt field goal attempts allowed per opponents' possession
0.45 Auburn
0.46
0.47
0.48
0.49
0.50 Arkansas, Tennessee
0.51
0.52
0.53 Florida
0.54
0.55 Kentucky
0.56 South Carolina
0.57 Georgia, Vanderbilt
0.58 Alabama, LSU, Ole Miss
0.59
0.60
0.61
0.62
0.63
0.64 Mississippi State

3-pt field goal attempts allowed per opponents' possession
0.21 South Carolina
0.22
0.23
0.24
0.25 LSU
0.26 Georgia
0.27 Florida, Kentucky, Mississippi State, Vanderbilt
0.28 Alabama, Tennessee
0.29 Auburn, Ole Miss
0.30
0.31
0.32 Arkansas

Turnovers per field goal attempt
0.21 Florida, LSU
0.22 Ole Miss
0.23 Alabama, South Carolina, Tennessee
0.24 Arkansas
0.25
0.26 Auburn
0.27
0.28 Mississippi State, Vanderbilt
0.29
0.30 Georgia
0.31
0.32
0.33 Kentucky

Opponents' turnovers per field goal attempt
0.35 Auburn, South Carolina
0.34
0.33
0.32
0.31 Florida
0.30
0.29
0.28 Georgia
0.27
0.26 Kentucky, LSU, Tennessee
0.25 Alabama, Arkansas
0.24 Vanderbilt
0.23
0.22 Ole Miss
0.21 Mississippi State

Free throw attempts per opponents' foul
1.27 Arkansas
1.26 Auburn
1.25
-
-
-
1.21 Tennessee
1.20
1.19 Mississippi State
1.18 LSU, Vanderbilt
-
1.16 Kentucky
1.15
1.14 Alabama
1.13 Ole Miss
-
-
1.10
1.09 Georgia, South Carolina
1.08 Florida

Opponents' free throw attempts per foul
0.99 Georgia
1.00 Vanderbilt
1.01 Florida, Mississippi State
-
1.03 Arkansas
-
1.05
1.06 Alabama, Auburn
-
1.08 LSU
1.09 South Carolina
1.10 Ole Miss
-
1.12 Kentucky
1.13 Tennessee

Adjusted floor percentage
63% Florida
62% LSU
61% Tennessee
60% South Carolina
59% Arkansas
58% Alabama
57% Auburn, Kentucky, Mississippi State, Ole Miss
56%
55%
54% Vanderbilt
53% Georgia

Adjusted floor percentage defense
48% Auburn
49%
50% Kentucky, Vanderbilt
51% LSU, South Carolina
52% Georgia
53% Arkansas, Florida
54%
55% Alabama, Mississippi State, Tennessee
56%
57%
58%
59% Ole Miss

[The Hog]

I plan to update this every week or so.

Pace of play (possessions per game)
76 Kentucky
75 South Carolina, Tennessee
74
73 Arkansas
72 Mississippi State
71 Georgia
70 Auburn, Ole Miss
69 Alabama
68 Florida, Vanderbilt
67 LSU

Floor percentage (field goals + offensive rebounds / shots + turnovers)
59% Florida, LSU
58%
57% South Carolina, Tennessee
56% Arkansas
55% Alabama
54% Ole Miss
53%
52% Kentucky
51% Auburn, Mississippi State
50% Georgia
49% Vanderbilt

Floor percentage defense
43% Auburn
44% Arkansas, LSU, South Carolina
45% Kentucky
46% Georgia, Vanderbilt
47%
48% Tennessee
49% Alabama, Florida, Mississippi State
50%
51%
52%
53%
54% Ole Miss

Points per possession
1.20
-
1.18 Florida
-
-
1.15
1.14 LSU
-
1.12 Tennessee
-
1.10 Ole Miss
1.09 Arkansas, South Carolina
-
1.07 Kentucky
-
1.05
1.04 Alabama, Mississippi State
1.03 Vanderbilt
-
-
1.00 Auburn
-
-
-
-
0.95
-
-
0.92 Georgia

Opponents' points per possession
0.80
-
0.82 South Carolina
-
-
0.85
0.86 Kentucky, LSU
-
0.88 Auburn, Vanderbilt
0.89 Georgia
0.90 Mississippi State
0.91 Alabama
-
0.93 Arkansas
-
0.95
-
0.97 Florida, Tennessee
-
-
1.00
-
-
1.03 Ole Miss

Defensive rebounding percentage
80%
79% Arkansas
-
-
-
75%
74% Tennessee
-
-
71% LSU
70% Auburn, Kentucky
69% Georgia
68% Vanderbilt
67% South Carolina
66% Alabama, Mississippi State
65% Florida
-
-
62% Ole Miss

Offensive rebounding percentage
45% LSU
-
-
-
-
40% South Carolina
39% Tennessee
38% Arkansas, Florida
37% Alabama, Ole Miss
36% Kentucky
35% Georgia
34% Mississippi State
33% Vanderbilt
-
-
30% Auburn

2-pt field goals per possession
0.32 Florida, LSU
0.31 Alabama, South Carolina
0.30 Kentucky, Tennessee
0.29
0.28 Arkansas, Ole Miss
0.27 Georgia
0.26 Mississippi State
0.25 Vanderbilt
0.24 Auburn

2-pt field goals allowed per opponents' possession
0.18 Auburn
0.19
0.20 LSU
0.21 Kentucky, Vanderbilt
0.22 Mississippi State
0.23 Arkansas, South Carolina
0.24 Alabama, Florida, Tennessee
0.25 Georgia
0.26
0.27 Ole Miss

3-pt field goals per possession
0.12 Florida
0.11 Auburn
0.10 Ole Miss
0.09 Arkansas, LSU, Mississippi State, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vanderbilt
0.08
0.07 Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky

3-pt field goals allowed per opponents' possession
0.06 South Carolina
0.07
0.08 Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky
0.09 LSU, Tennessee
0.10 Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Vanderbilt
0.11 Arkansas, Auburn, Florida

Free throw attempts per possession
0.39 Arkansas
0.38
0.37 Vanderbilt
0.36 Mississippi State
0.35 Auburn, Tennessee
0.34
0.33
0.32
0.31 Kentucky, Ole Miss
0.30 Alabama, LSU, South Carolina
0.29
0.28 Florida
0.27 Georgia

Opponents' free throw attempts per possession
0.23 Arkansas, Georgia, South Carolina
0.24 Florida, Mississippi State
0.25
0.26 Vanderbilt
0.27 Alabama, LSU
0.28 Kentucky, Ole Miss
0.29
0.30 Auburn
0.31
0.32 Tennessee

Assists per possession
0.27 Florida
0.26
0.25 LSU
0.24 Kentucky, Tennessee
0.23
0.22 Auburn
0.21
0.20 Arkansas, Vanderbilt
0.19 South Carolina
0.18 Ole Miss, Mississippi State
0.17 Georgia
0.16
0.15 Alabama

Turnovers per possession
0.18 Alabama, Florida, Ole Miss
0.19
0.20 Arkansas, Auburn, LSU, South Carolina, Tennessee
0.21
0.22 Mississippi State
0.23 Vanderbilt
0.24 Georgia
0.25
0.26 Kentucky

Opponents' turnovers per possession
0.28 South Carolina
0.27
0.26 Auburn, Florida, Georgia
0.25
0.24
0.23
0.22 Kentucky
0.21 Alabama, LSU, Ole Miss
0.20 Arkansas, Mississippi State, Tennessee, Vanderbilt

2-pt field goal percentage
58% Kentucky
57% Florida
-
55%
54% Tennessee
53% Auburn
-
51% Arkansas, Mississippi State
50% LSU, South Carolina, Vanderbilt
49% Alabama
48% Ole Miss
-
-
45% Georgia

3-pt field goal percentage
39% LSU, South Carolina
-
37% Arkansas
36% Florida, Ole Miss
35% Mississippi State
34% Kentucky, Vanderbilt
33% Georgia
32% Tennessee
31% Auburn
30%
29% Alabama

Free throw percentage
78% Kentucky, Ole Miss
-
-
75%
-
73% Vanderbilt
-
71% LSU
70% Mississippi State, Tennessee
69% Alabama
68% Florida, South Carolina
-
-
65% Arkansas
-
-
62% Georgia
-
60%
-
58% Auburn

2-pt field goal percentage defense
36% Vanderbilt
37% LSU, Mississippi State
38% Kentucky
-
40%
41% Auburn
42% South Carolina
43% Alabama
-
45%
46% Georgia
47%
48% Arkansas, Florida, Ole Miss
49% Tennessee

3-pt field goal percentage defense
27% Alabama
28% South Carolina
-
30%
31% Georgia
32% Kentucky, LSU
33% Tennessee
34% Arkansas, Mississippi State
35% Auburn, Ole Miss
36% Vanderbilt
-
-
39% Florida

Assists per field goal
65% Kentucky
-
63% Auburn
62% Florida, Tennessee
-
60% LSU, Vanderbilt
-
-
-
-
55%
-
53% Arkansas
52% Mississippi State
51% Georgia
50%
-
-
47% Ole Miss, South Carolina
-
45%
-
-
-
-
40%
39% Alabama

Opponents' assists per field goal
37% LSU
-
-
40%
-
42% Kentucky
43% Mississippi State
-
45%
-
-
-
49% Alabama
50%
51% South Carolina
-
-
54% Vanderbilt
55%
-
-
58% Ole Miss
59% Georgia, Tennessee
60% Auburn
61% Florida
-
63% Arkansas

2-pt field goal attempts per possession
0.65 LSU
0.64 Alabama
0.63
0.62 South Carolina
0.61
0.60 Georgia
0.59
0.58 Ole Miss
0.57
0.56 Florida, Tennessee
0.55 Arkansas
0.54
0.53
0.52 Kentucky
0.51 Mississippi State
0.50 Vanderbilt
0.49
0.48
0.47
0.46
0.45 Auburn

3-pt field goal attempts per possession
0.34 Auburn
0.33 Florida
0.32
0.31
0.30
0.29
0.28 Ole Miss, Tennessee
0.27
0.26 Mississippi State
0.25 Arkansas, Vanderbilt
0.24 Alabama, LSU
0.23 South Carolina
0.22 Kentucky
0.21 Georgia

2-pt field goal attempts allowed per opponents' possession
0.43 Auburn
0.44
0.45
0.46
0.47
0.48 Arkansas, Tennessee
0.49
0.50
0.51 Florida
0.52
0.53 Georgia
0.54 Kentucky
0.55
0.56 LSU, South Carolina
0.57 Alabama, Ole Miss
0.58
0.59 Vanderbilt
0.60 Mississippi State

3-pt field goal attempts allowed per opponents' possession
0.23 South Carolina
0.24
0.25
0.26 Georgia, Kentucky, Vanderbilt
0.27
0.28 Florida, LSU, Ole Miss
0.29 Mississippi State, Tennessee
0.30 Alabama
0.31 Auburn
0.32 Arkansas

This would be a lot better if you could show only the SEC games.  Then you have apples to apples going into the SEC tournament.  Right now with teams playing a varied strength of schedules and this makes interesting viewing but that is about it.  If you could continue with the overall but list the SEC games to the side for a real comparison on SEC teams within conference play then I think you have something.

[Biggus Piggus]

This would be a lot better if you could show only the SEC games.  Then you have apples to apples going into the SEC tournament.  Right now with teams playing a varied strength of schedules and this makes interesting viewing but that is about it.  If you could continue with the overall but list the SEC games to the side for a real comparison on SEC teams within conference play then I think you have something.

I have been keeping these stats for about 10 years and have Arkansas's dating back to Nolan's first season.  The nonconference stats are valuable, and if you wait till you have enough SEC stats to try to figure out a team's style, the season's almost over.

[booogaga]

where did you find those stats?

[Biggus Piggus]

where did you find those stats?

Self-assembled.

[The Hog]

I have been keeping these stats for about 10 years and have Arkansas's dating back to Nolan's first season.  The nonconference stats are valuable, and if you wait till you have enough SEC stats to try to figure out a team's style, the season's almost over.

That is one reason to keep both the overall as you are doing but show a column for only the SEC games.  After the first round of play in the SEC you would have an indicator for the remainder of the season.  Especially within East or West divisional play.  Yes everybody has yet to play every body (East and West crossover games) but you have half the SEC season for your stats.  I understand about the season over but that is when the real games began and the SEC tournament.  Folks are either fading or going moving up.  I think you stats would be great for that purpose.

[linze82]

thank you for your hard work

[Biggus Piggus]

That is one reason to keep both the overall as you are doing but show a column for only the SEC games.  After the first round of play in the SEC you would have an indicator for the remainder of the season.  Especially within East or West divisional play.  Yes everybody has yet to play every body (East and West crossover games) but you have half the SEC season for your stats.  I understand about the season over but that is when the real games began and the SEC tournament.  Folks are either fading or going moving up.  I think you stats would be great for that purpose.

I like to watch to see how teams move as they play better opponents.  These will get a lot more interesting after the next two weeks, as the SEC finishes up nonconference with fewer turdknocker opponents.  But the main use of these stats is to peg teams' styles of offense and defense.  It is hard to compare stats without adjusting for pace of play.

[The Hog]

I like to watch to see how teams move as they play better opponents.  These will get a lot more interesting after the next two weeks, as the SEC finishes up nonconference with fewer turdknocker opponents.  But the main use of these stats is to peg teams' styles of offense and defense.  It is hard to compare stats without adjusting for pace of play.

I am not in anyway knocking you work.  It is great.  I use to tinker with stats back when I had more time but is was for football and many years ago.  I am an engineer by education and love math.

[Biggus Piggus]

Just take this alone:

Pace of play (possessions per game)
76 Kentucky
75 South Carolina, Tennessee
74
73 Arkansas
72 Mississippi State
71 Georgia
70 Auburn, Ole Miss
69 Alabama
68 Florida, Vanderbilt
67 LSU

Kentucky plays the same 40 minutes per game that LSU does but crams in nine more possessions, nine more chances to score.  The Cats scored only 4 more points per game (playing a much more difficult schedule), in part because they gushed turnovers.  Florida scores 80 ppg on 68 possessions, while Vandy scores 70.  That's pretty easy to compare.  The Gators are more efficient than Tennessee or South Carolina, which score a little more per game on a half-dozen more possessions.

I like to see all these breakdowns to figure out which teams have a clear plan of how to win basketball games, and which ones are groping.  Georgia and Ole Miss are the ones that have been lost.  Rebounding, post play and outside shooting are severely hampering Alabama.  Auburn is doing the best it can without big guys, but the feeble inside scoring and awful free throw shooting are serious disadvantages. 

In my view, the Hogs need to get a little more post scoring, a little more 3-pt scoring, and do one of two things on defense: either force more turnovers, or get more physical in the paint, foul more on purpose (less by accident) instead of allowing easy baskets.  The Hogs will get more post scoring if they get fouled a little less often.  They've been drawing a huge number of fouls on shot attempts, probably related to the caliber of opposition.

Allowing the most 3-pt shot attempts isn't necessarily bad, if it is a result of making it hard to get the basketball into the paint.  Allowing the highest assists as a % of field goals means the defense is not disrupting the opponents' offense, which I fear is a bad thing.

[Biggus Piggus]

During Nolan's time these stats were consistent throughout the season.  With Stan Heath, after his first season these stats went screwy when the Hogs entered SEC play.  He completely changed his team's style of play, dramatically downshifting the pace of play, shot mix, inside/outside defensive emphasis, and other factors.  Didn't matter whether we were playing good or bad SEC opponents, he still made an abrupt shift that often worked to the team's disadvantage.  This shift was not visible in the stats of our SEC opponents.  Most coaches practice what they want to play.  Heath was weird.

[Niels Boar]

Great stuff.  Thanks.  Nice presentation of the stat bunching and separation, too.

[want2be]

In my view, the Hogs need to get a little more post scoring, a little more 3-pt scoring, and do one of two things on defense: either force more turnovers, or get more physical in the paint, foul more on purpose (less by accident) instead of allowing easy baskets.  The Hogs will get more post scoring if they get fouled a little less often.  They've been drawing a huge number of fouls on shot attempts, probably related to the caliber of opposition.

Allowing the most 3-pt shot attempts isn't necessarily bad, if it is a result of making it hard to get the basketball into the paint.  Allowing the highest assists as a % of field goals means the defense is not disrupting the opponents' offense, which I fear is a bad thing.

I hope on offense the light turns on for Moore or Clark who could assist in getting more post points....We have the shooters to get more 3's and I expect that to increase as we face more teams with more low post presence. Rotnei will continue on ways to get more attempts.

On defense we have the speed to force more turnovers,but our depth is a problem....Again we need Moore and Clark to prgress to get physical in the paint....Even though Monk is not that tall, he is tuff and can leap so maybe he can add something on defense.

After we see how we match up with Texas and Okie we can forecast the SEC much better. This young team should have a good home record but I am concerned about their road game mentality.

[Razor6]

I like these stats. THANK YOU FOR YOUR DILIGENT WORK!

[Razorod]

BP, great stuff. What does it all suggest to you?

[Biggus Piggus]

Data updated for games through 12/31/08.

Arkansas's offensive stats are creeping upward.  Defense and rebounding stats took a ding from OU, but they held up well considering the quality of competition.  Turnover margin improved, a nice sign.

Note that OU depended a lot on outscoring opponents at the line just like Arkansas does.  The only SEC opponent that relies heavily on FT margin is Vanderbilt.

The Sooners were a good all-around rebounding team, and the Hogs dominated the boards.  OU was an average defensive team.  Arkansas has not played a strong defensive opponent yet.  Texas is better defensively than OU is, but not well above average.  Plus the Longhorns badly need their offensive rebounds, where the Razorbacks have been very good on the defensive glass.

[want2be]

Data updated for games through 12/31/08.

Arkansas's offensive stats are creeping upward.  Defense and rebounding stats took a ding from OU, but they held up well considering the quality of competition.  Turnover margin improved, a nice sign.

Note that OU depended a lot on outscoring opponents at the line just like Arkansas does.  The only SEC opponent that relies heavily on FT margin is Vanderbilt.

The Sooners were a good all-around rebounding team, and the Hogs dominated the boards.  OU was an average defensive team.  Arkansas has not played a strong defensive opponent yet.  Texas is better defensively than OU is, but not well above average.  Plus the Longhorns badly need their offensive rebounds, where the Razorbacks have been very good on the defensive glass.

Biggus, From your breakdown analysis, who do you think will be our toughest matchup ?.....I thought Okie would beat us in the paint, but we dominated points in the paint. Coach Pel going to a 2-3 zone helped in that regard.

I hope our numbers on the road don't drastically drop off from home games, but I would suspect our 3's will take a sizeable hit. Jan 7th at Florida could be a good measure of how this team will measure up on the road.

[Biggus Piggus]

Biggus, From your breakdown analysis, who do you think will be our toughest matchup?

Gosh, that answer's evolving fast.  After the Northwestern State game, I was thrilled by the addition of trapping defenses, and they also worked well against OU without sacrificing much on the boards, or allowing too many easy shots.  We're forcing opponents to shoot from outside, because they have a hard time getting the ball inside, and if they miss we usually get the board.

Our offensive rebounding also is improving.  The team's formula for winning is getting stronger and more focused.  This is easily the best scoring team Arkansas has had since the glory days, specifically since the national title team.  Perimeter defense needs to be a little bit better, allow fewer uncontested shots.

Our ideal opponent would:
* Score well inside and out.
* Not foul on defense.
* Shoot very well at the line.
* Either rebound very well, or get a great turnover margin.
* Play either a lot faster, or a lot slower than we do.
* Have a lot of depth.
* Be more physical or athletic.

Florida:
* Scores well inside and out.
* Does not foul on defense.
* Shoots OK at the line, with very few chances.
* Has a great turnover margin.
* Plays a lot slower than we do.
* Has modest depth in the backcourt.
* Has no advantage in muscle or athleticism.

Kentucky:
* Scores well inside not out.
* A little worse than average on fouls.
* Shoots 78% at the line.
* Defensive rebounds are fine, offensive weak, terrible turnover margin.
* Plays our speed.
* Has marginal depth.
* Is more physical and athletic.

South Carolina:
* Scores well inside and out.
* Does not foul on defense.
* Shoots OK at the line.
* OK defensive boards, good offensive boards, great turnover margin.
* Plays about our speed.
* Has marginal depth.
* Has no physical or athletic advantage.

Tennessee:
* Scores very well inside not out.
* Fouls like crazy on defense.
* Shoots OK at the line.
* Rebounds very well, poor turnover margin.
* Plays about our speed.
* Has a lot of depth.
* Is more physical.

Every one of these opponents is going to give us an opening or two.  South Carolina and Florida will be difficult road games.  Kentucky and Tennessee will be more beatable at BWA, though straight up they may be our toughest matchups.

[BrooklynRoss]

That 76% Defensive Rebounding is outstanding.

[The Hog]

Gosh, that answer's evolving fast.  After the Northwestern State game, I was thrilled by the addition of trapping defenses, and they also worked well against OU without sacrificing much on the boards, or allowing too many easy shots.  We're forcing opponents to shoot from outside, because they have a hard time getting the ball inside, and if they miss we usually get the board.

Our offensive rebounding also is improving.  The team's formula for winning is getting stronger and more focused.  This is easily the best scoring team Arkansas has had since the glory days, specifically since the national title team.  Perimeter defense needs to be a little bit better, allow fewer uncontested shots.

Our ideal opponent would:
* Score well inside and out.
* Not foul on defense.
* Shoot very well at the line.
* Either rebound very well, or get a great turnover margin.
* Play either a lot faster, or a lot slower than we do.
* Have a lot of depth.
* Be more physical or athletic.

Florida:
* Scores well inside and out.
* Does not foul on defense.
* Shoots OK at the line, with very few chances.
* Has a great turnover margin.
* Plays a lot slower than we do.
* Has modest depth in the backcourt.
* Has no advantage in muscle or athleticism.

Kentucky:
* Scores well inside not out.
* A little worse than average on fouls.
* Shoots 78% at the line.
* Defensive rebounds are fine, offensive weak, terrible turnover margin.
* Plays our speed.
* Has marginal depth.
* Is more physical and athletic.

South Carolina:
* Scores well inside and out.
* Does not foul on defense.
* Shoots OK at the line.
* OK defensive boards, good offensive boards, great turnover margin.
* Plays about our speed.
* Has marginal depth.
* Has no physical or athletic advantage.

Tennessee:
* Scores very well inside not out.
* Fouls like crazy on defense.
* Shoots OK at the line.
* Rebounds very well, poor turnover margin.
* Plays about our speed.
* Has a lot of depth.
* Is more physical.

Every one of these opponents is going to give us an opening or two.  South Carolina and Florida will be difficult road games.  Kentucky and Tennessee will be more beatable at BWA, though straight up they may be our toughest matchups.

Curios about the not foul on defense.  Can you elaborate?  Are you saying it hurts us if we play a team that does not foul?

[want2be]

That 76% Defensive Rebounding is outstanding.

What is amazing is how many Fortson is getting

[Biggus Piggus]

Curios about the not foul on defense.  Can you elaborate?  Are you saying it hurts us if we play a team that does not foul?

Not necessarily, given that OU was a hands-off defense team that had to resort to aggressive D to stop the Hogs.  We got our share of free throws wouldn't you say?  But a team that plays great defense (better than the Sooners) without fouling will give the Razorbacks trouble, given that the formula has depended on outscoring opponents at the line.  Not just that but also getting them in foul trouble.

Note from the stats that Arkansas is a way-out outlier when it comes to how many opponents' fouls send the Hogs to the line.  That's a clear sign that it's hard to defend against our scorers.

[Biggus Piggus]

I'm going to go ahead and add adjusted floor percentage.

Floor percentage is an old stat that dates from before 3-point shots.  I adjust floor percentage for the 2-point-equivalent value of all shots (field goal points scored divided by 2).  This better recognizes the value of shooting treys while also taking in the penalty for missing them.

Adjusted floor percentage
64% Florida
63% LSU
62%
61% South Carolina, Tennessee
60% Arkansas
59% Alabama
58% Ole Miss
57% Auburn, Kentucky, Mississippi State
56% Vanderbilt
55% Georgia

Adjusted floor percentage defense
48% Auburn
49% Kentucky
50% South Carolina, Vanderbilt
51% Arkansas, LSU
52% Georgia
53% Alabama, Florida
54% Mississippi State, Tennessee
55%
56%
57%
58%
59% Ole Miss

[AirForceHog]

During Nolan's time these stats were consistent throughout the season.  With Stan Heath, after his first season these stats went screwy when the Hogs entered SEC play.  He completely changed his team's style of play, dramatically downshifting the pace of play, shot mix, inside/outside defensive emphasis, and other factors.  Didn't matter whether we were playing good or bad SEC opponents, he still made an abrupt shift that often worked to the team's disadvantage.  This shift was not visible in the stats of our SEC opponents.  Most coaches practice what they want to play.  Heath was weird.

How was CJP in his first year?

[Biggus Piggus]

How was CJP in his first year?

Consistent through the season.  Pelphrey didn't alter a veteran team from its style, except to improve its defense.  Last year Arkansas allowed 33% 3-pt shooting compared with an appalling 38% in Heath's last season.  He also was handicapped by a shortage of ballhandlers and outside shooters.  Unlike Heath, Pel showed the ability to get the team ready for March.

[AirForceHog]

Consistent through the season.  Pelphrey didn't alter a veteran team from its style, except to improve its defense.  Last year Arkansas allowed 33% 3-pt shooting compared with an appalling 38% in Heath's last season.  He also was handicapped by a shortage of ballhandlers and outside shooters.  Unlike Heath, Pel showed the ability to get the team ready for March.

Thanks for the work and great assesment.

[Niels Boar]

Data updated for games through 12/31/08.

Arkansas's offensive stats are creeping upward.  Defense and rebounding stats took a ding from OU, but they held up well considering the quality of competition.  Turnover margin improved, a nice sign.

Note that OU depended a lot on outscoring opponents at the line just like Arkansas does.  The only SEC opponent that relies heavily on FT margin is Vanderbilt.

The Sooners were a good all-around rebounding team, and the Hogs dominated the boards.  OU was an average defensive team.  Arkansas has not played a strong defensive opponent yet.  Texas is better defensively than OU is, but not well above average.  Plus the Longhorns badly need their offensive rebounds, where the Razorbacks have been very good on the defensive glass.

Flipping through their boxscores, I noticed that O-rebs saved Texas in some of their close games.  In fact, their offensive rebounding seems to improve with the quality of their opponent.  By contrast, their good TO-margin seems to have been mainly compiled against cream puffs.  They don't have any glaring weaknesses on defense.  Their offense lacks a power inside game.  In theory they should be easier to guard for us than OU.  They don't have a post threat that demands the attention of Griffin and their primary perimeter threat is as small as our guards, unlike Warren and Crocker.  They do have a big guy Atchley that can step out.  James is a big concern for our three-guard lineup.  If I were Barnes, I would post him and bring Atchley out to the perimeter against our small lineup.  Fortunately Monk suddenly looks like a decent answer for James.

[PennaHog]

Gosh, that answer's evolving fast.  After the Northwestern State game, I was thrilled by the addition of trapping defenses, and they also worked well against OU without sacrificing much on the boards, or allowing too many easy shots.  We're forcing opponents to shoot from outside, because they have a hard time getting the ball inside, and if they miss we usually get the board.

Our offensive rebounding also is improving.  The team's formula for winning is getting stronger and more focused.  This is easily the best scoring team Arkansas has had since the glory days, specifically since the national title team.  Perimeter defense needs to be a little bit better, allow fewer uncontested shots.

Our ideal opponent would:
* Score well inside and out.
* Not foul on defense.
* Shoot very well at the line.
* Either rebound very well, or get a great turnover margin.
* Play either a lot faster, or a lot slower than we do.
* Have a lot of depth.
* Be more physical or athletic.

Florida:
* Scores well inside and out.
* Does not foul on defense.
* Shoots OK at the line, with very few chances.
* Has a great turnover margin.
* Plays a lot slower than we do.
* Has modest depth in the backcourt.
* Has no advantage in muscle or athleticism.

Kentucky:
* Scores well inside not out.
* A little worse than average on fouls.
* Shoots 78% at the line.
* Defensive rebounds are fine, offensive weak, terrible turnover margin.
* Plays our speed.
* Has marginal depth.
* Is more physical and athletic.

South Carolina:
* Scores well inside and out.
* Does not foul on defense.
* Shoots OK at the line.
* OK defensive boards, good offensive boards, great turnover margin.
* Plays about our speed.
* Has marginal depth.
* Has no physical or athletic advantage.

Tennessee:
* Scores very well inside not out.
* Fouls like crazy on defense.
* Shoots OK at the line.
* Rebounds very well, poor turnover margin.
* Plays about our speed.
* Has a lot of depth.
* Is more physical.

Every one of these opponents is going to give us an opening or two.  South Carolina and Florida will be difficult road games.  Kentucky and Tennessee will be more beatable at BWA, though straight up they may be our toughest matchups.

You must be an engineer or some sort......its apparent that you like to use numbers to predict the future and make arguements for or against....

With all of that said WELL DONE!!!!!   You have me convinced that the SEC had best be fearful of a quick, talented, athletic and rapidly maturing bunch of Razorbacks!!!!!   If there was ever a thing as Mathematical Excitement......then I have it!!!   Thanks!!!!!


WPS

[daBoar]

Arkansas starts 3 freshmen and a junior center who has never played center before.  How do the stats reflect their progress and are they pointing to much better performance during the second half of the season?

[HamShank]

+1 Great work.  We're playing better D statistically than I ever imagined.  Great to see it.

[want2be]

I like to watch to see how teams move as they play better opponents.  These will get a lot more interesting after the next two weeks, as the SEC finishes up nonconference with fewer turdknocker opponents.  But the main use of these stats is to peg teams' styles of offense and defense.  It is hard to compare stats without adjusting for pace of play.

Biggus..............have you updated your stats for our match with Miss St ?

[AndrewGene]

I would also like to see these updated.  I know it must take awhile but I'd love to see them before the game on Saturday.

[BloodRedHog]

During Nolan's time these stats were consistent throughout the season.  With Stan Heath, after his first season these stats went screwy when the Hogs entered SEC play.  He completely changed his team's style of play, dramatically downshifting the pace of play, shot mix, inside/outside defensive emphasis, and other factors.  Didn't matter whether we were playing good or bad SEC opponents, he still made an abrupt shift that often worked to the team's disadvantage.  This shift was not visible in the stats of our SEC opponents.  Most coaches practice what they want to play.  Heath was weird.

NM

[blacksuit]

Great stuff Piggus. Would be cool if there was a way to adjust these by SOS, even limiting the results to opponents in the top 150 of RPI or something. Just a thought. In any case, it's useful to have the raw numbers.

[Biggus Piggus]

Great stuff Piggus. Would be cool if there was a way to adjust these by SOS, even limiting the results to opponents in the top 150 of RPI or something. Just a thought. In any case, it's useful to have the raw numbers.

Ken Pomeroy does stuff that is adjusted for schedule strength, but I do not trust the math of the adjustments.

[GBoling5000]

Looking at all of this tells me that free throw shooting is going to be especially important for the Hogs, and that they really need to work on their FT %.  Great work and analysis.  +1

[want2be]

Looking at all of this tells me that free throw shooting is going to be especially important for the Hogs, and that they really need to work on their FT %.  Great work and analysis.  +1

Especially Fortson..........The ways he drives the middle he picks up alot of fouls.................also at the end of close games, I hope we have someone else who can bring the ball down court (hopefully Rotnei, who has only missed 1 free throw all year)

[Biggus Piggus]

I like to add (1 - opponent's effective field goal percentage) * defensive rebounding percentage + opponents' turnovers per possession as a kind of "I haven't figured out the math yet, but this is directionally right" indicator on a team's defensive effectiveness.

Here's how they rank (higher is better):

65% Auburn
-
63% South Carolina
62% Kentucky
61% Georgia, Vanderbilt
60% Arkansas, LSU
59% Alabama, Florida
-
57% Mississippi State
56% Tennessee
55%
-
-
52% Ole Miss

I do this as another way to look at the relationship between rebounding and defensive pressure.  Ordinary stats do not measure at what point does over-emphasis on rebounding hurt the defense, or when does too much scrambling make the rebounding too much of a sore spot.

Arkansas's stats don't tell the whole story.  Pelphrey has been adjusting the balance between pressure and rebounding, dialing up the pressure in the past four games.  Boards have suffered, perhaps too much against Texas, but effectiveness of the defense has gone up dramatically as well.

The Hogs have risen to league average in points allowed per possession after being below average during the weaker portion of their schedule.  This is a bright spot in my view!  Also, Arkansas's ballhandling and turnover margin improved during the tough stretch.  Very good sign.

One major question about the Razorbacks in my mind is whether they will continue to force opponents to foul them on the way to the basket, or if SEC refs will make it hard on them on the road.

[Coach Obvious]

What does "Assists per Field Goal" mean? Thanks!

[Hogtropolis™]

What does "Assists per Field Goal" mean? Thanks!

I would imagine that would take the number of Assists a team has and divide it by the number of FG made.

Gets you the number of Assists per Field Goals.

Don't really know another way to put it.

On another note, it seems we are statistically better that MSU in just about every category (and that is a lot of categories).  Add that to the fact that we have them at home and this should be a fairly easy game.

[want2be]

Arkansas's stats don't tell the whole story.  Pelphrey has been adjusting the balance between pressure and rebounding, dialing up the pressure in the past four games.  Boards have suffered, perhaps too much against Texas, but effectiveness of the defense has gone up dramatically as well.

The Hogs have risen to league average in points allowed per possession after being below average during the weaker portion of their schedule.  This is a bright spot in my view!  Also, Arkansas's ballhandling and turnover margin improved during the tough stretch.  Very good sign.

One major question about the Razorbacks in my mind is whether they will continue to force opponents to foul them on the way to the basket, or if SEC refs will make it hard on them on the road.

The Hogs are proving they can play different styles which is a big asset.......Like you said Pel is pushing the right buttoms at the right times whether is dialing up the pressure when needed or slowing it down while key players are in foul trouble.

I think our turnover margin will continue to improve. I think Fortson's bad start at Texas taught him alot.........He has to play under control and he got the message. Britt and Welsh have been outstanding on defense and future steals should keep coming.

On getting fouled Washington and Fortson should get their fair share with the amount of touches they both get in the middle..........One main stat that really needs to improve is Fortson's free throw accuracy.

[Biggus Piggus]

What does "Assists per Field Goal" mean? Thanks!

Assists divided by field goal, tells you how well a team passes, and how structured their offense is.  What I didn't show you is assists per possession.  A team that has a high assists/field goal ratio but doesn't necessarily score a lot of baskets is the kind of team you want to put pressure D on.  They don't have the ability to score one on one.  A team that scores a lot AND gets a high % of assists, like Florida, runs its offense really well and has a lot of individual shooting/scoring skill too.

[sickboy]

Assists divided by field goal, tells you how well a team passes, and how structured their offense is.  What I didn't show you is assists per possession.  A team that has a high assists/field goal ratio but doesn't necessarily score a lot of baskets is the kind of team you want to put pressure D on.  They don't have the ability to score one on one.  A team that scores a lot AND gets a high % of assists, like Florida, runs its offense really well and has a lot of individual shooting/scoring skill too.

Data updated for games through 12/31/08.

Arkansas's offensive stats are creeping upward.  Defense and rebounding stats took a ding from OU, but they held up well considering the quality of competition.  Turnover margin improved, a nice sign.

Note that OU depended a lot on outscoring opponents at the line just like Arkansas does.  The only SEC opponent that relies heavily on FT margin is Vanderbilt.

The Sooners were a good all-around rebounding team, and the Hogs dominated the boards.  OU was an average defensive team.  Arkansas has not played a strong defensive opponent yet.  Texas is better defensively than OU is, but not well above average.  Plus the Longhorns badly need their offensive rebounds, where the Razorbacks have been very good on the defensive glass.

So what you're saying is that you've got a pretty firm grip on this sport...basketball.  Is that what I'm gathering here?

[Biggus Piggus]

Feels silly trying to analyze the Razorbacks with statistics, because they are not the same basketball team they were.

Some teams are very consistent in these stats from week to week.  Those are the well-coached ones.  Their playing style does not vary from game to game.  Others have made erratic moves, not just Arkansas.

The Hogs now have a drastically poor disparity in 3-pt scoring, and their ballhandling is regressing.  The assists/field goal defense is so bad an outlier it calls into question everything the Razorbacks pretend to be doing on defense.  Absolutely no excuse for it.  It's not a stylistic compromise that helps the team in any other fashion.  It is terrible team defense.

It is also remarkable how well Mississippi State, Ole Miss and Florida managed to hide their shortcomings from the Hogs but not from their other opponents.  MSU's turnover margin has gotten even more negative, but it was positive at Bud Walton.  Florida continues to outfoul its opposition, play poor interior defense and give up offensive boards, but not against Arkansas.  Ole Miss has had atrocious inside defense, put no pressure on the basketball and given up tons of assists, but the Rebels excelled at all against the Hogs.

This is the most tragic reversals of performance I've ever seen at Arkansas.  Never seen anything like this.

Arkansas is down there with Georgia at 0-3 in conference play.  UGa is a poorly manned basketball team with a drastic shortage of guards.  The Dawgs accomplished very little in nonconference play against a mediocre schedule.  The Ole Miss team that beat Arkansas will struggle to win again, unless it's at Bud Walton.

Before SEC play, the Razorbacks were making 38% of their 3-pt shots.  That's down to 34%, or 8-51 (16%) in SEC games.

This awful turn in outside shooting gets all the headlines after each ugly defeat, but it may be more symptom than disease.

Says something that a player could get a DWI in Fayetteville within hours of playing in the game at Gainesville the same day.  Says something about this team's dedication and focus.

It's a great time for a break, as the team has no midweek game and plenty of practice time.

[hawgsav1]

Feels silly trying to analyze the Razorbacks with statistics, because they are not the same basketball team they were.

Some teams are very consistent in these stats from week to week.  Those are the well-coached ones.  Their playing style does not vary from game to game.  Others have made erratic moves, not just Arkansas.

The Hogs now have a drastically poor disparity in 3-pt scoring, and their ballhandling is regressing.  The assists/field goal defense is so bad an outlier it calls into question everything the Razorbacks pretend to be doing on defense.  Absolutely no excuse for it.  It's not a stylistic compromise that helps the team in any other fashion.  It is terrible team defense.

It is also remarkable how well Mississippi State, Ole Miss and Florida managed to hide their shortcomings from the Hogs but not from their other opponents.  MSU's turnover margin has gotten even more negative, but it was positive at Bud Walton.  Florida continues to outfoul its opposition, play poor interior defense and give up offensive boards, but not against Arkansas.  Ole Miss has had atrocious inside defense, put no pressure on the basketball and given up tons of assists, but the Rebels excelled at all against the Hogs.

This is the most tragic reversals of performance I've ever seen at Arkansas.  Never seen anything like this.

Arkansas is down there with Georgia at 0-3 in conference play.  UGa is a poorly manned basketball team with a drastic shortage of guards.  The Dawgs accomplished very little in nonconference play against a mediocre schedule.  The Ole Miss team that beat Arkansas will struggle to win again, unless it's at Bud Walton.

Before SEC play, the Razorbacks were making 38% of their 3-pt shots.  That's down to 34%, or 8-51 (16%) in SEC games.

This awful turn in outside shooting gets all the headlines after each ugly defeat, but it may be more symptom than disease.

Says something that a player could get a DWI in Fayetteville within hours of playing in the game at Gainesville the same day.  Says something about this team's dedication and focus.

It's a great time for a break, as the team has no midweek game and plenty of practice time.

We have the most Jekyll and Hyde team I've ever seen.  From the statistics posted, it seems rather obvious that we need to improve at defending the 3 and forcing the enemy to turn the ball over.  However, had we not been soundly defeated in all of our games, I could easily chalk our record up to poor 3 point defense and not forcing turnovers.  Oklahoma shot poorly from the 3 and Texas couldn't buy a bucket from the 3. 

Nevertheless, the hustle and fire seems to be lacking.  Had we won the MSU game, I wouldn't be as worried, because then we could chalk this up to being young.  However, getting trounced 3 straight is really worrying me.  If Pelphrey turns this around and magically gets us into the NCAAs, he deserves coach of the year in my opinion.

Maybe Pelphrey can bring Nolan in to whup their butts in gear because the squad doesn't seem to be listening to Pelphrey.

[Marc Maggard]

Why do you "self assemble" these stats when they are all easily available at Kenpom.com

I'm not even sure how you would go about assembling these stats yourself without using Kenpom.

mm

[Marc Maggard]

Our ideal opponent would:
* Score well inside and out.
* Not foul on defense.
* Shoot very well at the line.
* Either rebound very well, or get a great turnover margin.
* Play either a lot faster, or a lot slower than we do.
* Have a lot of depth.
* Be more physical or athletic.

I'm not sure why you say your ideal opponent would do those things well.  All of those are good things for teams to do no matter WHO they are playing.  I don't understand your logic in listing such positive things for a team to do and thinking that would be ideal to face.

mm

[Marc Maggard]

Kentucky:
* Scores well inside not out.
* A little worse than average on fouls.
* Shoots 78% at the line.
* Defensive rebounds are fine, offensive weak, terrible turnover margin.
* Plays our speed.
* Has marginal depth.
* Is more physical and athletic.

As a basketball scout by profession, a stats analyst and UK fan, a few parts of this summary of Kentucky caught me off guard. 

Stats don't always tell the entire story......

first, UK scores very well from outside.  They are 4th overall in the SEC in 3 point shooting at 35.6% from behind the arc.  They are 5th in the SEC in 3 pointers made in the SEC and only 1 made 3 out of 4th place.  The fact that they are so powerful inside and lead the league in 2 point FG% by a large margin doesn't mean they are bad from outside.  Meeks is the main reason, but the fact remains is UK is more than capable from 3.

UK is not anywhere near "worse than average" when it comes to fouls.  UK ranks 118th out of 344 NCAA D1 teams in fouls per field goal attempt.  This is the real way to factor in pace of the game when determining how "foul prone" a team is as it affects the game.  Obviously, the more possessions a team has, the more opportunities for a defensive foul.  Additionally, teams that penetrate more may foul, yet not result in a FT attempt for the opposing team, which does little to help the other team and is basically just a TO (unless a player fouls out, which is RARE for a UK player this year).  Most importantly, offensive fouls are in no way an indicator of a teams defensive prowess.

UK ranks 105th in the NCAA out of 344 teams by snagging 35.3% of every available offensive rebound available.  South Carolina, who you said is good on the offensive boards (and they are) is only better than UK in grabbing available offensive rebounds by 2%.  The reason UK doesn't get as MANY offensive boards as some SEC teams is that they shoot the highest percentage of shots in the SEC.  USC has more offensive boards per game because they shoot 4 points less and have 4 more possessions per game than UK and are 2% better at offensive rebounding.  For the record, UK and Arkansas are both about the same when it comes to percentage of offensive rebounds claimed....both are 3 points above the national average. 

As for depth, UK gets 33% of its minutes from it's bench, ranking it 130th out of 344 D1 teams.  For comparison, Arkansas get only 27% of it's minutes from it's bench.  Florida, who you say has modest backcourt depth only gets 31% of it's minutes from the bench.  As an anecdotal point, Billy Gillispie prefers a short rotation as a style of play REGARDLESS of the level of talent on his bench.  The fact that he only plays 7 or 8 players significant minutes does not mean the depth is not there, simply that he always prefers to play a shorter bench the majority of the minutes. 

I am not intimately familiar with the other SEC teams, so I don't immediately see anything I'd question, but as a UK guy, those remarks seemed to be inaccurate. 

If any of you are stats nuts, you can check out the types of previews I do for UK games at the following link..... I doubt you've ever seen a more in depth analysis of a game ever....lol.  Yeah, it's a ton of work and pretty anal, but it does give a lot of insight.  If you guys want, I'll post the pregame I do for the UK Arkansas game over here for you to look at. 

Here is the UK / Auburn pregame analysis.....you have to be logged in to see it (it's free to register) and I'd love to have you guys come talk SEC hoops if you ever want....

http://www.truebluekentucky.com./index.php/basketball/14-free-basketball/743-auburn-by-the-numbers.html

mm

[mclyte]

As a basketball fan... Nice work marc...!

[Razorod]

Feels silly trying to analyze the Razorbacks with statistics, because they are not the same basketball team they were.

Some teams are very consistent in these stats from week to week.  Those are the well-coached ones.  Their playing style does not vary from game to game.  Others have made erratic moves, not just Arkansas.

The Hogs now have a drastically poor disparity in 3-pt scoring, and their ballhandling is regressing.  The assists/field goal defense is so bad an outlier it calls into question everything the Razorbacks pretend to be doing on defense.  Absolutely no excuse for it.  It's not a stylistic compromise that helps the team in any other fashion.  It is terrible team defense.

It is also remarkable how well Mississippi State, Ole Miss and Florida managed to hide their shortcomings from the Hogs but not from their other opponents.  MSU's turnover margin has gotten even more negative, but it was positive at Bud Walton.  Florida continues to outfoul its opposition, play poor interior defense and give up offensive boards, but not against Arkansas.  Ole Miss has had atrocious inside defense, put no pressure on the basketball and given up tons of assists, but the Rebels excelled at all against the Hogs.

This is the most tragic reversals of performance I've ever seen at Arkansas.  Never seen anything like this.

Arkansas is down there with Georgia at 0-3 in conference play.  UGa is a poorly manned basketball team with a drastic shortage of guards.  The Dawgs accomplished very little in nonconference play against a mediocre schedule.  The Ole Miss team that beat Arkansas will struggle to win again, unless it's at Bud Walton.

Before SEC play, the Razorbacks were making 38% of their 3-pt shots.  That's down to 34%, or 8-51 (16%) in SEC games.

This awful turn in outside shooting gets all the headlines after each ugly defeat, but it may be more symptom than disease.

Says something that a player could get a DWI in Fayetteville within hours of playing in the game at Gainesville the same day.  Says something about this team's dedication and focus.

It's a great time for a break, as the team has no midweek game and plenty of practice time.

it appears to me, based on what we're seeing, which is eerily familiar to what we saw toward the end of Nolan's tenure and throughout Heath's, is that we have a coach who is having a difficult time in forging a team. perhaps a different reason for Nolan than for Heath and Pel, nevertheless, it appears that we may have repeated our mistake by hiring a coach not quite ready for the task.