Before all the shine from Thursday night wears off, I wanted to get this post up about some of the stats behind Villanova's win over against LSU. I was particularly interested in the breakdown of points per possession during the Wildcats' big rally.
I'm not sure that what I came up with proves anything, but the numbers are interesting nonetheless. I had to figure them out by hand because we don't get boxscores just for certain segments of a game, so I hope they're right.
But I was able to split the second half in two parts, which I'm calling Early and Late, with the point of separation being Terry Martin's three-pointer with 8:50 left that gave the Tigers a 21-point lead, 54-33.
Early
LSU: 15 field goal attempts, 6 free throw attempts, 4 turnovers, 2 offensive rebounds, 19 points, 20 possessions, 0.96 points per possession
Villanova: 17 FGA, 8 FTA, 4 TO, 8 OR, 9 points, 17 possessions, 0.54 points per possession
Late
LSU: 11 FGA, 9 FTA, 5 TO, 2 OR, 13 points, 18 possessions, 0.71 points per possession
Villanova: 12 FGA, 21 FTA, 2 TO, 2 OR, 35 points, 22 possessions, 1.59 points per possession
Quite a contrast, isn't it?
As Mike Jensen notes in today's College Basketball Report, ESPN's Bill Raftery saw it coming: LSU's foul trouble had a lot to do with their collapse.
Anthony Randolph picked up his fifth with 4:08 left and the Tigers up by 15, and just under a minute later the floodgates really opened. Villanova finally had some space to get the ball to the basket from within the paint, resulting in 11 free throw attempts after Randolph hit the bench.
I knew Raftery was really good, but I didn't know he had clairvoyance to go along with that humor.
Enjoy the rest of the weekend; see you at the Liacouras Center tomorrow night.
Comments (4)
Dickie V might think that he has coined all the good phrases in college hoops in the past 25 years, but Raftery always makes me smile with his classic "Send it in big fella!"
By the way, is it just me or does it seem that Dante Cunningham is a good kid, who works hard on the court and shows all the effort a coach could want from a player?
Posted by Jim | December 8, 2007 10:16 AM
Posted on December 8, 2007 10:16
It was made famous when I made a throw-down dunk back at Pitt.
Bill said "Send it in Jerome!!"
Jerome Lane
Akron, Oh
Posted by Jerome Lane | December 8, 2007 5:41 PM
Posted on December 8, 2007 17:41
Don't know Cunningham either, but he does seem to present himself as you describe....he's the right fit for 'Nova and 'Nova is the right fit him. I think most of Wright players fit that model, and well beyond graduation they will appreciate the 'Nova connection.
T. Galas
Charleston, SC
Posted by T. Galas | December 8, 2007 8:16 PM
Posted on December 8, 2007 20:16
I like Bill Raftery because I remember him at LaSalle even though he was ahead of me at Nova. He works the game as intensely as the Big 5 games were in the 50,60 and 70s'. While he played over 50 years ago and that is hard for me to say, he still looks to find something to give insight into the teams or players as the games progresses. It seems some analysts try to become critical of the play as games get out of hand, he finds or identifies something that you look for in games that give you a better understand of it.
Bill has been a good catch for ESPN and great with Big 5 games because he knows how much energy go into them.
Frank Popelars
Southport, NC
Posted by F. Popelars | December 8, 2007 10:15 PM
Posted on December 8, 2007 22:15