Soft Pretzel Logic

NEW HAVEN, CONN. -- Hey folks,

I love the banter on here about soccer, and the fact that it's going on is very encouraging. I'll definitely keep it in mind with some big international tournaments coming up this summer.

But as far as MLS is concerned, there's a long way to go until April 2010. So let's return to college hoops for a while.

I'm at Yale University to cover Penn's game here tonight, and am sitting on press row in the John J. Lee Amphitheater. This is my sixth trip here, and it's long been one of my favorite arenas to visit. It's certainly the most unique of the many I've been to.

The seats are basically wooden semi-cylinders, with student-section bleachers that go right up to the sideline. The ceiling is low and flat with a checkerboard pattern pressed into it, trapping the noise on the floor. The sideline seats are in balconies, and both bands are at the same end of the floor.

Plus, there's the faux-Gothic exterior of Payne-Whitney Gym, the building that houses the basketball arena (at right). It's all very Ivy League, no question about that, but the place gets loud in a hurry. It's a pretty good atmosphere as mid-major venues go, and it's a big reason why the Quakers have lost three of their last four games here, and four of their last six.

At the very least, it's not the kind of place you come across in the Big East.

Food-wise, New Haven has fabulous pizza. It's a thin-crust, big-slice kind of town, and a couple places do it well. I prefer Naples Pizza, but I know others who swear by Yorkside Pizza, Sally's and Pepe's.

If you don't want pizza, the Educated Burgher is the place to go for a burger or corned beef sandwich. The Burgher also has great milkshakes, and its fast service makes it a good place to go to eat before a game.

Now, I say all that knowing that almost all of you will never have a good reason to come here. But if you're driving up 95 on your way to points north, it's a good place to get off the highway for a few minutes.

Anyway, since it's Friday, that means it's time for Crunchy Numbers. So here they are, with La Salle again making the most noise.

It's also notable that including last night's really bad home loss to St. Louis, St. Joseph's' RPI fell from 45 to 55 over the last week. But the Hawks' strength of schedule rose from 105 to 90. Those will be important numbers to keep an eye on as the Hawks try for an NCAA Tournament bid.

Drexel

-- Offensive efficiency: 90.1 (324)
-- Defensive efficiency: 97.7 (76)
-- Tempo: 65.7 poss / 40 mins (221)

Offense

-- Effective FG %: 45.9 (307)
-- 3-point FG %: 31.2 (308)
-- Free throw %: 63.5 (313)
-- Steal %: 12.9 (329)
-- Ratio of assists to field goals made: 60.7% (62)

Defense

-- Effective FG %: 47.1 (56)
-- 3-point FG %: 33.3 (77)
-- 2-point FG %: 45.8 (81)
-- Ratio of three-point attempts to all FGA: 31.9% (89)

Frank Elegar

-- Defensive rebounding %: 60th (23.1)
-- Free throw rate: 22nd (81.3%)
-- Block %: 85th (7.2)

La Salle

-- Offensive efficiency: 104.4 (130)
-- Defensive efficiency: 102.9 (194)
-- Tempo: 70.3 poss / 40 mins (64)

Offense

-- Effective FG %: 51.7 (97)
-- Offensive rebounding %: 36.6 (54)
-- 3-point FG %: 40.4 (9)
-- Block %: 13.6 (336)

Defense

-- Offensive rebounding %: 30.3 ( 65)
-- 3-point FG %: 32.4 (47)
-- Free throw %: 72.1 (300)
-- Ratio of three-point attempts to all FGA: 29.9% (39)

Darnell Harris

-- Offensive rating: 7th (130.5)
-- Effective FG %: 37th (62.1)
-- Turnover rate: 14th (9.8%)
-- 3-point FG %: 4th

Jerrell Williams

-- Offensive rebounding %: 59th (13.2)

Penn

-- Offensive efficiency: 95.6 (271)
-- Defensive efficiency: 106.0 (267)
-- Tempo: 70.9 poss / 40 mins (54)

Offense

-- 3-point FG %: 31.1 (310)
-- Steal %: 12.3 (316)

Defense

-- 3-point FG %: 40.2 (332)
-- Block %: 10.7 (79)
-- Ratio of three-point attempts to all FGA: 30.4% (44)

Harrison Gaines

-- Assist rate: 7th (40.1)

St. Joseph's

-- Offensive efficiency: 113.7 (10)
-- Defensive efficiency: 102.9 (198)
-- Tempo: 66.1 poss / 40 mins (209)

Offense

-- Effective FG %: 55.4 (11)
-- Turnover %: 19.3 (67)
-- Free throw rate: 29.2% (44)
-- 3-point FG %: 40.3 (12)
-- 2-point FG %: 52.5 (44)
-- Free throw %: 71.9 (84)
-- Ratio of assists to field goals made: 59.3% (83)

Defense

-- Free throw rate: 31.7% (76)
-- Block %: 14.0 (20)
-- Steal %: 11.7 (59)

Pat Calathes

-- Offensive rating: 92nd (120.2)

Rob Ferguson

-- Offensive rating: 50th (122.7)
-- Effective FG %: 46th (61.5)

Ahmad Nivins

-- Effective FG %: 19th (64.0%)
-- 3-point FG %: 0.0% (0-0)
-- Free throw rate: 17th (87.1%)

Tasheed Carr

-- Assist rate: 29th (34.8%)

Temple

-- Offensive efficiency: 108.1 (62)
-- Defensive efficiency: 103.3 (206)
-- Tempo: 65.7 poss / 40 mins (223)

Offense

-- Effective FG %: 54.3 (25)
-- Turnover %: 18.9 (50)
-- Offensive rebounding %: 27.4 (310)
-- 3-point FG %: 37.4 (74)
-- 2-point FG %: 53.2 (28)
-- Free throw %: 74.5 (29)
-- Block %: 6.8 (23)
-- Steal %: 9.0 (90)
-- Ratio of three-point attempts to all FGA: 39.1% (64)
-- Ratio of assists to field goals made: 59.6% (80)

Defense

-- Free throw rate: 32.1% (84)
-- 2-point FG %: 45.2 (61)
-- Block %: 12.3 (45)

Dionte Christmas

-- Percent of possible minutes played: 10th (92.6)

Mark Tyndale

-- Percent of possible minutes played: 13th (92.5)

Ryan Brooks

-- Turnover rate: 70th (12.1)

Sergio Olmos

-- Block %: 60th (8.0)

Chris Clark

-- Offensive rating: 70th (121.1)

Villanova

-- Offensive efficiency: 106.5 (90)
-- Defensive efficiency: 100.8 (141)
-- Tempo: 69.1 poss / 40 mins (98)

Offense

-- Turnover %: 19.8 (92)
-- Offensive rebounding %: 36.9 (42)
-- Free throw %: 71.6 (92)
-- Block %: 12.1 (323)
-- Steal %: 8.9 (88)

Defense

-- Turnover %: 23.4 (64)
-- Free throw rate: 48.1% (328)
-- Steal %: 11.7 (57)
-- Ratio of three-point attempts to all FGA: 39.6% (311)