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Rock Chalk Talk: Basketball
Anything pertaining to basketball: college, pro, HS, recruiting, TV coverage
Anything pertaining to basketball: college, pro, HS, recruiting, TV coverage
Final KenPom ratings--KU's defensive surge is incredible
8 years 8 months ago - 8 years 8 months ago #6125
by konza63
“With kindest regards to Dr. Forrest C. Allen, the father of basketball coaching, from the father of the game.”
1936 inscription on the portrait of Dr. Naismith, displayed above Phog Allen's office desk at KU.
The final, pre-tourney KenPom rankings are out:
kenpom.com
I like that team on the top line.
And speaking of that top team, does everyone recall when we weren't even cracking the top 25 in defensive efficiency? Well, look now--we've surged all the way up to #5 in the land in adjD.
ATXJay, I'm curious, since you seem to track KenPom the closest. Do you have the KenPom rankings for KU's defense just prior to when Landen was inserted as the starting 5? (Right after the Okie State game)
I'd love to see where we were then as a unit, and how far we've evolved since. I think it's probably pretty amazing. Certainly we've come a long way with the simple eye test.
Also, I'm curious how KU's pre-tourney ranking (1 overall, 8th in O, 5th in D) compares with our '08 team. I know that one was higher, probably on both counts, but I'm still curious. I'd try to find out myself, but I'd have to pay for that type of research with Pomeroy, and I'm hoping someone on here has the paid subscription to his data sets. If not, no worries--just curious!
Rock Chalk...
kenpom.com
I like that team on the top line.
And speaking of that top team, does everyone recall when we weren't even cracking the top 25 in defensive efficiency? Well, look now--we've surged all the way up to #5 in the land in adjD.
ATXJay, I'm curious, since you seem to track KenPom the closest. Do you have the KenPom rankings for KU's defense just prior to when Landen was inserted as the starting 5? (Right after the Okie State game)
I'd love to see where we were then as a unit, and how far we've evolved since. I think it's probably pretty amazing. Certainly we've come a long way with the simple eye test.
Also, I'm curious how KU's pre-tourney ranking (1 overall, 8th in O, 5th in D) compares with our '08 team. I know that one was higher, probably on both counts, but I'm still curious. I'd try to find out myself, but I'd have to pay for that type of research with Pomeroy, and I'm hoping someone on here has the paid subscription to his data sets. If not, no worries--just curious!
Rock Chalk...
“With kindest regards to Dr. Forrest C. Allen, the father of basketball coaching, from the father of the game.”
1936 inscription on the portrait of Dr. Naismith, displayed above Phog Allen's office desk at KU.
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8 years 8 months ago #6161
by konza63
“With kindest regards to Dr. Forrest C. Allen, the father of basketball coaching, from the father of the game.”
1936 inscription on the portrait of Dr. Naismith, displayed above Phog Allen's office desk at KU.
RE this question I posed to start the thread:
KenPom doesn't allow non-paid subscribers to go back in time in his data set, but I was able to go back as far as February 2nd on the RCB, which was 3 games into the stretch of Landen having been named our starting 5, and find ATXJayhawk's KenPom rankings for KU. I would love to be able to go back to the very start, which was the UT game on Jan 23rd to get the full look. But Feb 2nd isn't a bad start, since it was just after our UK win that started us on our current 14-game winning streak.
So...as of Feb 2nd, just two games into the new KU starting rotation that would become the one that would stick from that point forward, KU was ranked 39th in the country for defensive efficiency (adjD) on Pomeroy's site. 39th!!!
Fast-forward to the present, with Landen having held down the 5 spot for a month and a half, and where did KU finish the season, on the eve of the Dance?
#5 in the land.
Bottom line: We went from a very problematic outlier in comparative team defense (a major red flag for any team that aspires to compete for a title) to one of the top 5 teams in the land...after the rotation became set with Landen in the middle. And, of course, it hasn't just been Landen himself accounting for that jump--it's been his impact on all of the other players on the court alongside him. With a more capable rim protector, banger, and rebounder in the paint, our guards were able to become more aggressive on D and tighten up their perimeter game, Ellis didn't have to be forced into a role for which he's not made and uncomfortable (an enforcer type paint protector and rebounder), and so on and so forth.
That statistical jump is truly incredible--and what's even more incredible about it (surging from #39 to #5) is that we were playing the gauntlet of tough Big 12 teams in the most difficult league in the country during that time. With the pressure of trying to secure our 12th straight championship...and with every single Big 12 team gunning for us as the Goliath of the league. Not only that, but all of the other teams in the national field were also, presumably, gaining more experience and cohesion, which you have to believe would've made it far more tougher for any team to make such incredible advances relative to the field.
That's pretty impressive stuff. And clearly it's one HUGE reason (among a few) that explains how and why KU won its 12 straight, won the Big 12 tourney, and closed out the season on such a huge run (and turnaround) that allowed it to claim the top seed in the tournament.
Rock Chalk...
ATXJay, I'm curious, since you seem to track KenPom the closest. Do you have the KenPom rankings for KU's defense just prior to when Landen was inserted as the starting 5? (Right after the Okie State game)
I'd love to see where we were then as a unit, and how far we've evolved since. I think it's probably pretty amazing. Certainly we've come a long way with the simple eye test.
KenPom doesn't allow non-paid subscribers to go back in time in his data set, but I was able to go back as far as February 2nd on the RCB, which was 3 games into the stretch of Landen having been named our starting 5, and find ATXJayhawk's KenPom rankings for KU. I would love to be able to go back to the very start, which was the UT game on Jan 23rd to get the full look. But Feb 2nd isn't a bad start, since it was just after our UK win that started us on our current 14-game winning streak.
So...as of Feb 2nd, just two games into the new KU starting rotation that would become the one that would stick from that point forward, KU was ranked 39th in the country for defensive efficiency (adjD) on Pomeroy's site. 39th!!!
Fast-forward to the present, with Landen having held down the 5 spot for a month and a half, and where did KU finish the season, on the eve of the Dance?
#5 in the land.
Bottom line: We went from a very problematic outlier in comparative team defense (a major red flag for any team that aspires to compete for a title) to one of the top 5 teams in the land...after the rotation became set with Landen in the middle. And, of course, it hasn't just been Landen himself accounting for that jump--it's been his impact on all of the other players on the court alongside him. With a more capable rim protector, banger, and rebounder in the paint, our guards were able to become more aggressive on D and tighten up their perimeter game, Ellis didn't have to be forced into a role for which he's not made and uncomfortable (an enforcer type paint protector and rebounder), and so on and so forth.
That statistical jump is truly incredible--and what's even more incredible about it (surging from #39 to #5) is that we were playing the gauntlet of tough Big 12 teams in the most difficult league in the country during that time. With the pressure of trying to secure our 12th straight championship...and with every single Big 12 team gunning for us as the Goliath of the league. Not only that, but all of the other teams in the national field were also, presumably, gaining more experience and cohesion, which you have to believe would've made it far more tougher for any team to make such incredible advances relative to the field.
That's pretty impressive stuff. And clearly it's one HUGE reason (among a few) that explains how and why KU won its 12 straight, won the Big 12 tourney, and closed out the season on such a huge run (and turnaround) that allowed it to claim the top seed in the tournament.
Rock Chalk...
“With kindest regards to Dr. Forrest C. Allen, the father of basketball coaching, from the father of the game.”
1936 inscription on the portrait of Dr. Naismith, displayed above Phog Allen's office desk at KU.
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