Parsing The WAC: How's our prediction coming along?

Thursday, February 12, 2009

How's our prediction coming along?

Earlier, we wrote that the teams that defend the best will be at the top of the WAC and the best defensive squad will win it. Whether it be for better or for worse, all predictions should be re-visited so as to judge their merits. Here's the field goal percentage defense numbers to date in WAC play:

FIELD GOAL PCT DEFENSE
# Team G FG FGA Pct
1.Utah State.......... 11 235 573 .410
2.Nevada.............. 10 235 557 .422
3.Hawaii.............. 11 236 541 .436
4.Boise State......... 10 250 569 .439
5.Idaho............... 9 204 462 .442
6.New Mexico State.... 11 292 658 .444
7.Louisiana Tech...... 11 250 559 .447
8.Fresno State........ 9 243 536 .453
9.San Jose State...... 10 264 567 .466

Well, USU is running away as the top team in the conference so it shouldn't come as any surprise that the Aggies are also the best defensive squad. What's interesting is that Utah State was at .442% last season -- fifth in the league.

What is surprising is Nevada's lack of consistency considering the stellar defensive number the Wolf Pack is showing (.422%) but having a bunch of newcomers and players performing in new roles needs to be factored into such an equation. Mark Fox's team led the WAC in field goal percentage defense last season at .430%.

We're a little surprised that Hawaii is way up there at .436% after last season's .482%. The athleticism of the Rainbow Warriors has improved so maybe that is leading the betterment.

Idaho has made a 4% inprovement: .442% now to last season's .482%. Louisiana Tech has made similar strides with a now .447% from a .529% of a year ago.

New Mexico State was at .442% in 2007-2008 and is at .444% now.

San Jose State's .466% -- last place -- is a primary reason for the team's inability to put together any sort of winning streak. But what's interesting is that the Spartans were sixth in the league last season with the same .466%.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...: Great post... I ran the numbers for Idaho and your postulate is dead-on.; February 12, 2009 at 2:35 PM

Testimonials

craw’s corner

08/25/2011: Want to also thank Kevin, who writes what I consider to be next to my blog, (just kidding), the best college basketball blog in the country and trust me, I read them all, http://parsingthewac.blogspot.com, it is always fresh and always important info, plus Kevin has often referenced my blog and it is not forgotten and greatly appreciated. Too many bloggers think their you know what does not stink and are not willing to recognize other people. So thank you Kevin and keep up the awesome work.

A Closer Look at Latech Hoops>

02/25/2009: Nevada paper rates WAC players: "Once again I must give credit where it is due – I pulled these articles off of Parsing the WAC,...an almost daily updated blog run by Kevin McCarthy. It is the authority on all things WAC men’s basketball. If there is a feature or game story put out about one of the schools in the league he will have a link to it (and a corresponding editorial comment). It is one of the first places I go on the Internet each day. We are very lucky to have a fan in this a midmajor league willing to put the time and energy in bring all this great information to all of us. Thanks Kevin."

Silver and Blue Sports

02/17/09 12:24 AM: re: Tyrone Hanson...Stuck in Seattle said: "Hey, Nevada Proud. Chris Murrey snatched up your Hanson scoop without so much as a hat tip, but Parsing the WAC has put your name up in lights...Kevin McCarthy...Parsing the WAC...he was probably the one guy awake in the “Ethics of Journalism” class...or maybe he decided to skip class the day the “There is no ethics in Jouranalism” lecture was given...either way he’s a credible guy."
02/17/09 1:49 AM: "Kevin M. is a good buddy of mine, and a class act all the way. I’m really proud of him for doing the things he’s done, because SJSU has been real hard to work with from a media standpoint despite what his recruiting coverage work could offer the hoops program."

02/12/09 10:58 AM: In the WAC, defense is king: "Kevin McCarthy has an insightful look at team defense in the WAC over at Parsing the WAC, and conference results so far are playing out his prediction: the team that gets the most stops, gets the most wins...Taking a game-by-game look at the Vandals’ conference season proves Kevin’s point. In all four of Idaho’s WAC wins, the team held opponents under .400 shooting."

The Bulldog Bounce

02/06/09 10:26 PM: High praise for incoming hoops recruits..."Ran across some nice nuggets of info on the Parsing the WAC blog, which I must say is a very active and informative one. Kevin McCarthy talks Fresno State quite a bit in it, which is cool with me...So let’s get to the point...McCarthy talked ’Dogs recruiting with Carl Foster, who’s been around a few of the soon-to-be Fresno State players, and he had some pretty impressive things to say."

11/04/08 1:10PM: "Parsing the WAC is a great blog for news on West Coast Hoops. Thanks to Kevin McCarthy, who does a fine job there himself. If you are a fan of a WAC school or just want to keep up with players with local interest like Adrian Oliver at SJS, the Seattle kids at Nevada, or NW schools like BSU and Idaho, this is the place to be."

BleedCrimson.net

12/05/08: The Daily Aggie: "The weekly check-ins are co-authored by us and Kevin McCarthy from the outstanding WAC blog Parsing The WAC."

Reno Gazette Journal

11/01/08: LOUISIANA TECH UPDATE: "Kevin McCarthy over at Parsing the WAC, an excellent source of WAC basketball news, was contacted by somebody familiar with the recent departure of four Louisiana Tech basketball players (which we touched on last week). For those who don't know, Drew Washington, Dwayne Lathan, Orrim Tims and Brandon Mims were dismissed after meeting with coach Kerry Rupp two weeks ago. Lathan said he was blindsided by the decision. McCarthy’s source, who remained anonymous, said there was more to the story than met the eye."