February 1, 2009 –
by Brendon
I’ve watched more Pac-10 basketball this season than in any other. The cynic would snark that I picked a poor year to get involved with this conference, that last season was the golden year of this decade for the conference. But I am thoroughly pleased with my decision to devote more time to following the Pac-10. I enjoy the league’s balance, its unlikely results, the way the schedule flows predictably and how everyone plays everyone else home-and-home. I love the travel partners and how all the games or on Thursday and the weekend. And with all I’ve been watching and loving, I have a lot to write about the league, which is now at exactly the halfway mark of the conference schedule.
Since everyone’s played everyone else once each, it’s fair to compare the teams’ efficiencies and draw sweeping conclusions based on them:
| Team |
W |
L |
Off Eff |
Def Eff |
Diff. |
| UCLA |
7 |
2 |
1.190 |
1.025 |
+.165 |
| Washington |
7 |
2 |
1.159 |
1.017 |
+.142 |
| Arizona State |
5 |
4 |
1.090 |
1.006 |
+.083 |
| Southern Cal |
6 |
3 |
1.052 |
0.992 |
+.060 |
| California |
5 |
4 |
1.054 |
1.040 |
+.014 |
| Arizona |
4 |
5 |
1.027 |
1.039 |
-.012 |
| Washington State |
4 |
5 |
0.990 |
1.020 |
-.029 |
| Stanford |
3 |
6 |
1.038 |
1.100 |
-.061 |
| Oregon State |
4 |
5 |
0.968 |
1.122 |
-.154 |
| Oregon |
0 |
9 |
0.939 |
1.146 |
-.207 |
Read More »
Posted in Pac-10
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Tagged Alfred Aboya, Arizona, Arizona State, Barack Obama, Ben Howland, California, Chase Budinger, Craig Robinson, Darren Collison, Demar DeRozan, Derek Glasser, Dick Bennett, Ernie Kent, Herb Sendek, Isaiah Thomas, James Harden, Jeff Pendergraph, Joevan Catron, Johnny Dawkins, Jon Brockman, Josh Shipp, Jrue Holliday, Klay Thompson, Lorenzo Romar, Malik Hairston, Marcus Johnson, Matthew Bryan-Amaning, Michael Dunigan, Mike Montgomery, Oregon, Oregon State, Quincy Pondexter, Rihards Kuksiks, Russ Pennell, Southern Cal, Stanford, Taj Gibson, Tajuan Porter, Tim Floyd, Tony Bennett, UCLA, Washington, Washington State
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January 18, 2009 –
by Brendon
In his first three conference road games as a collegian back home in LA, Arizona State star James Harden had lost three times to USC and UCLA by a total of 59 points. The low point came on Thursday night when Harden had his worst shooting performance as a collegian, missing all eight of his field-goal attempts in the Sun Devils’ 14-point loss to USC. With the likelihood that Harden is playing his last season in college, Saturday afternoon’s game at Pauley Pavilion represented the last chance for the sophomore to go to a Pac-10 opponent’s home gym and win in his hometown. He did not disappoint. Read More »
Posted in Game of the Night, Pac-10
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Tagged Alfred Aboya, Arizona State, Ben Howland, California, Darren Collison, Derek Glasser, efficiency, Herb Sendek, James Harden, Jeff Pendergraph, Josh Shipp, Jrue Holiday, Kevin Love, Lorenzo Mata-Real, Michael Roll, Nikola Dragovic, Pac-10, pace, points per possession, Rihards Kuksiks, Seth Davis, Stanford, Ty Abbott, UCLA, USC, Washington, Washington State
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January 16, 2009 –
by Brendon
I’m not sure about the best way to measure consistency, but Southern Cal has to be one of the most inconsistent teams around. The same team that lost to Seton Hall and Oregon State and nearly fell to San Francisco at home also played within one point of Oklahoma on the road and went down to the wire with UCLA on Sunday night. On Thursday night, USC finally got a scalp. Read More »
Posted in Reviews/Previews
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Tagged Arizona, Arizona State, Connecticut, Demar DeRozan, George Mason, Jamal Barney, James Harden, Kemba Walker, Lawrence Westbrook, Loyola (Md.), Manhattan, Minnesota, North Carolina, Northeastern, Northwestern, Oregon, Oregon State, Purdue, Rhode Island, Saint John's, Southern Cal, Tubby Smith, UCLA, Virginia, Washington, Washington State, Wisconsin, Xavier
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