Folks,
With the offseason in full force, I figured this might be an opportune time for some "summer reading". So for our hoops readers on the board, we're doing a series diving into all the analytics used on Kenpom.com that are so frequently referenced in many of my stories.
For those that already know what all the "advanced" stats are, this should be a good refresher. For those new to the idea, enjoy, and any questions are welcome!
Part 1: Kenpom Basics
Let's start from the very beginning.
What is Kenpom.com? Kenpom is a website that uses play-by-play data to rate programs in offensive and defensive efficiency. You can quickly go to a team's home page and a bevy of information is at your hands in a snapshot, including how well a team plays offensively and defensively, and their strengths and weaknesses.
Brad Stevens (when he coached college) and Mike Krzyzewski are among those who are fans (link). Notre Dame and Mike Brey used the site extensively this year.
It goes beyond stats like points per game, which can be inaccurate when you're trying to judge how well a team plays.
What's wrong with points per game? Any per game stats - including points, rebounds, turnovers, etc. - can be misleading because they don't account for tempo.
The Citadel ranked No. 2 in the NCAA this year with 86.0 points per game. But obviously, that doesn't mean they had the second-best offense in the country this year, or they likely would have finished better than 10-22 overall (and 3-15 in the Southern Conference).
We learn from Kenpom that The Citadel averages 81.5 possessions per game, which is the most in the NCAA. Their average possession length on offense is just 14.0 seconds, the second-fastest in the country.
Basically, The Citadel just scores a bunch of points because they play ridiculously fast. That doesn't make their offense good.
In Kenpom's offensive efficiency rating (adjusted for strength of schedule), they rank 188th nationally with 1.02 points per possession. Big drop from No. 2 in the country to No. 188.
A football equivalent would be points per drive, which you can see in the OPD column here (link). Everyone wanted to talk about Baylor's offense this year for leading the country with 48.1 points per game, but Navy actually topped the NCAA with 3.70 points per drive.
Where did Notre Dame rank this year? Here's a look at Notre Dame's efficiency rankings this year compared to its per game rankings.
Offense:
Efficiency Ranking: 1.19 points per possession, ranked 8th nationally.
Per Game Ranking: 75.7 points per game, ranked 118th nationally.
Defense:
Efficiency Ranking: Allowed 1.04 points per possession, ranked 172nd nationally.
Per Game Ranking: Allowed 70.6 points per game, ranked 144th nationally.
The Irish's offense has such a huge gap because Notre Dame plays so slow offensively (Mike Brey calls it "playing patiently".) They only average 65.2 possessions per game - 327th nationally.
To expand on the earlier example, here's comparing Notre Dame to The Citadel.
Efficiency Rankings:
Notre Dame: 1.19 points per possession, 8th nationally.
The Citadel: 1.02 points per possession, 188th nationally.
Tempo Rankings:
Notre Dame: 65.2 possessions per game, 327th nationally.
The Citadel: 81.5 possessions per game, 1st nationally.
Per Game Rankings:
Notre Dame: 75.7 points per game, 118th nationally.
The Citadel: 86.0 points per game, 2nd nationally.
Notre Dame's offense is better than The Citadel's. The Citadel just has more points per game because they play fast.
What is good and bad? This is one of several reasons some people don't accept efficiency stats. They know reference points for per game stats, or what they believe to be good and bad. Not many people have memorized what's good for per possession stats.
So to note, here's a few tiers for offensive rankings, defensive rankings and tempo.
Offensive Efficiency: Points Per Possession
No. 1 nationally: 1.24
No. 25: 1.14
No. 100: 1.07
No. 234: 1.00
No. 351 (Worst in D1): 0.85
Defensive Efficiency: Points Per Possession Allowed
No. 1 nationally: 0.88
No. 25: 0.95
No. 100: 1.00
No. 234: 1.07
No. 351 (Worst in D1): 1.18
Tempo: Possessions Per Game (From Fastest To Slowest)
No. 1 nationally: 81.5
No. 25: 73.0
No. 100: 70.4
No. 234: 67.8
No. 351 (Slowest in D1): 62.0
What's next? So in conclusion, that's the gist of efficiency stats. What they are, why they're important, and what ranks as good play vs. poor.
Next, we'll start breaking down individual stats, like effective field goal percentage (eFG%) - which is a more accurate version of field goal percentage (FG%) that we all know so well.
With the offseason in full force, I figured this might be an opportune time for some "summer reading". So for our hoops readers on the board, we're doing a series diving into all the analytics used on Kenpom.com that are so frequently referenced in many of my stories.
For those that already know what all the "advanced" stats are, this should be a good refresher. For those new to the idea, enjoy, and any questions are welcome!
Part 1: Kenpom Basics
Let's start from the very beginning.
What is Kenpom.com? Kenpom is a website that uses play-by-play data to rate programs in offensive and defensive efficiency. You can quickly go to a team's home page and a bevy of information is at your hands in a snapshot, including how well a team plays offensively and defensively, and their strengths and weaknesses.
Brad Stevens (when he coached college) and Mike Krzyzewski are among those who are fans (link). Notre Dame and Mike Brey used the site extensively this year.
It goes beyond stats like points per game, which can be inaccurate when you're trying to judge how well a team plays.
What's wrong with points per game? Any per game stats - including points, rebounds, turnovers, etc. - can be misleading because they don't account for tempo.
The Citadel ranked No. 2 in the NCAA this year with 86.0 points per game. But obviously, that doesn't mean they had the second-best offense in the country this year, or they likely would have finished better than 10-22 overall (and 3-15 in the Southern Conference).
We learn from Kenpom that The Citadel averages 81.5 possessions per game, which is the most in the NCAA. Their average possession length on offense is just 14.0 seconds, the second-fastest in the country.
Basically, The Citadel just scores a bunch of points because they play ridiculously fast. That doesn't make their offense good.
In Kenpom's offensive efficiency rating (adjusted for strength of schedule), they rank 188th nationally with 1.02 points per possession. Big drop from No. 2 in the country to No. 188.
A football equivalent would be points per drive, which you can see in the OPD column here (link). Everyone wanted to talk about Baylor's offense this year for leading the country with 48.1 points per game, but Navy actually topped the NCAA with 3.70 points per drive.
Where did Notre Dame rank this year? Here's a look at Notre Dame's efficiency rankings this year compared to its per game rankings.
Offense:
Efficiency Ranking: 1.19 points per possession, ranked 8th nationally.
Per Game Ranking: 75.7 points per game, ranked 118th nationally.
Defense:
Efficiency Ranking: Allowed 1.04 points per possession, ranked 172nd nationally.
Per Game Ranking: Allowed 70.6 points per game, ranked 144th nationally.
The Irish's offense has such a huge gap because Notre Dame plays so slow offensively (Mike Brey calls it "playing patiently".) They only average 65.2 possessions per game - 327th nationally.
To expand on the earlier example, here's comparing Notre Dame to The Citadel.
Efficiency Rankings:
Notre Dame: 1.19 points per possession, 8th nationally.
The Citadel: 1.02 points per possession, 188th nationally.
Tempo Rankings:
Notre Dame: 65.2 possessions per game, 327th nationally.
The Citadel: 81.5 possessions per game, 1st nationally.
Per Game Rankings:
Notre Dame: 75.7 points per game, 118th nationally.
The Citadel: 86.0 points per game, 2nd nationally.
Notre Dame's offense is better than The Citadel's. The Citadel just has more points per game because they play fast.
What is good and bad? This is one of several reasons some people don't accept efficiency stats. They know reference points for per game stats, or what they believe to be good and bad. Not many people have memorized what's good for per possession stats.
So to note, here's a few tiers for offensive rankings, defensive rankings and tempo.
Offensive Efficiency: Points Per Possession
No. 1 nationally: 1.24
No. 25: 1.14
No. 100: 1.07
No. 234: 1.00
No. 351 (Worst in D1): 0.85
Defensive Efficiency: Points Per Possession Allowed
No. 1 nationally: 0.88
No. 25: 0.95
No. 100: 1.00
No. 234: 1.07
No. 351 (Worst in D1): 1.18
Tempo: Possessions Per Game (From Fastest To Slowest)
No. 1 nationally: 81.5
No. 25: 73.0
No. 100: 70.4
No. 234: 67.8
No. 351 (Slowest in D1): 62.0
What's next? So in conclusion, that's the gist of efficiency stats. What they are, why they're important, and what ranks as good play vs. poor.
Next, we'll start breaking down individual stats, like effective field goal percentage (eFG%) - which is a more accurate version of field goal percentage (FG%) that we all know so well.
