Guest Contributor Ray Floriani -- At the Holiday Festival

by Ray Floriani

New York City - The format of the MSG Holiday Festival went through another alteration. Up until a few years ago it was contested just after Christmas. Since then it has been before December 25th and this season was not a true tournament. No semifinal and final doubleheader -- just a twin bill -- this past Saturday at Madison Square Garden.

The Holiday Festival logo

The scores:

Rutgers	67		58	Stony Brook
St. John's	56		50	Fordham

Possession and efficiency:

		Off.
	Poss.	Eff.
Stony Brook	66	88
Rutgers	63	106

View of MSG

		Off.
	Poss.	Eff.
Fordham	68	73
St. John's	68	83

Notes & Points of Emphasis
1. Rutgers was tested.
The American East representatives, Stony Brook worked hard on the offensive glass showing a 46-32% edge in offensive rebounding percentage. Rutgers coach Mike Rice pointed out , partially in jest, that his Scarlet Knights (6-5) had too much holiday spirit and were willing to give up second chances to the Seawolves. Stony Brook did not have an easy time finishing those opportunities showing only a 13-9 lead in second chance points. Stony Brook (3-6) basically lived on the perimeter and shot better from three (7 of 24 for 29%) than from two (9 of 36 and 25%). Rutgers shot 56% from two en route to a 54% eFG mark. Both teams had identical and sloppy 24% TO rates. Myles Mack of Rutgers led all scorers with 22 points. The freshman guard did not start but proved the old axiom 'it is more important who finishes rather than starts the game'. Mack used 18% of the Scarlet Knight possessions and obviously was very much involved.

Rutgers coach Mike Rice feels his team was in a holiday mode
giving too many offensive rebounding 'gifts'

2. Fordham is improved
They entered MSG at 4-5. Tom Pecora is getting double figure scoring from three players, none are seniors. Junior Chris Gaston leads at 14.6 PPG while the backcourt of sophomore Branden Frazier (10.0) and freshman Devon McMillan (11.6) has been effective.

Against St. John's there were opportunities. Gaston got inside but struggled to finish. He scored 11 points, grabbed 14 rebounds (5 offensive) but was 4 of 16 from the field. Both clubs failed to hit 40% eFG with Fordham at 36% and St. John's not much better with 38%. The young Ram backcourt did a nice job caring for the ball with a 15% TO rate, compared to St. John's' 22%. Red Storm got the big and arguable game decisive advantage on the offensive glass. They showed a 42-24% dominance in offensive rebounding percentage. God's Gift Achiuwa (5) and Moe Harkness (3) accounted for half of the 16 St. John's offensive boards. Harkness, a 6-8 freshman swing man, had a nice 13 point, 16 rebound double-double.

3. St. John's has concerns
The Red Storm is now 5-5. Beyond the .500 won-lost record are other issues. The exit of Nurideen Lindsey further depletes an already thin squad. In the first half against Fordham the starters went the entire way. For the game, four players put in the full forty minutes. The only one who did not was freshman guard Sir Dominic Pointer who put in 36 minutes and spelled by Malik Stith for only 4 minutes. The biggest concerns in this situation are foul trouble -- the Storm do zone frequently to stay out of that situation -- and injuries. They can ill afford an injury to anyone. With Big East play and its physical nature, practices, plus Winter and the illnesses it can bring coming up, St. John's will be embarking on conference play in a very tenuous circumstance.

The Stony Brook band entertained
and enjoyed their MSG appearance

Guest Contributor Ray Floriani: Analysis of the Maggie Dixon Classic

by Ray Floriani

New York City – The annual Maggie Dixon Classic gave us two interesting games. The 5,486 in attendance saw St. John’s put up a good battle before falling to number one Baylor in a game closer than the score hints. In game two, Tennessee, despite coming in with two losses, proved they can defend and are still an elite program, not to go away any time soon.

At halftime a travel team from Oakland, NJ got to play on the Garden floor.
Yours truly officiated them in a tournament a week earlier.

Baylor

73

59

St. John's

The possessions and offensive efficiency:

		Off.
	Poss.	Eff.
Baylor	65	112
St. John's	63	94

Of the Four Factors, two key areas saw the Bears excel. FT rate and offensive rebounding percentage. Baylor enjoyed 22-6% advantage in free throw rate (FTM/FGA) by virtue of hitting 14 free throws to St. John’s’ four. Red Storm, though, had only four attempts to Baylor’s 20. In the offensive rebounding department the advantage was a 43-31% difference in Baylor’s favor. Britney Griner, Baylor’s outstanding 6-8 junior center, had a game leading 13 rebounds. Three were offensive as Brooklyn Pope did the most damage for the Bears with five offensive rebounds.

St. John's coach Kim Barnes Arico
makes a point

Second game score, possessions and efficiency:

Tennessee

84

61

De Paul

		Off.
	Poss.	Eff.
Tennessee	83	101
De Paul	81	75

Tennessee assistant Holly Warwick and Glory Johnson

Possession total shows us it was a bit of a faster pace. Very glaring number among those Four Factors, DePaul’s 30% turnover rate. Blue Demons had 24 turnovers and the 30% means almost one third of their offense resulted in the TO. Tennessee did have 19 of their own for a high 23% TO rate, a figure they will undoubtedly address in preparation for their next opponent.

A Look at Possessions and Usage
From Golden State of mind site there was a nice piece on advanced statistical breakdowns you can use analyzing the NBA. Actually, the metrics are applicable for the college game as well.

To calculate individual possessions you employ this formula:

Poss = FGA + (FTA * .475) + TO

The NBA free throw multiplier is .44, on the college level the accepted is .475. Once you have possessions of an individual player you divide that figure by team possessions. The final total is multiplied by 100 for the Usage percentage rate.

We will now take a look at the possessions and usage of the leading scorer for each team in the two games.

Player, Team	Poss	Pts.	Usage
B. Pope, Baylor	19	19	29
E. McPherson, SJU	15	23	24
J. Penny, De Paul	11	16	14
G. Johnson, Tenn	18	16	22

Taking it further let us look at the Baylor distribution. After all, they are the nation’s top ranked team:

Player	Poss	Pts.	Usage
B. Pope	19	19	29
B. Griner	14	17	17
O. Sims	14	8	17
K. Hayden	11	12	13
J. Madden	18	11	22
D. Williams	4	4	5
M. Robertson	0	0	0
S. Agbuke	1	2	1

The usage totals 98% because many of the usage figures contained percentage points, under .5, which I did not round up. St. John’s coach Kim Barnes Arico targeted Griner and point guard Sims for added defensive attention. She knew Pope and Madden would get additional and/or open looks but was willing to take the chance. The usage points out the impact the latter two had on the Baylor attack and outcome.

Griner entered the game with a 21% usage while Sims was right behind at 20%.
The team records:

Baylor	10-0
St. John's	5-5
Tennessee	8-2
De Paul	8-2

Baylor's Britney Griner graciously signs autographs

Guest Contributor Ray Floriani -- The Jimmy V Classic

by Ray Floriani

New York City – The annual Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Garden gave us two interesting games. In the opener, Missouri had a little too much of everything in defeating Villanova 81-71.

Pre-game national anthem

The pace and efficiency:

		Off.
	Poss.	Eff.
Villanova	69	103
Missouri	69	117

The Four Factors:

		FTA
	eFG%	FGA	OR%	TO%
Villanova	51	17	36	22
Missouri	50	23	36	12

Jay Wright makes a point

Villanova coach Jay Wright watched all seven of Missouri’s previous games on tape. What he saw was a well coached, veteran team that defends and simply was a challenging task for his young Wildcats. “We were hoping to grind it out, keep it close near the end and possibly steal one,” Wright said.

Villanova trailed by double digits most of the second half but did close late to get it to a one possession game. Each time Villanova was unable to get any closer. The culprit was turnovers, untimely turnovers.

The Wildcats entered the game with a commendable 19% TO rate. Missouri, which exerts pressure in a half court setting forced Villanova into a 22% rate. That proved significant as Villanova shot well, got to the line and hit the boards hard. Transition points were crucial also as the Big Twelve representatives owned a 24-8 edge in fast break points.

Wildcats placed five players in double figures. Their points and Manley totals are as follows:

		Manley
	Pts	Eff.
Maalik Wayns	14	13
Darrun Hilliard	13	8
Dom Cheek	12	14
Mouphtaou Yarou	11	14
JayVaughn Pinkston	10	12

• Maalik Wayns canned three treys in the stretch. He added 9 assists but did commit five turnovers. Yarou is a nice player inside but needs help. Pinkston did some fine work in the lane. He is still coming around as Wright noted “he (Pinkston) is rusty.” The Villanova mentor noted Pinkston not only sat out suspended last year but worked nine hours a day and was able to get little gym time for himself. Hilliard is a freshman with a nice shooting stroke. Cheek does a good job in the open floor.

• Marcus Denmon led all scorers with 28 points. The Missouri guard was 6 of 10 from the floor. Kim English added 15 while Ricardo Ratliffe scored 17 points while grabbing 11 boards. Ratliffe proved it’s quality not quantity. He is Missouri’s only legitimate big man but the 6-8 senior forward is very effective.

• Learning experience. Wright and several of his Villanova players echoed that sentiment following the game. “we’ll learn from this,” Cheek said. “We’ll watch the tape, get back to practice and just get better.”

View of court from
upper press box

• Spent the first half recording possessions longhand. Came up with 34 per team, the same as the formula yielded off the box score. Missouri led 42-29 at the break with a noticeable 125-85 advantage in offensive efficiency.

• Missouri is 8-0. Villanova is now 5-3 with a Saturday game at Temple next on tap.

Marquette vs. Washington
The night cap of the V saw Marquette edge Washington 79-77 in a game settled on the last possession. The pace and efficiency:

		Off.
	Poss.	Eff.
Marquette	74	107
Washington	71	109

One of those rare occurrences, Washington won the efficiency battle but not the won-lost ‘war’. Huskies had a 46-28% lead in offensive rebounding percentage. Interestingly, Marquette had the edge 31-7% in free throw rate. Usually teams ‘owning’ the glass get to the line more.

A reason Marquette visited the line (27 to 10 in free throw attempts) more was their ability to attack the basket. They led 10-0 in fast break points and penetrated well.

The scoreboard tells the story of game two

Marquette coach Buzz Williams is a tempo free advocate who discussed Washington’s efficiency in the post game press conference. Williams is a stickler in preaching the value and numerical meaning of a possession to his players. Little surprise that Marquette had an outstanding 14% TO rate, as opposed to the 23% of the Huskies.

Jae Crowder (18 points) hit one three all night. It was the deciding basket for Marquette as a Washington attempt pon the next possession missed at the buzzer.

The leading scorers and Manley numbers:

		Manley
	Pts	Eff.
Darius Johnson-Odom (MU)	23	17
Terrence Ross (WU)	19	24

• Marquette’s Jae Crowder had a Manley Efficiency of 17 along with his 18 points.

• Chris Otule of Marqueete went out with a knee injury after the first two minutes. The 6-11 junior averages just over 5 p[oints per game but Williams felt his loss was significant in Marquette’s defending Washington’s ball screens.

• Marquette is 8-0, Washington is now 4-3.

• Huskies are spending a few more days in New York. They will take in a movie, two plays then on Saturday face Duke back at Madison Square Garden.

Villanova was the only schol to bring cheerleaders.
Here Ray is enjoying the company

Guest Contributor Ray Floriani -- Siena at St. Peter's

by Ray Floriani

Jersey City, NJ- The MAAC opener for both Siena and St. Peter's was played Thursday night at St. Peter's in Jersey City. While it is still early, the conference teams play two games prior to the new year. Getting off to a good start in league play is vital.

St. Peter's took advantage of home court and some outstanding defense posting a 51-44 victory. The pace and efficiency:

		Off.
	Poss.	Eff.
St. Peter's	54	94
Siena	54	82

Basic grind it out style of play as noted by the extremely low count of 54 turnovers. The key for St. Peter's in this one…

Defense.
To little surprise St. Peter's limited Siena to an 82 offensive efficiency, the Peacocks forced a 26% turnover rate and limited the visitors to a 38% eFG mark. Siena shot 3 of 18 (16.7%) from three point range.

Siena trailed by 16 early in the second half but was able to tie it in the stretch. They never were able to get a lead which was significant from a momentum standpoint.

The Saints excelled at…offensive rebounding. They enjoyed a 39-25% edge in that area.

Chris Prescott of St. Peter's paced the scorers with 16 points. OD Anosike led Siena with a strong 12 point 10 rebound effort.

Manley efficiency leader.
Yvon Raymond of St. Peter's. Raymond put up a 'Manley' number of 18. He scored 15 points, pulled down 9 rebounds, had 2 assists, one block and only one turnover.

St. Peter's improved to 2-4 while Siena fell to the same won-lost record.

The coveted MAAC Championship Banner
Hangs in the Yanitelli Center in Jersey City

Guest Contributor Ray Floriani -- St. Peter's at FDU

by Ray Floriani

Teaneck, NJ - In women's basketball, FDU defeated St. Peter's 55-46 on Tuesday at Stratis Arena. The efficiency and pace (kind of tells it all):

		Off.
	Poss.	Eff.
St. Peter's	75	61
FDU	73	75

Visiting St.Peter's of the MAAC pushed the pace on both ends as the mid-seventies possession count shows. FDU, with point guard Amanda Andrades out with an ankle injury, struggled at the lead guard spot. FDU was guilty of 24 turnovers. Coach Peter Cinella credited St. Peter's defense but did admit his club needs work on cutting down on turnovers. Part of the problem was FDU accelerating when there was need to sporting a double digit lead and just under ten minutes to go. The TO rates are as follows:

	TO%
St. Peter's	21%
FDU	33%

Not an artistic gem of a game on either end. FDU entered the game with a 31% TO rate, so there is work to be done.

Mariyah Laury of FDU (3-5) led all scorers with 14 points. Laury did have 4 assists, but 8 turnovers as she was making the transition from two guard to the lead. Laury came through in the clutch, scoring two crucial baskets as St. Peter's rallied to get it to a one possession game in the stretch with two minutes to play. Jesika Holmes led St. Peter's (0-4) with 13 points.

Shooting, was a sore spot for St.Peter's. They shot 26% for the game including 9.5% (2 of 21) from three. The foul line wasn't much better as St. Peter's was only 44%. It was that kind of night for the Peahens.

Stat Stuffer: FDU forward Desiree Crawford with a Manley efficiency of 17. Crawford scored 7 points (3 of 8 shooting) but offset the under 50% shooting with 11 rebounds, 'only' two turnovers (not bad considering FDU's TO woes) and 7 blocks.

Stratis Arena interior during the game

Guest Contributor Ray Floriani -- Preseason NIT Finals

by Ray Floriani

NEW YORK CITY -- The shot chart the last eight minutes of the game showed Syracuse with nine field goals, Kris Joseph hitting five of them. The senior forward was instrumental in the Syracuse's 69-63 victory over Stanford in the Pre-Season NIT championship at Madison Square Garden.

The court at Madison Square Garden

The scores:

Consolation Game...
Virginia Tech	59		57	Oklahoma State

Championship Game...
Syracuse	69		63	Stanford

The possessions and efficiency:

		Off.
	Poss.	Eff.
Stanford	69	91
Syracuse	72	96

Beside Joseph, the victory was predicated on good old full court pressure defense. The Cardinal had an eight point lead with under seven minutes to go and appeared to be in control. Syracuse then went into the press that forced turnovers, created quick scores and accelerated the pace. As Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim pointed out, Stanford was doing a great job controlling the clock with possessions in the 30-35 second range. Down eight that late , it would have been very difficult to come back if the possessions continued at that pace.

Joseph had a game high 18 points, earning Most Outstanding Player honors. Those five field goals in the latter eight minutes came from varying areas. There was a three pointer, two mid range jumpers and two closely defended penetrations in the paint.

MVP Kris Joseph of Syracuse

Syracuse did have an eFg percentage of 51%. Regardless, Boeheim feels his offense or improvement of it, is priority one. The Orange were guilty of 21 turnovers, an extremely high 29% TO rate. The Cardinal struggled even greater in that area with 24 turnovers and an astounding 35% TO mark.

Johnny Dawkins' Pac 12 representatives did pound the boards with a 50% offensive rebounding percentage. Syracuse was close behind with 47% led by Fab Melo with 5 offensive boards, and the versatile Joseph adding four.

Syracuse -- specifically Jim Boeheim -- fans

Stanford's Josh Owens a 14 points per game scorer, struggled with a 4 point (2 of 7 shooting) performance in 31 minutes.

A satisfying tournament for Syracuse. Not only due to taking home the championship but facing two good teams, Virginia Tech in the semis and Stanford in the final. In the latter contest, how Syracuse pulled it out was very gratifying. Now, it's back to the offensive 'drawing board'.

Coaches Johnny Dawkins and Jim Boeheim post game

The consolation gave us a hard fought one possession contest.

The pace and efficiency:

		Off.
	Poss.	Eff.
Oklahoma State	56	102
Virginia Tech	61	97

Two major keys here. Travis Ford's teams like to get out and push the pace. Virginia Tech favors a half court environment and Seth Greenberg's group dictated tempo. Oklahoma State entered the game averaging 72 possessions and were held to 16 less than their norm. On the afternoon, Oklahoma state was limited to two fast break points.

Other big factor was the offensive glass. Virginia Tech started slow looking at an 8-0 deficit after the first four minutes. The Hokies continued to work inside and gradually wore down the Cowboys. Virginia Tech had a 48-37% advantage in offensive rebounding percentage. Dorian Finney-Smith, a 6-8 forward, did appreciable damage for tech with 8 offensive rebounds.

Tech, interestingly, only shot 35% eFG percentage. Given their rebounding edge and a tidy 18% TO rate, it's not a huge surprise they were able to pull this contest out and exit MSG with that well earned split.

The Honors (with their final game Manley efficiency):

MOP	Kris Joseph, Syracuse	22
All Tournament Team:	Dion Waiters, Syracuse	10
	C. J. Fair, Syracuse	12
	Aaron Bright, Stanford	13
	Erick Green, Virginia Tech	11

Markel Brown of Oklahoma State was not selected to the All-Tournament team but did lead the consolation game scorers with 19 points. His Manley efficiency checked in at an impressive 23 (largely due to the sophomore guard's 10 rebounds).

'Stat Stuffer' Melo
Fab Melo, Syracuse's sophomore center drew praise for his play in the final. The seven-footer played 32 minutes and scored 6 points (3 of 6 shooting) with 9 rebounds, 3 blocks and 3 steals. His final Manley efficiency, a very commendable 16. Second on the Orange in the championship game.

Street view from the pressroom,
New York on Black Friday

Guest Contributor Ray Floriani -- Legends Classic

by Ray Floriani

East Rutherford, NJ - The attendance on both nights of the Ticketcity Legends Classic was, to put it politely, sparse. Too bad. There were four close games that got sloppy at times, remember it is not even Thanksgiving, but were not short on excitement coming down to the wire.

outside the Izod Center

The Scores:

Semifinal Games...
Vanderbilt	86		79	North Carolina State
Oregon State	100		95	Texas

Consolation Game...
North Carolina St.	77		74	Texas

Championship Game...
Vanderbilt	64		62	Oregon St.

We will look at the final evening's consolation and championship games from the Izod Center.

The possessions and efficiency:

		Off.
	Poss.	Eff.
Texas	67	111
North Carolina St.	68	113

For the second straight night the Longhorns showed an efficiency that should win you a basketball game. But came up short. Unfortunately that was the case in each of Texas' games here. On Saturday they posted a gaudy 117 OE only to generously allow a 127 OE to Oregon State in that overtime affair. Both teams shot the ball well (Texas 52% eFG, NC State 50%) and cared for the ball rather well. Texas had a 19% TO rate while the Wolfpack of the ACC came in at 16%. Both numbers are what you would love to have in March, and are ecstatic about in November. Achilles heel for Texas, and it was noted by coach Rick Barnes, was the persistent fouling. NC State had an off the chart 75% FT rate. They shot 33 of 44 from the line.

NC state came back from 18 points down. They made the decisive run the latter part of the second half after Texas' J'Covan Brown fouled out. With the Texas lead guard exiled on fouls, the Longhorns were a different team. And one who could not hold off the surging Wolfpack.

Leading scorers:

		Manley
	Points	Efficiency
CJ Leslie, NCSU	17	13
Sparked Wolfpack off the bench each game
J'Covan Brown, Texas	17	17
Shot 7-14, 1 turnover & 7 assists

Championship Game

		Off.
	Poss.	Eff.
Vanderbilt	69	93
Oregon State State	71	87

Resilience was the key. Vanderbilt by as much as nine but in a game with nine ties and lead changes, Oregon State was determined not to go away. The decision was sealed in the final seconds on a jumper by Vanderbilt's Brad Tinsley. Chalk it up to Oregon State's persistence coupled with Vanderbilt's 'bull in a china shop' care of the basketball. The Commodores were guilty of 22 turnovers, translated, a ridiculously high 32% TO rate. Oregon State wasn't much better with a 24% TO mark. The SEC representatives also outshot Oregon State from the field with a 54-45% eFG mark. In a one possession outcome that is a big factor.

John Jenkins' 14 points for Vanderbilt, included a huge three pointer in the stretch. Jared Cunningham of Oregon State, entered the game with a 26 ppg scoring average, was held to nine points but did have seven steals.

Vanderbilt is a very good club at this juncture. One would be safe to assume, they will be even better when 6-11 Festus Ezeli returns from a knee injury and rejoins the Commodores in a few weeks.

Leading Scorers:

		Manley
	Points	Efficiency
Devon Collier, Oregon St	19	25
John Jenkins, Vanderbilt	14	6

Upper press view of the Izod Center court

Jenkins' Manley number was affected by 5 of 13 shooting from the field, no assists and three turnovers. Make no mistake though, Jenkins' came up big both nights for coach Kevin Stallings and Vanderbilt.

Official Jim Burr and Vanderbilt coach Kevin Stallings
share a lighter moment

MVP	John Jenkins, Vanderbilt
All Tournament Team:	C.J. Leslie North Carolina St.
	Sheldon McClellan, Texas
	Jared Cunningham, Oregon St.
	Jeffrey Taylor, Vanderbilt

Vanderbilt raises the championship trophy

And Then There is...
--   Good officiating friend Guy Pagano, who lives in Northern New Jersey, worked the final with Jim Burr and Mike Stephens.

--   Had the pleasure of meeting and chatting with one of the tempo-free 'Gods', John Gasaway. John was covering with Basketball Prospectus colleague Andrew Cannon.

Guest Contributor Ray Floriani -- At the Coaches vs Cancer

by Ray Floriani

NEW YORK CITY -- The Coaches vs. Cancer final could be analyzed and dissected in several ways. The point that stands out is the second half effort by Mississippi State.

Lady Antebullum can wait
for two days it was college hoops at MSG

The Bulldogs expanded a one point half time lead, held Arizona to 23 second half points and went on to post a 67-57 championship game winning performance.

The possessions and efficiency:

		Off.
	Poss.	Eff.
Arizona	62	92
Mississippi State	64	105

A further look at the two halves is necessary to illustrate the job Mississippi State on both ends of the floor those final twenty minutes.

	Efficiency by...
	1st	2nd	Gme
Arizona	103	79	92
Mississippi State	103	107	105

Both teams cared for the ball very well as Mississippi State was 14% in TO rate while Arizona came in with a creditable 16%. Bulldogs of the SEC were a bit stronger in the paint. They had a29-24% in offensive rebounding percentage and made more trips to the line with a 19-9% advantage in free throw rate.

Victorious, Mississippi State celebrates

There was one tie and Arizona never led. Still, the Wildcats were right there until Mississippi State pulled away in the waning minutes. Largely on defense as the second half efficiency shows.

Ray with Arizona cheerleaders

The Scores:

Semifinal Games...
Mississippi St.	69		60	Texas A&M
Arizona	81		72	St. John's

Consolation Game...
Texas A&M	58		57	St. John's

Championship Game...
Mississippi St.	67		57	Arizona

Observations of the Tempo Free Variety:
Following the consolation loss to Texas A&M, St. John's coach Steve Lavin noted how his team did a better job in the turnover (commission) department. Not that much better. An analogy would be if 70 is a passing grade, a student getting a 45 on a test then next time out getting a 60, shows improvement. Yes the latter exam was better , but both grades are failing.

Against Arizona the Red storm coughed the ball up 17 times. The number was 14 against A&M. But getting a better look at turnover rate, the percentage of possessions ending in a TO, we get the following numbers:

vs. Arizona	26%
vs. Texas A&M	22%

Granted the rate decreased but 20% is the cutoff. Twenty per cent or over is an unacceptable TO rate for an offense.

In the huddle
St. John's Steve Lavin and assistant Mike Dunlap (r)
go over adjustments during a time out.

Good defense by Mississippi state in the semifinal as well. They limited Texas A&M to an 88 offensive efficiency. State's big man Renardo Sidney received praise from coach Rick Stansbury for his hustle. Sidney, however, had a forgettable 3 point night against A&M, fueled by 0 for 8 shooting from the floor.

A 109 offensive efficiency usually wins games. In the semifinal meeting with Arizona, it didn't do the job for St. John's. The Wildcats of the Pac 12 posted an outstanding 127 offensive efficiency.

St. John's shot 51% from the field while Arizona was checking in at 42%. The eFG gives us a better read. Red Storm did go for 54% in that category but the Wildcats were 53% thanks to a 14 of 29 mark from beyond the arc. In fact 48% of Arizona's points came from three. While St. John's had only 13% of their points from a similar range.

Those 'first four' can often set the tone and tell us something important. First four minutes of the Texas A&M-Mississippi state game were crucial and eventually proved decisive. State hit three shots from long distance en route to a 15-5 lead . Texas A&M was never able to recover.

Free throw rates jumped off the stat sheet when assessing St. John's. they were 45% against Arizona and 51% in the consolation. The free throw rate divides made free throws by field goal attempts. Against A&M, St. John's shot 22 of 38 9no typo) from the line while the Aggies were 2 of 3.

St. John's has outstanding, aggressive dribble penetration that draws fouls and gets them to the line. Texas A&M Coach Billy Kennedy did not complain about the disparity but when asked simply smiled and said, "I really like New York so I won't get into it ."

Both games St. John's allowed a +40 in offensive rebound percentage. Arizona was 43% while Texas A&M came in at 46%. With a smaller lineup and limited depth, inside play will be a challenge for St. John's. Especially in Big East contests.

Both nights, Arizona's TO percentage was right on 16%. One of the main positives coach Sean Miller took from these games.

Tournament Honors (with their two day "Manley efficiency averages")...

MVP	Arnett Moultrie, Miss. State	20.0
All Tournament Team:
	Kourtney Roberson, Texas A&M	10.0
	Nurideen Lindsey, St. John's	10.5
	Jesse Perry, Arizona	14.5
	Dee Bost, Miss. State	12.5

Ray with the
the St. John's cheer squad

Guest Contributor Ray Floriani: Champions Classic Recap

by Ray Floriani

NEW YORK CITY -- A very attractive way to start the season. The first Madison Square Garden doubleheader, in the newly renovated arena, featured four 'Fortune 500' programs. The Scores:

Duke	74		69	Michigan State
Kentucky	75		65	Kansas

The under card (Duke vs. Michigan State) was a drag-it-out two and a half hour affair. Duke opened a double digit lead in the second half but had to withstand a late Michigan State surge. The Blue Devils never lost the lead in the stretch and gave coach Mike Krzyzewski his 903rd win, a mark that broke his mentor Bobby Knight's record.

#903 in the books
Coach K meets the press

Possession and efficiency:

	Duke	Mich. St.
Possessions	72	80
Offensive Efficiency	103	86

Why eFG is important (to really know what is happening). Duke shot 41% from the floor. Not a very good showing. Calculating their eFG the Blue Devils were 56%. Quite a difference. The breakdown shows Duke was 7 of 18 (39%) from two point range but 10 of 21 (48%) from three. The hottest hand belonged to Andre Dawkins, 6 of 10 beyond the arc, en route to a game high 26 points.

Blue Devil ft rate (ftm/fga) was off the charts. Duke was 30 of 41 from the line giving them a FTR of 77%. Thirty free throws made to 17 field goals made for the Blue Devils. It was that type of night.

Duke's Ryan Kelly was impressive. He scored 14 points in 30 minutes with perfection as a shooter. Kelly was 3 of 3 from the field (2 for 2 from three) and 6 for 6 from the charity stripe. The 6-11 junior also did a fine defensive job on Draymond Green of Michigan State. Green scored 10 points but committed 5 turnovers and shot 4 of 15 from the field.

Michigan State was paced by sophomore guard Keith Appling with 22 points. Appling provided the offensive surge allowing the Spartans to make a late run.

The Spartans still must assess and address the turnovers situation. They had 21 for a ridiculously high 26% TO rate. "Duke's defense pressures you," Michigan State coach Tom Izzo said. "But some of those turnovers were our own doing."

Numbers also included 19,979. That was the attendance -- a sellout.

Kentucky players take the floor
getting well wishes
from their adoring fans

The Over Card
The Kentucky-Kansas battle was the proverbial tale of two halves. The Wildcats did a lot of good things defensively but the story of the game was their explosion on the offensive end. The following chart breaks down the efficiencies of the halves and ultimately the game.

	Efficiency by...
	1st	2nd	Game
Kentucky	76	121	99
Kansas	80	100	90

The final possession total saw Kentucky with 76 and Kansas 72. A rather brisk pace indeed. Wildcats had a 25% turnover rate but did shoot the ball well (58$ eFG percentage) while limiting Kansas to a paltry 37% mark. Doron Lamb led Kentucky with 17 points and was 3 of 5 beyond the arc. Wildcats used some good ball movement the second half to give perimeter shooters some uncontested looks. Tyshawn Taylor of Kansas led all scorers with 22 points. Taylor penetrated well and got to the line. The junior guard did his damage on the line going 15 of 17. From the field he was only 3 of 13. Kansas, in fact, did a good job of penetrating but had virtually no mid-range or deep perimeter game to speak of.

John Calipari's club shared the wealth as five Kentucky players were in double figures. In addition , 56% of their 26 field goals were assisted.

Block Party...
Kentucky rejected 13 Jayhawk attempts with 6-10 freshman Anthony Davis leading the way with 7. The blocked shots doesn't even consider the attempts not sent back but altered.

The season is underway.
Ray and the Kansas cheerleaders
in the first shot of the season

Guest Contributor: Ray Floriani The Hamilton Park Summer League Finals

by Ray Floriani
JERSEY CITY, NJ - Back with analysis….The championship game of the Hamilton Park High School Summer League saw a familiar group emerge victorious. St. Anthony’s, the prep power based a few blocks from Hamilton Park, defeated Newark Tech 50-41 on Wednesday evening to secure the championship.

League honors most faithful fan.
Mr. Daly in front with the Duke hat (he is forgiven)
attends virtually every game and brings bags of candy
for the score crew and officials (thank you).

There was no running score or box score as provided at college games. All the breakdowns were long hand by yours truly at the scorer’s table. Possessions by quarter with turnovers were noted.

The format: The Hamilton Park League runs four eight minutes quarters as a regulation high school game. The difference, there is a running clock until the last two minutes of the game. The clock does stop throughout the game on free throw attempts. Still, you do not see teams holding the ball too much in this circuit.

The score by quarters:

	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	Game
Friars	10	14	14	12	50
Newark Tech	8	12	13	8	41

The possession breakdown by quarters:

	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	Game
Friars	13	15	12	10	50
Newark Tech	12	14	12	11	49

The pace was quick to begin but eased a bit the final half. Teams were less apt to push transition and extended possessions by making that extra pass in the heat of a close contest.

Efficiency and turnovers:

	Off.	Turnover
	Eff.	Num.	Rate
Friars	100	8	16
Newark Tech	84	12	25

.

Tom Lalicato address the Friars during a time out.

St. Anthony’s prides their entire program on defense. A look at the defensive efficiency and the fact they forced a good Newark Tech club into a turnover every four possessions is analytical proof. Offensively, their efficiency bears out the fact they did a nice job on that end. The Friars were challenged but seemed to come up with the big play, a defensive stop or converted offensive board, especially down the stretch.

Last Season
The Friars were eliminated in the quarterfinals by East Orange. Actually, St.Anthony’s forfeited as they were unable to get back from a basketball camp in New York state. East Orange went on to post upset wins in the semis and finals to capture the title. They opted not to enter the league this season.

St.Anthony’s was coached by Tom Lalicato. A long time coach at St.Mary’s in Jersey City, Lalicato was out when St.Mary’s closed in June. Realizing his experience, knowledge and ability, Bob Hurley added Lalicato as an assistant on his staff. A great move that already paid dividends. Ironically, St.Mary’s lost to St.Anthony’s this past Winter when Hurley secured his 1000th career victory.

The Leaders
Jared Hall of Newark Tech led all scorers with 24 points. Jerome Frink of St.Antony’s had a big night with 13 points, 5 rebounds and two blocks. Frink was named MVP of the tournament. He is being significantly recruited , especially by nearby St.Peter’s. Josh Brown added 11 points, 4 assists from th guard spot for St.Anthony’s.

League commissioner Pat Devaney (L)
presents the MVP trophy to
Jerome Frink of St.Anthony's (R)

St.Anthony’s was minus the services of marquee talent Kyle Anderson who is playing in a tournament in Los Angeles. Lalicato thought the victory was significant in that regard. "We went through the league with different lineups," he said. "The kids have confidence in each other and made the adjustments, got out there and played." St.Anthony’s went through the league schedule undefeated.

St.Anthony’s won the grade school title as the Junior Friars (entering 9th grade this Fall) defeated the Future Ironmen in the final. The Future Ironmen are headed to another strong program, Don Bosco Prep of Ramsey, NJ.

The victorious St.Anthony's Friars

Signs of the Off Season, 2011-04 -- Where in the World is...?

Ogo Adegboye? -- St. Bonaventure's point guard graduated in May and returned to England as a member of the British National Team. And as a senior national team member he had time to cut an Addis advert (as the Brits would say...) for the 2012 Olympics to be held in London. Adegboye (wearing #6) and two teammates play a 3-on-3 game against rappers Snoop Dogg and Warren G and reigning world-champion triple jumper Phillips Idowu (a member of Great Britain's Olympic track team). The handiwork...

Reggie Redding? -- The former Villanova wing played for InterCollege ETHA Engomis in the Cyprus Premier League in 2010-11, and inked a new contract in mid-July to play with The Walter Tigers Tuebingen of the Bundesliga (German League) in 2011-12.

Beau Knight? -- The center on the University of the Redlands men's team that hosted Villanova on November 22, 2003 (and led the 'Cats 50-49 at the half) is a Broker Sales Associate with Trulia.com in San Francisco, California. Knight took time on June 9, 2011 to serve as a groomsman for his high school buddy Darren Buss, when Darren married Josephine (Joey) Bloomfield in Mount Tamalpais, California. Beau and his wife recently bought a house just outside of Los Gatos, California, where he went to high school.

Corey Fisher? -- The starting point guard for Villanova in 2011 collected his diploma in May and signed a contract with Antalya of the Büyüks,ehir Belediyesi, Turkey's premier league, for 2011-12. While he waits to ship out, Fisher has put some time in the Dyckman Summer League and made summer league headlines again July when his Ooh-Way team knocked off a star-studded Team Nike 66-61 on the courts at Monsignor Kett Park. Fisher led Ooh-Way with 17 points.

The La Salle University Explorers? -- The Atlantic 10 Conference and Big 5 member is back in Tom Gola Arena running full team practices for their August 6-9 tour through Ottawa Canada. The Explorers are slated to play the CIS champion Carleton University Ravens twice (August 6 & 9), sandwiching a game with the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees (August 7) and a squad of Carleton University alums (August 8) in between.

EZ Ed Pinckney? -- The star center on the 1985 National Champion Wildcat squad and current Assistant Coach with the Chicago Bulls is criss-crossing Europe this summer as an Assistant Coach for the Ukranian National Team, which is trying to qualify for the 2012 Olympic Games in London. Former Atlanta Hawks head coach Mike Fratello is the Ukrainian National Team Head Coach.

Ray Floriani? -- The veteran basketball writer and statistician is logging another summer in the Hamilton Park summer league, refereeing games in Jersey City, New Jersey. Ray also blogs about the WNBA (the Liberty sometimes play at the Rock in Newark), and files reports with the folks at Swish Appeal and on his own blog at Yesterday's Basketball.

Scottie Reynolds? -- Villanova's #2 all-time scorer finished the year with Springfield in the NBDL, and signed on to play with Talk 'n Text Tropang Texters of the Philippine Basketball Association, pending a successful tryout.

Susan Herbst? -- The University of Connecticut's President is packing her bags in preparation for an NCAA Presidential retreat in Indianapolis, Indiana, August 9-10. The retreat, sponsored by NCAA President Mark Emmett, will focus on continued expectations for student athlete academic success, fiscal sustainability in Division I and fortification of the integrity of the enterprise. 50 university presidents, four athletic directors and four conference commissioners will attend, thus refuting a rumor that the only other schools invited were Ohio State, Oklahoma, Auburn, Georgia Tech, Southern Cal and Tennessee.

Guest Contributor Ray Floriani: NCAA East Region Finals

by Ray Floriani

NEWARK, NJ - Kentucky is Final Four bound and headed to Houston. The Newark Regional final gave us another classic forty minutes of drama and capped off a great weekend at the Prudential Center. The Wildcats outlasted North Carolina 76-69 on Sunday to advance.

outside the Rock
about 80 minutes prior to tip

The pace and efficiency:

		Off.
	Poss.	Eff.
Kentucky	69	110
North Carolina	71	97

Carolina fans outside the Rock

The tempo was more in line to North Carolina’s favor. The Tar Heels are a low seventy possession club while Kentucky is in the low to mid sixties. Regardless, a little quicker tempo was not detrimental to the Wildcats. The Four Factors:

		FTA
	eFG%	FGA	OR%	TO%
Kentucky	59	18	27	20
North Carolina	46	19	31	18

One small section of the Kentucky contingent

Kentucky came out the aggressor. Probably surprising their opponents a bit as they looked to run. It was all part of a plan to establish a good start. As senior center Josh Harrellson said, “...the first four or five minutes set the tone for the game. We wanted a good start...“ They got it as the Wildcats had a 9-4 lead at the 16 minute mark. Both teams had 7 possessions so the ‘first four’ efficiency read:

	Eff.
Kentucky	129
North Carolina	57

Kentucky was not planning to get into an all out transition game. Coach John Calipari always made sure their was good spacing, to prevent quick opposition outlets and transition, by the Wildcats on any shots. Calipari knew Carolina would get breaks, he just wanted to limit the damage done. UNC scored 12 points in transition. From Kentucky’s viewpoint. Mission accomplished.

The Kentucky defense was had an above average performance. The 97 efficiency and a 46% eFG mark are exhibit’s a and B. Wildcats built a 38-30 half time lead, largely on forcing UNC into a 24% TO rate. The second half, saw the Tar Heels care for the ball a lot better with a 12% rate and only 4 possessions of giving up the ball.

DeAndre Liggins drew a starting assignment for his defense. The sophomore guard’s main task was to contain UNC lead guard Kendall Marshall, especially in not allowing him to stop him from igniting the break. Liggins did the job and on his own behalf hit a huge three that increased UK’s lead to four with just under a minute remaining.

Kentucky sign sums it up

Once again John Calipari used a short, in numbers, rotation. Eight players appeared and six logged 25 or more minutes. The Kentucky mentor said on Friday, during his UMass days the late Jack Leaman convinced him smaller rotations were the best. The reasoning was the more players you use the talent tends drops off. A limited rotation gives those players more playing time and allows them to get better.

Brandon Knight did not wait until the final minutes to be a factor. The Kentucky freshman led all scorers with 22 points and continuously hit a number of big shots. Knight was 7 of 18 from the floor including 5 of 7 beyond the arc. Knight earned tournament Most Outstanding Player accolades. Good case could have been made for Josh Harrellson. The Kentucky senior center scored 12 points, grabbed 8 rebounds and had 4 assists. His hard work battling Jared Sullinger on Friday was good a reason as any that Kentucky was on the floor Sunday.

the faithful stat girl
who gave us updated box scores
every media time out

Harrison Barnes scored 18 points and hit a succession of big shots, especially the second half, that prevented Kentucky from pulling away.

Kentucky attempted 39% of their shots from three point range. It was a case of taking what the defensive gives as Calipari noted North Carolina jammed the middle. The outside shot was there. Kentucky took it and made it, a blistering 55% (12 of 22) from downtown. By contrast, the Wildcats shot 15 of 34 (44%) from two point range.

North Carolina shot 50% (24 of 48) from two point range but was an icy 3 of 18 (19%) from three. To little surprise, Tar Heels enjoyed a 40-24 edge in points in the paint. The Top 5 Manley performers:

	Manley
	Efficiency
Tyler Zeller, UNC	30
Josh Harrellson, UK	21
Brandon Knight, UK	20
Dexter Strickland, UNC	15
Darius Miller, UK	14

For Zeller, another outstanding .833 efficiency per minute showing. In 36 minutes the junior forward scored a team high 21 points with 9 rebounds and four blocked shots.

Harrison Barnes wound up with an 11 efficiency. Barnes did score 18 points but was 7 of 19 from the floor.

Notes
North Carolina finishes 29-8, Kentucky is an identical 29-8 and not finished yet. Attendance was 18,278. The All-Tournament team:

Josh Harrellson, Kentucky - Tireless inside both nights.
DeAndre Liggins, Kentucky - Came up big defensively and hit the ‘dagger’ in the last minute.
Harrison Barnes, North Carolina - Explosive, played well both contests. Just could not deliver that last minute on Sunday.
Tyler Zeller, North Carolina - Effective and dangerous inside both games.
Brandon Knight, Kentucky (MOP) - Hit the game winner Friday and a number of big ones Sunday.

Predicated on defense.
Kentucky held Ohio state to a 100 efficiency and North Carolina 97. Both outstanding defensive numbers. The eFG numbers given up by the wildcats were 38% (Ohio State) and 46% (Norh Carolina). Something to keep in mind next weekend in Houston.

Taking an analysis break to pose with the UK cheerleaders