Zachetology

You don't get to stay a blue-blood without a little of that blood on your hands.

In their final four run, Loyola relied mostly on the guards.

Based on any information?

Yes- now is not the time to shop for discounts.

I meant that Beilein would need a pinch runner after hitting a double. I agree he is better than any IU former players.

Pinch runner.

I think I cracked the code. If you rearrange the letters in CHRISTOPHER MICHAEL BEARD, you get CLAIM HOPE CHRIST BEAR HERD. We should all claim that hope.

I like that list.

I agree that an open shot is better- the shot should be open, balanced, and from the right location. These numbers only take into account the location, so I think there is room for numbers to go up if the shot is open and down if the shot isn't, so one stat won't tell the whole story, but I think everyone with the exception of Oats is still extremely midrange jumper happy. This strategy hasn't been used for years.

We need to be smarter as a fanbase. Numerous stats have existed for numerous years. Innovation comes from emphasis. In baseball, on-base percentage had existed for a long time. The Moneyball movement was an emphasis on getting on base over other traditional statistics. In basketball, the Moneyball movement is going to be an emphasis on efficiency. People who think they are geniuses quote KenPom and brag about how efficient an offense or defense is. The actions of most coaches, however, show that they don't understand the strings that pull the puppet of efficiency. The strings are shot selection. This regular season, for the 68 teams in the NCAA Tournament, here are some numbers to consider. I will list the total field goal percentages and points per shot for the 68 teams at the rim, from midrange, and from long range. AT THE RIM: FG% (58.8%), Points Per Shot (FG% x value of shot; in this case 58.8% x 2; 1.18) MIDRANGE: FG% (38.8%), PPS (0.78) LONG RANGE: FG% (35.3%), PPS (1.06) The meaning of this: every time a team takes a midrange shot, that team is giving away a minimum of .28 points. If a team takes 100 midrange shots over a three games, that team has given away a minimum of 28 points. Does that sound valuable to you? Alabama was the only team this year to attempt less than 10% of its shots from midrange and no one else was close. Nate Oats is Billy Beane. He may not win the World Series, but the next dozen teams that do will do it from stealing his philosophy. I believe it is worth it to make an aggressive financial play to be a leader in college basketball rather than live in the past, in more ways than one.

I think Woodson does play bingo, probably after he takes his pills.

I would be thrilled if we ruled out Dane Fife.

Assistant coaches have no ultimate accountability. They can take credit for the successes and avoid responsibility for the failures. There is no report card.

Beard is the most Big-Ten-style candidate out there, so a new direction would lean toward Drew or Oats.

Recruit: Wow- I can FaceTime with Jamal Crawford about the team that let Carmelo shoot 15 contested jumpers a game? And I can use your AARP card to get discounts to the NCAA Tournament we won’t be in? Sign me up.

The Woodshed.

I agree Matta/Beilein would be upgrades over Archie, but I would want to know that Bennett/Beard/Drew/Musselman/Oats were all contacted first.

It would be deflating if we were already at Matta and Beilein. It would be crushing if it got to any of the IU names.

Knight was awesome! We can’t forget John Wooden, though.

He's our Dwight Schrute.

I think this is the number one option right now. Oats and Moser are my other contenders.

Is the 18-17 conference record over the last two years a better sample size? I like Beard's energy, but I don't see a successful offensive identity and the defense has dropped off. He is definitely better than Woodson/Fife/Alford, but I think there are other calls to make.

Moser's teams look better to the eye than any of Archie's ever did.

He killed a guy, though. That may hurt in recruiting.

Were Matta's struggles in his last few years all health related? Is he going to be healthy to recruit in person full-time?