In Reply to: Rutgers vs UCLA Preview posted by mh on March 12, 2026 at 08:56:29
Do Torvick et al have programs that weight the most recent data more highly than that which reflects who and what those teams were two, three and four months ago?
Seems to me the full season analyses are great for determining who were the best (and worst and so-so) teams this entire season. But this is a tournament situation. It's going to be played now. And both of these teams tonight are vastly different than who and what they were even a month and a half ago.
Used to be a lot of emphasis was placed on how teams have performed their last ten games. In a tournament all that matters is how the team is right now.
The Rutgers team I watched last night played pretty well. It didn't look much at all like the Rutgers team I saw earlier this season. The stats say they aren't a very good three point shooting team. But before they missed their last couple of three point attempts 'way late in the game they were hitting 50% of their shots.
It will make our job a lot easier tonight if last night was simply a one-off, a fluke, something that can happen once in a season but is highly unlikely to recur.
And any team that relies on our season-long stats rather than what has emerged late in the season once Donovan Dent came out of his fitting in and learning to take care of the ball stage and Mick Cronin went to his current five out approach to offense that opened the court for Dent to really operate is going to face a sad awakening now.
Just thoughts.
Love your game previews, mh.
Oh, one other question - how old is Rutger's senior center? I swear he doesn't look a day less than 30....