In Reply to: UCF vs UCLA Preview posted by mh on March 16, 2026 at 17:34:43
The popular narrative is the team has finally come together, figured it out, and started playing Mick Cronin style defense. The numbers suggest otherwise.
Purdue in B1G semis, 1.22 points per possession
MSU in B1G quarters, 1.26 ppp
Rutgers in B1G round 3, 0.86 ppp
@ rivals, 1.09 ppp
v Nebraska, 0.86 ppp
@ Minnesota, 1.40 ppp
v rivals, 0.94 ppp
v Illinois, 1.29 ppp
@ MSU, 1.25 ppp
@ Michigan, 1.34 ppp
1.09 points per possession was average this season, so 6 of the last 10 games, the defense was way below the D1 average, and nowhere near what would be expected from a Mick Cronin coached team.
Only the Nebraska game represents a good defensive showing against a good team, and their specialty is defense -- their offense is #55 in KenPom. Our rivals are next to last in the B1G in offense, while Rutgers is #14 out of 18.
I'm very happy with the recent results and expect a win Friday, but the numbers above are very concerning, at least to me.