The data analysis of basketball is something that Mark Pope believes in. According to him, the data provide him with the information he needs to coach his squad. However, I have a genuine question about how those analytics inform the single worst thing he has done during his time at Kentucky, which is replacing players in and out at the wrong moment.
Following Kentucky’s defeat by Florida, Pope claimed that “fatigue” was a significant factor in the missed free throws Kentucky has been experiencing of late. To demonstrate that a lower number of minutes played per game does not indicate a lower level of free throw proficiency, I went into the data in great depth.
Pope is once again beating the fatigue drum following Kentucky’s surprising defeat at home to Georgia, which was only the fifth victory ever for the Bulldogs at Rupp:
We must discover strategies for reducing the amount of time our players spend on the field. It’s unlikely that Otega can be 38 years old while DA is 36. It’s simply because those men become tired, which causes our real output to decrease.
Why do other athletes at other programs have no trouble competing at a high level for 35 minutes? Cameron Boozer has played more than 32 minutes on average this season, despite a few games being blowouts. In almost every key area, he is ahead of Duke. Oweh might not be as talented as Boozer, but from minute 1 to minute 35, he should be just as productive.
Take a look at how the game went tonight. After a strong start, the Cats started to make substitutions. And after that, Georgia was the superior squad.
The respite is not defense either.
At least I would see defense as a cause if Kentucky were running a high-tempo press with traps and numerous attempts. However, the Cats are a team that employs trail tactics on the majority of screens and only traps towards the conclusion of games when they need a turnover.
It is inexcusable that a senior who was selected Player of the Year during the preseason is having trouble playing for 38 minutes.
I want to stress that while I am not suggesting that Oweh play 38 minutes every night, there may be occasions when he has to. You have to play the clock to your advantage as a coach on evenings like this. Get yourself a few free minutes by substituting him out close to every television timeout.
No excuses will do.
It seems to me that Mark Pope is just attempting to comprehend a team and a season that don’t really make sense. They have a lot of talent, but the energy fluctuates from moment to moment. This squad has everything necessary to be excellent, but they consistently play poorly.
Therefore, in my opinion, Pope is simply looking for something to focus his difficulties on, and for him, the statistics are the easiest way to deal with them. However, these statistics are useless because these players are not acting with the urgency that one would anticipate.
There is still a small but genuine possibility that they will not be selected for the NCAA Tournament. They are coasting, but they cannot afford to. I don’t know what will help this team, but the excuses aren’t helping. Perhaps this is all there is to them. Gifted but flawed.
