Saturday, February 8, 2014

Ray Floriani's Tempo-Free NEC Analysis

At 8-1, Andy Toole has Robert Morris atop the NEC thanks to Colonials' efficiency on both ends of floor. (Photo courtesy of ESPN)

Where did the time go? It seems like early November was just upon us with the season tipping off. Now, Valentine’s Day is around the corner and in less than a month, some teams will have ended their 2013-­14 campaign.

At this point, we take a tempo-free look at the NEC (conference

games only in order of efficiency margin: (offense minus defense efficiency)

                                         Record           EM

1. Robert Morris                       8­-1            13

2. Bryant                                 7-­2            12

3. St. Francis Brooklyn              6­-3            10

4. Wagner                               5-­4             5

5. Mount St. Mary’s                   6-­3            4

6. FDU                                     4-­5           -3

7. St. Francis(PA)                      4-­5           -4­

8. Central Connecticut State      2­-7          -12

9. LIU                                      2-­7          -12

10. Sacred Heart                      1-­8          -14

Best Offenses:

1. Bryant                                 116

2. Robert Morris                       113

3. St. Francis Brooklyn              111

Best Defenses:

1.Wagner                                  97

2. Robert Morris                       100

3. St. Francis Brooklyn              101

No surprise seeing conference leader Robert Morris near the top in both categories. The Colonials have the total package on both ends of the floor as the numbers illustrate.

Extremes in the West:

The NEC’s fastest tempo is the 74 of Mount St. Mary’s. The most deliberate is shared by St. Francis (PA) and Robert Morris at 67. That number put up by the latter is significant. It tells us Andy Toole’s club does a great job controlling tempo, and there is a limit on possessions or opportunities to stage a comeback against them if you are trailing.

A 100 efficiency is the cutoff on the offensive end. That number or greater is desired. At this point only Sacred Heart (99) and Central Connecticut State (96) are under the century mark for offensive efficiency.

A good reason for Bryant’s outstanding efficiency is a white-hot 57% eFG percentage. That number is a clear pace setter for the conference. At the bottom of the NEC is Sacred Heart with an eFG mark of 45%, which explains a lot regarding their struggles on the offensive end.

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