How good is KU’s defense?

posted by DavidH on 2/21/2006 - -

Very, verygood. Ken Pomeroy’s defensive efficiency stats only go back to 2004, but if they keep it up for the rest of the year, Kansas will be the bestdefense of the past 3 years by a wide margin:

TEAM YEAR RATING
Kansas 2006 79.8
Louisville 2004 81.9
Pittsburgh 2004 81.9
Washington St. 2005 82.5
Duke 2005 82.9
Connecticut 2004 83.0
Duke 2004 83.5
Iowa 2006 83.7
Georgia Tech 2004 83.7
Villanova 2005 83.8
Stanford 2004 83.9
Connecticut 2006 84.0

The difference between Kansas and the second best team, Louisville, is as large as the difference between Louisville and the 12th best team, UConn. How are they doing this?

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Gregg Doyel vilifies Jim Calhoun

posted by Jeremy Chrysler on 11/1/2005 - -

That’s the first and last time you’ll read the word “vilifies” in a headline this year. Of that I am certain. I am also certain that you will not read a more stunning, poisonous indictment of a college coach’s character this year than Gregg Doyel’s pedal to the metal screed against UConn’s Jim Calhoun. Calhoun’s got a sailor’s mouth, and I’m sure his office was filled with what Spock called “colorful metaphors” when he read this article. It’s unbelieveable. Thanks to Mic for pointing it out to me.

Parents, are you listening?

But Calhoun honors nothing but his own program. That is why Calhoun, er, the school, suspended reserve point guard A.J. Price for the entire 2005-06 season but suspended All-American point guard Marcus Williams for just the first semester — despite their involvement in the same criminal case. Price was expendable. Williams was not. This is justice, Jim Calhoun style.

How much sweeter will it now be when we take them out in round two in Maui?