2012 round of 64 NEM review
One game by itself can be misleading, but net efficiency margin (NEM) at least gives us a way to compare each team's performance from the same baseline. So who had the best games over the first two (real) days of the tournament?
All raw efficiency data is from the sublime kenpom.com. I used the ratings through last Sunday's games to make the comparisons. (For my second round reviews, I'll update the ratings through the end of the first round, and so on.)
Top overall performances
Team | Opponent | NEM | ||
1. | Florida | Virginia | 58.8 | |
2. | Gonzaga | West Virginia | 52.7 | |
3. | Wisconsin | Montana | 50.4 | |
4. | Georgetown | Belmont | 45.4 | This partly due to Belmont's overrating by Pomeroy's rating system, but nonetheless a solid performance. |
5. | South Florida | Temple | 40.6 | Didn't see that coming. |
Top offensive performances
Team | Opponent | NEM | ||
1. | Norfolk State | Missouri | 37.5 | Mizzou isn't known for their D, but this was the best offensive showing against the Tigers all season. |
2. | Wisconsin | Montana | 35.4 | |
3. | Gonzaga | West Virginia | 30.7 | The Zags also had the third best offensive NEM in the round of 64 last year. |
4. | Iowa State | UConn | 29.1 | Not a bad showing. We'll see whether they can keep it up against Kentucky. |
5. | Missouri | Norfolk State | 29.1 | Perfect exemplar of Missouri's season. |
Top defensive performances (lower scores are better)
Team | Opponent | NEM | ||
1. | Murray State | Colorado State | -45.5 | When a tournament-worthy team scores 0.66 points/possession, it's a mix of good defense and putrid offense. |
2. | South Florida | Temple | -36.6 | Defense has carried the Bulls all season. |
3. | Florida | Virginia | -33.8 | |
4. | Kansas | Detroit | -32.6 | Seeing two #2 seeds go down earlier in the day certainly helped Bill Self get his players' attention. |
5. | St. Louis | Memphis | -28.9 |