Ah, March Madness. There is no doubt in my mind that the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament is the greatest sporting event in the world. The excitement, the competitive games, the dramatic upsets, everything comes together to make it an amazing spectacle. This has been as depressing a college basketball season as I have ever followed (due to the colossal ineptitude of my beloved Wolfpack), and yet the tournament still sucks me in.

Anyway, here are some of my thoughts on guys that I've been watching in the tourney this year.

O.J. Mayo - A lot of people have been down on Mayo all year, mainly because of the incredible hype he came in with. We've known about him since the 8th grade and he was touted nearly as much as LeBron. However, he didn't have great performances early in the year and people kind of soured on him. Here's the thing though, even if he isn't a one-of-a-kind player, he's still pretty darn good. I think his offensive game is reminiscent of Gilbert Arenas only he's a bit bigger, and he seems to have solid defensive instincts. I think he's moved from being overrated to being underrated during the season.

Kevin Love - It astounds me that people still consider this guy a borderline lottery pick. Seriously? You'd rather have DeAndre Jordan (he of the 5-minute first round appearance)? I watched Love play tonight and he made a play where he grabbed the ball after a made shot, ran down the baseline out of bounds and lofted a pass downcourt that landed right in his teammate's hands after staying just out of the defender's reach. Seriously, he's the best passing big man we've seen come out of college for some time. In addition, he plays with great positioning, is ridiculously strong, has great touch around the basket, and to top it off he has three point range! This guy isn't a top ten pick? Someone please tell me how his ceiling isn't a rich man's Brad Miller.

D.J. White - I didn't really watch him during Indiana's one tournament game, I'm just warning you that, come draft time, I'm going to be harping on how this guy should go much higher than he will. He's really, really good.

Stephen Curry - I can't really put into words how much I enjoy watching this guy play, but I'll try. I've been a huge Curry fan all season, after seeing him do a number on UNC and seeing him in person at the RBC Center near the beginning of the season. If you hadn't caught on by the fact that he's averaging 33.3 in three career tourney games, he's really, really good. I just read a column by Bill Simmons today where he talked about Curry, and he compared Curry to Brandon Roy, which is something that I had thought to myself while watching him. He isn't extraordinarily quick, but he's so shifty in the way he switches speeds that he can get to the rim against most anyone, and he's a creative below-the-rim finisher when he gets there. Oh yeah, and then there's that shot of his. He's not just a spot-up shooter or a catch-and-shoot guy, but he can legitimately get an NBA three off from anywhere under any conditions. He's extremely intelligent using screens to get himself open, and he's also extremely good at freeing himself up for his jumper off the dribble. Of course, it helps that he has one of the quickest releases I've ever seen on his jumper, and he has a high release point. Needless to say, I don't really care that Curry is only 6'3. He's ridiculously talented, and he'll be picked way lower than he should be if he comes out this year.

Earl Clark - I hadn't watched Louisville much this season, but I came away from the game tonight enormously impressed by Clark. He's a 6'9 wing guy who is a tremendous athlete. He comes off the bench for the Cardinals, but he has all the tools to be a really versatile swing forward at the next level. If he sticks around, I'll definitely be keeping my eye on him next year.

In addition to all the NCAA action, I also caught the McDonalds All-American game last night. I hadn't been keeping particularly close tabs on this particular crop of recruits but some of them really jumped out at me. Here are some of the guys you should be keeping an eye out for in college next year.

Brandon Jennings - As I mentioned in my last post, his wicked-awesome flattop haircut has endeared him to me. Pretty early in the game though it became apparent that Jennings is simply a cut above everyone else with his ability to handle and pass the ball. He is extremely quick with the ball in his hands and made some truly spectacular passes look easy, including an off the backboard ally-oop that was actually the best way to deliver the pass due to a nearby defender. He also showed off solid range on his jumper and some surprising defensive intensity that you don't usually see in this type of all-star game.

Tyreke Evans - Despite all his scoring and his MVP award, I wasn't particularly impressed with Evans. Obviously, he can score with anyone, but he showed a complete disinclination to pass the ball at all, to an extent that it stood out even in this chuckfest. He's got great strength and finishing ability inside, and he has the body-type and ability to become a devastating scorer, but he isn't nearly there yet. He overdribbles and doesn't have a great jumper yet. A year or two in college will be a really good thing for him.

JRue Holiday - I was stunned when I saw that he is listed at 6'3/6'4. Watching the game, he's so long that he plays way bigger than that. I would've sworn that he was at least 6'7. He has terrific instincts and seems like a guy who will do the little things to help you win. His great length and ability to use either hand makes him a terrific finisher. He strikes me as a guy who will really impress next year at UCLA.

Willie Warren - In many ways, Warren was the opposite of Evans in this game. He alternated bombing away from deep behind the line and attacking the rim, but usually doing it very efficiently, with few dribbles. He has great quickness and the strength to finish through contact. He impressed me as much as anyone during the game, then I went out and found this clip of him on YouTube. Sick.

I'm on a college basketball kick right now and I thought this idea would make a good post (for those of you who usually come here for stuff on the NBA, I'll be making a post on the Association pretty soon). I stumbled upon this question last year in an SI.com column, and I think it's pretty cool.

If you were to make an ultimate team of college basketball players, and you had to take one player from each class (one frosh, one soph, one junior, one senior, and one of any class), what would your team look like?

Now, there are a few things to remember about this. First of all, sometimes you're going to have to sacrifice a player who you might have otherwise put on because it's more important to get another guy of his class in at a different position. Second, we're not necessarily looking for the 5 most talented players, I don't need 5 guys who average 20+, we're trying to put together the best TEAM.

I came into this with a basic plan of how I wanted the team built. I want players who can play defense, shoot the ball, and who don't turn the ball over much. Having shooters is especially important in college basketball because zones are much more prevalent than in the NBA. You also see a lot more full-court pressure in college, making it more important to have players who can handle the ball without giving it away. Lastly, I wanted, as much as possible, to have 5 good free throw shooters, so as not to have a weak link that could be easily focused on.

Alright, we're going to build from the base up, starting with the best freshman in the land, and probably the most talented player in the nation.

PF - Michael Beasley, Kansas State, Fr
He's the nation's 5th leading scorer, he leads the nation in rebounds, he's scored 30+ five times, he's topped 20 rebounds twice, and he's had double digit boards in every game. He does all that while shooting 56% from the field, 71% from the line, and 35% from three-point range. Not only that, but he often looks like he isn't even trying. The game comes so easily to him that there are times when he isn't even using all his tremendous athletic ability and he still dominates. For example, I watched him play against a good Oregon team and he didn't even look particularly athletic, he wasn't facing up from outside, getting out on the break, or dunking over people. What he was doing was winning the position battle every time down the court and either sealing his man and finishing, or ending up with great rebounding position. He finishes through contact as well as anyone in the nation, taking the hit and still finishing with a soft touch. Beasley is dominant when he isn't trying, and he's transcendent when he's giving full effort.

C - Jason Thompson, Rider, Sr
The most underrated player in the country, and it isn't close. After being one of only three D1 players to average 20-10 last year (along with Kevin Durant and Nick Fazekas), and he's been even better this year. I've watched him a few times this year, and both times I came away amazed that NBA scouts aren't more excited about this guy. He's got an NBA body, strong post moves, and perimeter skills that few 6-10 guys have. He'll kill you on the blocks, he'll kill you on the glass, and he'll kill you facing up from mid-range. On top of all that, and this was one of the big reasons for his selection, he's one of the nation's premier defenders. He was named to collegeinsider.com's All-Defensive team last year, and he did a great job on Beasley earlier this year, holding him to 13-10 on 5 for 11 shooting. Not only does he block a ton of shots, but he plays great fundamental defense too. For this position, I wanted to get someone who could defend and rebound to complement Beasley, and my first thought was Joey Dorsey. However, Dorsey isn't an offensive force at all, and I just couldn't take the horrific FT%. I also thought about Roy Hibbert, but he isn't the versatile threat that Thompson is and isn't as dominant a rebounder.

PG - D.J. Augustin, Texas, So
Now we get to the really tough decisions. There were any number of players that I could've put here, and compelling arguments could be made for all of them. UNC's Ty Lawson, Kansas' Mario Chalmers, MSU's Drew Neitzel, Marquette's Dominic James, and Virginia's Sean Singeletary all made this a difficult choice. In the end, the final decision finally came down to Augustin versus VCU's Eric Maynor (you might remember him from when he dispatched Duke in the tourney last year). Maynor has been brilliant this year, and we know he's clutch after seeing him clinch games down the stretch last year. However, Augustin has to be the pick here. He was underrated last year playing in the shadow of Kevin Durant, and he has been nothing short of brilliant this year in leading a very surprising Texas team to much more early success than was expected of them. He has shown the ability to distribute and manage a game, he's shown the ability to defer to another star player, and he's shown the ability to take over on his own. If you're looking for a point guard, it doesn't get much better than that in my opinion.

SF - Chris Douglas-Roberts, Memphis, Jr
When looking for a junior to fill the G/F spot, there are really only 2 choices, CDR and Kansas' Brandon Rush. Now, while Rush is a fantastic player, he is starting slowly after an offseason injury, and he just isn't in the same class as Douglas-Roberts. CDR is the driving force for the country's best team on both ends of the court, and he has really stepped his game up this year. He's one of the premier slashers in the nation, getting to the rim seemingly at will, and he can finish with either hand, as well as having a very good floater in the lane. Defensively, he's one of the best lockdown perimeter defenders out there. He doesn't rack up a lot of steals or blocks, so it doesn't show up in the box score, but his strength and defensive fundamentals make him a really tough matchup.

SG - Shan Foster, Vanderbilt, Sr
I really wanted to put Washington State's Kyle Weaver here, but he and Douglas-Roberts are just too similar, and neither are very proficient shooters. Foster, on the other hand, does not have that problem. He may be one-dimensional, but what a dimension it is. Foster was a good shooter last year, but he's been absolutely unconscious this year. He's shooting a blistering 51% from behind the three-point arc, and has easily been college basketball's best shooter this season. He runs off screens really well, and he has a high, behind-the-head type release that makes his shot very tough to contest. It was a tough choice between Foster and Davidson's Stephen Curry, but Foster has just been too good. He may not bring a whole lot else to the table, but you can be sure nobody is going to try and throw a zone at this team with Foster out there.

Coach - Tom Izzo, Michigan State
With all due respect to the wonderful jobs that Mike Krzyewski (Duke), Tony Bennett (Washington State), Sean Miller (Xavier) and Bo Ryan (Wisconsin) are doing, Izzo's coaching this year has been nothing short of brilliant. I watched his Michigan State team put on an absolute clinic against my beloved Wolfpack, running them out of the gym with brilliant off-the-ball screens and near-perfect execution to get wide open shot after wide open shot. He has seamlessly integrated an infusion of younger talent with his older, veteran guys and has really gotten the most out of his players. He's been a coaching icon for years now, but this season has been some of his best work.

There you go, let me know what you think about my picks. Remember, it's ok to disagree with me as long as you don't mind being wrong.

I'm convinced that there are very few things in the basketball world more depressing than being an N.C. State basketball fan. For the uninitiated, let me give some background. State's history includes the man who basically started the ACC (Everett Case), one of the 5 greatest college basketball players of all time (David Thompson), 2 of the most iconic NCAA championships ever (Thompson's '74 team ending UCLA's run and the '83 Cardiac Pack), the first player ever to tally 1000 career assists (Chris Corchiani) ,and one of the most famous personalities in the history of college athletics (Jim Valvano). Thompson and teammate Monte Towe basically invented the alley-oop while at State, and the strategy of fouling at the end of close games was popularized largely by Valvano (who used it to great effect in the miracle run of '83). Up through the 80s, the Wolfpack were a perennial ACC contender and a national power. The original Tobacco Road rivalry was, in fact, not Duke and UNC, it was State and Carolina. However, my beloved Wolfpack have fallen on hard times since Valvano left the program. A once proud program has ranged from awful to mediocre over the last 15 years, we've watched our rivals dismiss us and our athletic department apparently be happy with an occasional appearance in the top 25. Now, you're probably thinking "a lot of teams would be happy with a few top 25 appearances, what's this guy whining about?" Well, most teams don't have the history State has, and most teams also don't play in the shadow of two colossi of the college basketball world, Duke and UNC. Why am I bringing all this up? Well, this year I thought would be the year. The Wolfpack returned all but one starter from a team that had finished on a great run last year, almost winning the ACC tournament and making a run deep into the NIT. Not only that, but we added stud recruit J.J. Hickson (the best recruit the Pack have brought in in decades) to a roster already loaded with talent. New coach Sidney Lowe (the point guard for the '83 title team) had done a fantastic job last year managing a team that was picked to be last in the ACC and really only had 6 players for most of the year. This was going to be our year, how could things possibly go wrong? Well, I should've known better, as a State fan, something can ALWAYS go wrong. Through 13 games this year, a team that has every reason in the world to be hungry has looked complacent, and the result is that they've lost to New Orleans and ECU, gotten absolutely embarrassed by Michigan State on national TV (the worst basketball game I've ever seen a team play, and that's saying something), and trailed at the half to both Presbyterian College and Western Carolina (a combined 5-28 record). I've lost faith in this team, and we haven't even played a conference game yet. I'm fully expecting to see us get beat by 40 at UNC to open the ACC season, and we'll probably be NIT-bound again this season. Oh well, there's always that old fallback that State fans have been using for the last decade, "We'll be better next year." (I promise, we will be).

Other College Basketball Thoughts

- One thing that constantly irritates me when I listen to and read college basketball analysts is the idea that Tyler Hansbrough is the leading candidate for national player of the year. Now, don't get me wrong, I appreciate the way Hansbrough plays. He's a self-made player, not exceptionally gifted but works harder than almost anyone, and he's the kind of guy who I'd love if he didn't play for the Tarheels. I wouldn't have any problem with Psycho T if he weren't a media darling, but the fact is that he's the single most overrated player in America. I fail to see how you can name a player the national player of the year if he is the third most important player on his own team. Make no mistake, other elite teams are FAR more scared about Ty Lawson and Wayne Ellington than they are about Hansbrough. His game is based entirely on effort, he doesn't have great post moves (no matter what the talking heads may try to tell you) and he isn't a very good athlete. As a result, Psycho T struggles against high-level teams that have athletic big men. Point in case, against UNC's 4 toughest opponents so far (Davidson, Ohio State, Kentucky, Clemson), he has averaged 13.25 PPG on 35% shooting. Hansbough's 22 PPG average looks gaudy, but he's done most of his work against inferior competition and he plays on one of the nation's highest-scoring teams. He's also not a good defensive player outside of his ability to rebound the ball. I've read several analysts saying that Deon Thompson and Alex Stephenson need to step up their interior defense to give Hansbrough some help, but the fact is that he just isn't a very good defensive player. Again, don't get me wrong here, Hansbrough is a very good college player, and I respect how hard he works, but there's no way he should be leading any player of the year discussion.

- For those of you who haven't seen them yet this year, Davidson is legit. I'd be shocked if they don't win some games in the tournament. Stephen Curry is absolutely an NBA player sometime down the read, as a sophomore he already has a great understanding of how to use screens both off the ball and off the dribble, and he has one of the quickest releases I've ever seen.

- A lot of teams are going to pass on D.J. White in the next draft, and I think they're going to regret it. He absolutely dominated a good Georgia Tech frontline, and he's already got the versatile game to be effective as an undersized PF. I'm just gonna go ahead and commend the team that picks White in the second round right now.

- Speaking of Indiana, Eric Gordon is all kinds of good. Right now, I'd take him over almost any player in the nation. He can get his shot off against anyone, but he's also really strong going to the rim. He's got that extra gear in the open court, and you're not stopping him once he gets his shoulders past you. I've watched Gordon, Rose and Mayo this year, and Gordon was by far the most impressive of the three. With Gordon and White, along with underrated freshman Jordan Crawford, the Hoosiers are a team that could have a legit shot at making a run deep in the tourney.

- Can someone please tell me how Memphis isn't the number 1 team in the nation? They've played at Oklahoma, at UCONN, USC on a neutral court, Georgetown (the most impressive win of the season by any team), and Arizona and they're 13-0. Seriously, it's ridiculous that they aren't the unanimous number 1 right now. I know it might seem like I'm knocking on UNC right now, but that's not it. I don't know if Memphis will end up being the nation's best team, but there is absolutely no arguing that they have played a MUCH harder schedule than the Tarheels right now, and have a lot more impressive wins.

- Not really a college basketball thought, but more a thought about basketball in general. One of the things that really irritates me is that officials don't ever call the switching pivot foot anymore. Footwork on the catch has become almost inconsequential, because players are allowed to slide and switch their pivot foot with impunity. This video really stood out for me lately as a particularly egregious no-call (at about the halfway mark, watch where Pierce's left foot starts and where it is before he takes his first dribble). Course, that reminded me of this classic video.

Ah, college basketball. NBA discussions are fun, and football is alright, but like any good North Carolina resident, my heart is in college basketball. Unlike the NBA with all its offseason movement, college basketball doesn't have a whole lot going on between the last note of "One Shining Moment" and tipoff of the opening game. However, right now we get some early insight into some of the top players in the country next year through their participation in the Pan Am Games. I'm going to take a quick look at the team, who got on, who got left out, and what this tells us heading into next year.

The Team

Joey Dorsey, C/F, Memphis - College Basketball's premier interview (now that Glen Davis is out the door), is also one of the nation's best rebounders. A 6'9, 270-pound athlete, he's a force to be reckoned with in the paint. To say that his offensive game is raw would be an understatement, as his general philosophy is in the Jason Maxiell vein of "if at all possible, dunk", but hey, whatever works. He's the perfect post for a very talented run-and-gun Memphis team, as he can rip down boards and run the floor well. Next year I'd expect much of the same from him, with numbers like 11-13-2.5 and a very high FG%.

Wayne Ellington, G, UNC - It was interesting to me that they took Ellington over Chris Lofton on this team. Ellington must have really wowed them in workouts, cause frankly he wasn't all that impressive last year. We know he's talented and undoubtedly will have a fine career at UNC, but he doesn't bring a lot to the table beyond scoring. Ellington is interesting to watch, cause unlike most top prospects coming in today, he doesn't have a real smooth game. He plays a really herky-jerky style, changing speeds a lot, and he has a weird hitch in his jumper that doesn't make you think he'd be as good a shooter as he actually is. Interesting choice over Lofton, and it bodes well for Tarheel fans that he obviously impressed the coaches a lot.

Shan Foster,G/F, Vanderbilt - I'll confess to not knowing a whole lot about Foster outside of various highlights I've seen. He's an exceptional perimeter shooter (you'll see that a lot, perimeter shooting is hugely important in international play) with a beautiful looking shot. He doesn't turn the ball over much, and his offensive rating (according to kenpom.com) was actually higher than Derrick Byars last season. With Byars and Dan Cage gone next season, Vandy will probably struggle, but it's not out of the question to think that Foster will average 20+ PPG. He's played well against good teams (24 against Florida, 27 against Alabama, 25 against Georgia Tech, 33 against South Carolina), so he's probably someone to watch next year in the SEC.

James Gist, F, Maryland - This one surprised me. Gist has always had huge potential, as he's 6'8, runs the floor like a guard, and is a tremendous leaper. However, he's never really put that together to become a legit star. Maryland lost a ton of talent to graduation (Mike Jones, Ekene Ibekwe, D.J. Strawberry, Will Bowers), and will be leaning heavily on Gist for offensive production (along with guards Greivis Vasquez and Eric Hayes). If Gist can deliver as an All-ACC caliber interior force, Maryland can compete, so seeing him make the team is good news for them.

Roy Hibbert, C, Georgetown - What more can I say about this guy? You can't teach 7'2. He'll probably be a preseason All-American on a lot of lists, and he'll be a lottery pick next year in the draft. I don't know if I really buy that he's going to come back and just destroy everybody, since I think he benefited a ton from Jeff Green, but he's improved every year, and I think we should expect something like 16-9-2.5 from him at the very least.

Maarty Leunen, F, Oregon - You gotta love Maarty. On a team full of flashy guards with gaudy numbers, he did the grunt work, and ended up being a double-double machine. Every team needs a garbage man (and I say that with the greatest affection, as that is typically the role I play on the pickup court), and Leunen is one of the best of them. I wouldn't expect a huge season out of Maarty, but he's a guy who does the little things, and you can always use that on a college basketball team.

Derrick Low and Kyle Weaver, G, Wash. St. - I imagine a lot of people were surprised at the inclusion of these 2 guys on the team. Obviously, people weren't paying attention to the surprise team of last year in Washington State. Both of these guys bring something that at time the US has been seriously lacking in international play, and that's defense. Wash. St. road it's fantastic defense to a tourney berth, and Low and Weaver are the catalysts. Low is also an exceptional perimeter shooter, hitting just under 40% from behind the arc, while Weaver fills up the stat sheet like few other players in college basketball (11.2 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 4.6 APG, 2.2 STL, 1.2 BLK). The Cougars return almost everybody from last year's team, so watch for Low and Weaver to keep them in the top 25 for most of the year.

Eric Maynor, G, VCU - The hero of last year's upset over Duke, Maynor is one of the best pure points in the college game. Though his perimeter shot is a bit lacking, he's a terrific penetrator and distributor. For a guy who is 6'2, he's also a terrific rebounder, averaging 4.2 a game (he was 2 points away from dropping a triple double on George Mason last year). For anyone who was wondering, this should provide validation that last year's success against Duke was no fluke. VCU loses 2 of their top scorers next year, but they keep Maynor, and that should be enough to keep them in the running for an NCAA bid and another upset opportunity.

Drew Neitzel, G, MSU - Before last year, I had this to say about Neitzel when I previewed the college basketball year.

"Most Overrated: Drew Neitzel, Michigan State
People are projecting him to be the leader of this team, which is an awefully large burden to put on a guy who averaged under 6 assists on a team with Shannon Brown, Maurice Ager, and Paul Davis. Michigan State will struggle mightily this year."

I will now take my foot and slowly insert it into my mouth. Suffice it to say I was a little off on my prediction. Neitzel turned out to be a phenomenal player on a mediocre team, and basically carried them on his back all year. In only 2 games did he score single digits, and he posted games of 32, 29, 28 (twice), and 26 (twice). The Spartans lose no one next year and have a highly touted recruiting class coming in. They look primed to be a top 10 squad, and Neitzel will probably compete for player of the year honors both in his conference and nationally.

Scottie Reynolds, G, Villanova - Reynolds impressing coach Jay Wright and making it on the team is a very good thing for Nova fans. The only Reynolds is missing in his game is consistency, which is common for a freshman. He was erratic and had a lot of nights where he just didn't do a whole lot. When he was on though, Reynolds was nigh-unstoppable. He had outings of 29, 27, 26 , 25 (3 times), and went absolutely buck wild against UConn for 40 points. Not too shabby for a freshman. With the team losing Curtis Sumpter, Mike Nardi, and Will Sheridan, the Cats need Reynolds to be consistently brilliant next year.

D.J. White, F, Indiana - Coming off of surgery last year, White recovered the brilliance of his freshman year, averaging 14 and 7 and being a constant double-double threat (he posted 8 of them last year). He's a tremendous athlete and should provide a great compliment to Eric Gordon for the Hoosiers, giving them one of the best inside-outside combinations in the nation. White seemed to get stronger as the year went on last year, playing more minutes and scoring more consistently, and I think we can expect big things from him this year.

Notable Absences

Chris Lofton, G, Tennessee - I'm rather confused by this one, since Lofton is a great shooter, solid defender, and probably a preseason first-team All-American next year. He must've either really bombed in tryouts, or everyone else must have played out of their minds. Still, I'd rather have him on the team than Ellington or Low.

Brian Butch, C, Wisconsin - Butch came into Wisconsin with huge hype, but has had a fairly disappointing career marred by injury problems. Still, he's the type of big, skilled center that usually excels in international play, and I can't help but wonder if the team is going to regret leaving him home. It's probably better for Wisconsin though, making sure he'll be good and healthy going into the season.

Brandon Costner, F, NC State - He's not really a notable absence, but I just had to point out that my boy from the Wolfpack was part of the initial group of 30. Next year, keep an eye out for Costner, the best 3PT shooting big man in college basketball (you heard it here first).

Sherron Collins and Mario Chalmers, G, Kansas - Kind of amazing that neither of these guys made it. Both part of the best backcourt in college basketball (and it isn't even close), they're immensely talented players, and I'm surprised that one or the other didn't make it. Chalmers in particular is a surprise because he's a good shooter and one of the best defensive guards in the country.

Analyze This

I am a statistics geek. There, I said it, it's out there for everyone to see. I see PPG and OBP in my sleep. I'm obsessed with analyzing players through statistics. The sports world is a-changin, and if you want to keep up, you better know all about B/40 (Blocks per 40 minutes), YAC (Yards After Contact), OPS (On-base Plus Slugging), BABiP (Batting Average on Balls in Play), and eFG% (Effective Field Goal Percentage). So, with that in mind, I'm going to look over some of the common statistics in sports and find out what the strengths and weaknesses of those particular statistics are. In addition, I'll look at some of the less common statistics that you may not have heard of. Due to the vast amount of statistics there are to look at, I think I'll probably make this a running thing where I'll do a post every week or so with more statistics. That is, unless people think this is a stupid idea, then I won't do it and just go cry in my closet instead, so let me know what you think. Anyway, for this time I'm just going to look over some basic, commonly used statistics.

BA (Batting Average)

What Is It?
Batting Average is a baseball statistic that measures the ratio of hits to at bats.

How Is It Useful?
BA has long been the standard measurement of a hitter's performance, and it makes sense. The more hits a player gets when he's up to bat, the better a hitter he is, right? In general, it usually is a pretty good predictor of a how good a hitter is, with a BA over .300 being pretty good, over .350 being top-notch, under .250 being pretty bad, and under .200 (the Mendoza line, named for famously poor-hitting SS Mario Mendoza) being absolutely terrible.

What Are Its Flaws?
BA really has 2 major flaws. The first flaw is that it doesn't account for walks. For example, when evaluating a leadoff hitter, whose purpose is to get on base any way possible, BA tells you that Willy Taveras (.320 BA) and Dustin Pedroia (.322) are basically equal. However, Pedroia has drawn a walk 13 more times in 30 fewer ABs, meaning he gets on base at a significantly higher percentage than Taveras. The second problem is that BA treats all hits as equal, whether it's a bunt single or a home run. Lets take a look at the case of Prince Fielder (.278) vs. Juan Pierre (.280). Again, very similar batting averages. However, Fielder has 58 EBH (Extra Base Hits, i.e. doubles, triples, HRs) to Pierre's 17 EBH. Obviously, Fielder's power makes him the more effective hitter, but BA doesn't show that. The answer to these two problems, of course, is to use BA in conjunction with OBP (On Base Percentage) and SLG (Slugging Percentage) in order to analyze a player.

SB (Stolen Bases)

What Is It?
Pretty obvious, it's the number of bases a player has stolen.

How Is It Useful?
Well, it tells you which guys are speedy on the basepaths. Guys with lots of stolen bases usually make better top-of-the-order guys (if they can couple it with a decent OBP), and they can rattle pitchers when they're on base simply because of the chance they might steal.

What Are Its Flaws?
Stolen bases is kind of a sneaky statistic in that it looks very simple at first, but has a lot more flaws than it appears. The first flaw of the SB statistic is that if a player who isn't a good baserunner tries to steal a lot, he'll probably get a decent number of steals, but he'll also get caught a lot. For instance, would you rather have Juan Pierre (33 SB in 42 attempts) or Shane Victorino (27 SB in 29 attempts)? The best solution is to look at SB% (Stolen Base Percentage, SB/(SB+CS)) to see how useful a player is when stealing bases. Keep in mind, however, that an out is far more important than an advance from first to second, so the percentage needs to be much higher than 50% for a basestealer to actually be useful. In fact, statistics have shown that on average, if you're successful less than 75% of the time, you're actually hurting your team more than helping it.

BPG (Blocks Per Game)

What Is It?
A measurement for the number of shots a basketball player blocks on average each game (Total Blocks/Games Played)

How Is It Useful?
A high BPG average is usually indicative o####ood post defender. An average above 2.5 is usually very good for a post player, and anything above the low-1s is good for a guard.

What Are Its Flaws
As with all per game statistics in basketball, it suffers from not taking into account the number of minutes played. For example, Jermaine O'Neal averaged 2.6 blocks last year compared to Alonzo Mourning's 2.3. Thos look pretty comparable, with O'Neal having the slight edge. However, O'Neal averaged 15 minutes more per game than Mourning did, which puts Mourning's per minute average at a whole different level. The other flaw with blocks is that, well, it's just not a very good measure of whether you're a good defender or not. Players who block a lot of shots often do so by losing rebounding position to try for a block, and they often get in foul trouble by attempting blocks. Also, very good shot blockers tend to see their block numbers drop as players realize how good they are and decide to try and avoid them. If you watched an Ohio State game last year, you could see this happen as teams were very hesitant to go into the post against Greg Oden. So, what do we make of the blocks statistic then? Well, whenever evaluating a player by their blocked shots, be sure to incorporate fouls and rebounds into your equation. If a player has a high block per foul rate and they still rebound the defensive glass well, then they're probably a pretty good post defender. It's a little simpler for guards, since any shotblocking you get from them is an added bonus. If you see a guard/forward with high block numbers (like Gerald Wallace), that probably means they're a pretty strong defender.

FG% (Field Goal Percentage)

What Is It?
A basketball measurement of how many field goals (any shot that isn't a free throw) you make per field goals you attempt (FGM/FGA)

How Is It Useful?
It's very useful when trying to analyze a player's effectiveness as a scorer. Players who have a higher FG% are typically better shooters and therefore more efficient scorers. For example, Kobe Bryant has averaged 24.6 points per game in his career to Allen Iverson's 27.9 . However, Kobe's FG% is 30 points higher than Iverson's, indicating that he is the more efficient scorer of the two.

What Are Its Flaws?
Mainly that it doesn't account for the difference between post players and guards. Post players regularly put up FG%s of over 60%, since the vast majority of their shots are right around the rim. Guards, on the other hand, are much more likely to be launching more difficult shots from further out. One answer to this is eFG% (Effective Field Goal Percentage), which weighs three-pointers as 50% more important than 2-pointers [(FG + 0.5*3P) / FGA]. eFG% is in general a much better all-around measurement than straight-up FG%, and generally what I use when analyzing players.

Sacks

What Is It?
A football measurement for how many times a player tackles an opposing quarterback behind the line of scrimmage.

How Is It Useful?
It's a good way to measure how well a player (usually a defensive end) can get into the backfield and make plays. Double-digit sacks are very good for a defensive end/outside linebacker, and anything in the upper single-digits is pretty good for any other defensive position.

What Are Its Flaws?
Hmmm, where to start? Well, first of all, it isn't really a very good indicator of whether or not a player is a good defender, since many rush ends concentrate on the sack at the expense of run defense. In general, TFL (Tackles For Loss) is a better statistic, and total tackles is also something you should take into account. For example, Mark Anderson of the Bears had 12 sacks, but only 28 total tackles. Compare that to Adalius Thomas, who had 11 sacks but 83 total tackles. Who would you rather have? The other thing to note is that sacks may also be the result of a strong secondary (good coverage resulting in the QB hanging on to the ball too long), or the result of a defensive scheme that emphasizes blitzing.

There you go, the first edition of Analyze This, maybe the first of many. Kudos to the first person who can name me all the players executing each statistic in the pictures.