NC State Numbers Recap

or - Winning the game while only having an advantage in one area

Four Factors Breakdown


Kind of crazy that NC State ended up with advantages in three of the four factors, but Marquette still won. The key here was actually two areas. First, Marquette ended up with a significant advantage on Turnover Rate. Second, an under-rated key is that although MU lost on eFG%, they actually did fairly well at that area. Our eFG% was higher than the season average. In addition, if you look at our eFG% from the other key non-conference games (Dayton, UW@Madison, and Tennessee), our eFG% was much lower than average. Good news there.

One area of concern, however, is how low the Free Throw Rate was for Marquette. Keep in mind that Marquette is #8 in the country at getting to the line. In this game the actual rate was much lower, which is probably a more accurate reflection of how life will be on the road this year. Just something to keep in mind.

Individual Player Ratings


No surprise that Dominic James was the most productive player on the court, both in terms of points produced and net points added. James did it on the offensive end of the court, because his defensive rating was worse than team average. Also, the stats don't account for one clutch shot at the end of the game.

McNeal was the flip side of this approach, where he highlights the nature of McNeal's game. Despite his offensive rating being worse than team average, McNeal had the highest usage (31%) on the team. Still, McNeal was net positive on the strength of his defense.

I'd also like to highlight that for another big game, Patrick Hazel was a productive player in limited minutes, with performance better than team averages on both ends of the court. Finally, rough game for Wesley.

Merry Christmas, everyone.