NC State Vs. Georgetown: Inside The Box Score

Box Score (pdf)

[I might have picked up some new readers of late, so if you're confused about the numbers employed here, this is a good place to start. I'm always happy to answer questions, too.]

Let's break down the shooting percentages by zone:

Whew. If you'd told me beforehand that we only hit a third of our twos, I'd have assured you we were quite reliably fucked. The Hoyas are ranked 36th in 2FG% defense and fourth in eFG% defense, so our results inside aren't surprising. Fortunately--and this was a surprise--we had guys step up and knock down threes at a high percentage, and the foul attempt discrepancy had an impact as well.

Keeping the turnover margin close, and actually winning that battle by a hair, was a bonus. And obviously the rebounding differential was a huge factor in State's win. With the way the team's first shot attempts were going, they needed those second opportunities to help generate some offense at the free throw line and just pick up some easy buckets to help with morale. Besides that, Georgetown is as good an offensive rebounding team as NC State is, so that effort on the defensive glass is really impressive.

A 106 OE doesn't look that impressive, but keep in mind that Georgetown has one of the top 10 defenses in the country. Only six opponents this season were more efficient against the Hoyas than NC State. State had its usual dosage of silly pass attempts, and especially early on, the guys were forcing it too much, but in general, this was a very solid offensive effort.