Photo by: Katie MacCrory
Tony's Take - KenPom Computers Still Spitting Out Good Data
February 17, 2020 09:58 AM | Men's Basketball, Blog, Tony's Take
Tony's Take is a monthly Mountaineer sports column written by veteran West Virginia University play-by-play man Tony Caridi.
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - Well this is no fun.
The Mountaineer basketball team's first multi-game losing streak of the season has quickly grown to three games. The losses haven't been pretty, and some have fears of a late-season plunge.
Take a deep breath now. It's going to be ok.
That's not just me hoping, that's the emotionless data spewing from computers that deal with cold, raw data and not gold and blue emotions.
So what's the computer saying?
In the nicest way possible, relax. WVU has just played on the home floor of a team desperate for a win to enhance its NCAA resume (Oklahoma) and two games against No. 1 seeds and legitimate national championship contenders (Kansas and Baylor).
Chances are the Mountaineers aren't going to face that level of opposition again this season, unless a nasty bracket forces them to meet the Jayhawks and Bears at the Big 12 Championship next month in Kansas City.
So with six regular season games remaining, now what?
Bob Huggins winced when I asked him after Saturday's Baylor loss if his team was at a crossroads. He certainly doesn't think so and although he's disappointed he knows his team will be favored in at least five of it's last six games.
Ken Pomeroy, the godfather of college basketball analytics, projects the outcomes of games among the many other statistical data he produces. Ken Pom's computer absolutely loves WVU in this final stretch. How much? Well how about a perfect close to the season.
Ken's computer predicts this is how it will end:
WVU 73 Oklahoma State 61 - Chance of WVU win 86%
WVU 67 TCU 61 - Chance of WVU win 72%
WVU 66 Texas 60 - Chance of WVU win 71%
WVU 73 Oklahoma 64 - Chance of WVU win 79%
WVU 74 Iowa State 68 - Chance of WVU win 69%
WVU 64 Baylor 63 - Chance of WVU win 54%
That would be a monumental close to a season that right now feels shaky. Before the Mountaineers can think about a six-game win streak they need a one-game win streak starting Tuesday against Oklahoma State.
The Cowboys will arrive in Morgantown riding a wave of momentum. They began the month with the organist warming up their funeral dirge but have popped from their coffin to win three of their last four. Saturday's win over Texas Tech was a shocker.
The Cowboys aren't afraid of the Coliseum; they've won three straight in Morgantown.
Things are about to get real for the reeling Mountaineers. We'll find out together starting Tuesday if that emotionless computer knows its stuff.
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - Well this is no fun.
The Mountaineer basketball team's first multi-game losing streak of the season has quickly grown to three games. The losses haven't been pretty, and some have fears of a late-season plunge.
Take a deep breath now. It's going to be ok.
That's not just me hoping, that's the emotionless data spewing from computers that deal with cold, raw data and not gold and blue emotions.
So what's the computer saying?
In the nicest way possible, relax. WVU has just played on the home floor of a team desperate for a win to enhance its NCAA resume (Oklahoma) and two games against No. 1 seeds and legitimate national championship contenders (Kansas and Baylor).
Chances are the Mountaineers aren't going to face that level of opposition again this season, unless a nasty bracket forces them to meet the Jayhawks and Bears at the Big 12 Championship next month in Kansas City.
So with six regular season games remaining, now what?
Bob Huggins winced when I asked him after Saturday's Baylor loss if his team was at a crossroads. He certainly doesn't think so and although he's disappointed he knows his team will be favored in at least five of it's last six games.
Ken Pomeroy, the godfather of college basketball analytics, projects the outcomes of games among the many other statistical data he produces. Ken Pom's computer absolutely loves WVU in this final stretch. How much? Well how about a perfect close to the season.
Ken's computer predicts this is how it will end:
WVU 73 Oklahoma State 61 - Chance of WVU win 86%
WVU 67 TCU 61 - Chance of WVU win 72%
WVU 66 Texas 60 - Chance of WVU win 71%
WVU 73 Oklahoma 64 - Chance of WVU win 79%
WVU 74 Iowa State 68 - Chance of WVU win 69%
WVU 64 Baylor 63 - Chance of WVU win 54%
That would be a monumental close to a season that right now feels shaky. Before the Mountaineers can think about a six-game win streak they need a one-game win streak starting Tuesday against Oklahoma State.
The Cowboys will arrive in Morgantown riding a wave of momentum. They began the month with the organist warming up their funeral dirge but have popped from their coffin to win three of their last four. Saturday's win over Texas Tech was a shocker.
The Cowboys aren't afraid of the Coliseum; they've won three straight in Morgantown.
Things are about to get real for the reeling Mountaineers. We'll find out together starting Tuesday if that emotionless computer knows its stuff.
TV Highlights: WVU 86, MVSU 51
Monday, December 22
Ross Hodge | Mississippi Valley State Postgame
Monday, December 22
Treysen Eaglestaff, Harlan Obioha & Amir Jenkins | Mississippi Valley State Postgame
Monday, December 22
Ross Hodge | Mississippi Valley State Preview
Thursday, December 18
