For those of you who don’t believe in the Jim Boeheim slide rule slow down game..,,

[OrangeDW]

when we got up 4 vs butler in 2010, i said to myself "one more bucket & jb will ice this"

but that 6 point lead never materialized

Same. I didn’t account for the lucky 3 at the shot clock buzzer that bounced around and fell in, or Kurt Angle taking out Kris Joseph with a German Suplex.

 

[pearl31]

Same. I didn’t account for the lucky 3 at the shot clock buzzer that bounced around and fell in, or Kurt Angle taking out Kris Joseph with a German Suplex.

or a blatant out-of-bounds going uncalled

 

[rrlbees]

Always knew he was really good in close games, but he is literally the best of coaches involved in 150 games or more decided by 5 points or less.

Glad someone did this research.

We’ve said that for years. Many here disagreed.

 

[FrancoPizza]

when we got up 4 vs butler in 2010, i said to myself "one more bucket & jb will ice this"

but that 6 point lead never materialized

Did you really have to dig that one up? Sigh. Still remember wes dunking on the break to put us up 4 and starting to believe...

 

[OrangeDW]

Did you really have to dig that one up? Sigh. Still remember wes dunking on the break to put us up 4 and starting to believe...

 

[HoustonCuse]

Same. I didn’t account for the lucky 3 at the shot clock buzzer that bounced around and fell in, or Kurt Angle taking out Kris Joseph with a German Suplex.

The only thing that game didn’t have was Rowdy Roddy Piper coming out of the audience to smash a chair over Andy Rautins head while the refs fumble around in a stupor before springing back to life to administer a three count.

 

[PoppyHart]

Can we go after Andrew Toole when JB hangs them up?

 

[OrangeDW]

Can we go after Andrew Toole when JB hangs them up?

Played at Elon and Penn. Makes me think he took a lot of charges. Pass.

 

[SU94]

Always knew he was really good in close games, but he is literally the best of coaches involved in 150 games or more decided by 5 points or less.

Glad someone did this research.

Also speaks to validation to his shorter-than-most (all?) bench theory.

While most coaches try to steal “precious” minutes from 4th options, JAB just plays 7/8 and works the margins better than anyone. They’re all control freaks and our guy’s slide-ruling maven who counts TV timeouts. It’s brilliant.

We’re going to have an adjustment coming our way in 2022-23.

 

[SBU72]

Because the Georgetown player could run the baseline, partially negating the benefit of a in bounds defender. Or so I read.

Or pass to a teammate further down the baseline, negating the defensive pressure.

 

[Millhouse]

Always knew he was really good in close games, but he is literally the best of coaches involved in 150 games or more decided by 5 points or less.

Glad someone did this research.

his slide rule turns 10 pt games into 5 pt games and i've learned to overcome that dread. he's not perfect but he has the best intuitive understanding of probabilities as any coach i've ever seen. other coaches might be more advanced in their research but jb just knows this stuff deep down

 

[br801]

his slide rule turns 10 pt games into 5 pt games and i've learned to overcome that dread. he's not perfect but he has the best intuitive understanding of probabilities as any coach i've ever seen. other coaches might be more advanced in their research but jb just knows this stuff deep down

Considering the number of games he has coached in his long career, he doesn't seem to end up in a disproportionate number of "close" games, so I'm not sure how often he creates close games with his strategy. That would require further research.

 

[upperdeck]

its a subjective thing.. if you are up 10 and dont care about the score and play it out so you win by 5, is that a good or bad thing.. if the goal is to win, does it it matter.

if you are up 5 and slow it down and trail by 1 and win at the buzzer, it worked, but is that a good win? you cant just use numbers to decide much of this. if you lead by 5 and the other team misses a simple layup to win is different than them having a 3/4 court shot at the buzzer.

he is playing the odds and trying to limit chances to lose.

 

[Millhouse]

Considering the number of games he has coached in his long career, he doesn't seem to end up in a disproportionate number of "close" games, so I'm not sure how often he creates close games with his strategy. That would require further research.

his teams have been too good to be in that many close games even if he does make the kinda close ones closer

he's like a football coach who takes a safety to not get a punt blocked with a big lead late

 

[Millhouse]

its a subjective thing.. if you are up 10 and dont care about the score and play it out so you win by 5, is that a good or bad thing.. if the goal is to win, does it it matter.

if you are up 5 and slow it down and trail by 1 and win at the buzzer, it worked, but is that a good win? you cant just use numbers to decide much of this. if you lead by 5 and the other team misses a simple layup to win is different than them having a 3/4 court shot at the buzzer.

he is playing the odds and trying to limit chances to lose.

you can use numbers to decide this, that's what he's done and that's why he's so much better

 

[Arangeman]

Considering the number of games he has coached in his long career, he doesn't seem to end up in a disproportionate number of "close" games, so I'm not sure how often he creates close games with his strategy. That would require further research.

It’s only games since 2002

 

[721Comstock]

It’s only games since 2002

Well, that's ok - prior to that, he pretty much just rolled the ball out there anyway.

 

[IthacaMatt]

Always knew he was really good in close games, but he is literally the best of coaches involved in 150 games or more decided by 5 points or less.

Glad someone did this research.

What a great graphic! Fascinating to look really closely at. Bunch of random observations:\

• Now I understand why people are such big fans of Ed Cooley.
• Archie Miller is a very promising young coach.
• I've always thought Steve Fisher was underrated and got run out of Michigan a little unfairly, and he has proved himself to be a good coach.
• Surprised to see Mark Few and Kelvin Sampson at such an elite level, to be honest.
• Not shocked to see that Coach K is only a bit better than average in close games. He has such elite talent, it has inflated his true record versus expectations. Now, that said, his marketing of his program has been outstanding.
• Danny Hurley and Buzz Peterson (and in a bit of a surprise, also Fran McCaffery, who I think of as a "coach's coach") are so terrible that Matt Doherty has a better record in close games! LOL
• Bo Ryan, Ben Howland, That Matta and Lon Krueger all did very well, as you would expect from the fan's perspective. I think of those guys as teaching good defense and fundamentals and getting good execution from their teams, sometimes overcoming talent deficiencies with their systems. That marks a good coach, for me.
• I was surprised to see Jamie Dixon as a well below average coach in close games, because (a) he always seemed to have our number, and (b) his teams were great grind-it-out teams who played great defense, were tough and you think of that as a style that would lend itself to wearing out your opponent late in games and having a built-in advantage.
• Sorry but not surprised to see our own Louie Orr come in where he did. A fine man, but it just didn't work out as well for him as you would have hoped.
• Herby Sendek is a special kind of awful, isn't he?

 

[IthacaMatt]

his slide rule turns 10 pt games into 5 pt games and i've learned to overcome that dread. he's not perfect but he has the best intuitive understanding of probabilities as any coach i've ever seen. other coaches might be more advanced in their research but jb just knows this stuff deep down

I think that is a truly great call. I agree with you 100% on that.
He is competitive as hell, and he has tremendous feel for the game.
That's one of the reasons he calls relatively fewer time outs at the end of games than his peers.

 

[Oakland]

Have you ever seen the calls that Kansas gets in close games at home?

To be fair, Bill Self is better but has coached in what looks like to be 7 or so fewer close games (105 vs. 112 or so). Pretty damn awesome either way.

 

[TinyManInside]

Boeheim has turned more 20 point wins into 6 point wins than any coach in the history of college basketball... but at the same time he’s probably lost less games that he had a 15 point lead in than any coach in the history of college basketball. His intuitive mathematics are literally savant level, but it doesn’t always lead to exciting basketball.

Best example I can think of off the top of my head is sitting next to Jake at the N.C. game in 2003 (one of the best moments of my life), and we’re both thinking ‘Holy stuff this team is gassed with 9 minutes left to go’, and Jake turns to me and says, ‘Boeheim rule - you’re gonna win if we have twice as many points as minutes left’... I look up to the scoreboard and see SU up 12, 6:08 left... Jimmy milked that to the very last second and we won!!!!!

 

[Millhouse]

Boeheim has turned more 20 point wins into 6 point wins than any coach in the history of college basketball... but at the same time he’s probably lost less games that he had a 15 point lead in than any coach in the history of college basketball. His intuitive mathematics are literally savant level, but it doesn’t always lead to exciting basketball.

Best example I can think of off the top of my head is sitting next to Jake at the N.C. game in 2003 (one of the best moments of my life), and we’re both thinking ‘Holy stuff this team is gassed with 9 minutes left to go’, and Jake turns to me and says, ‘Boeheim rule - you’re gonna win if we have twice as many points as minutes left’... I look up to the scoreboard and see SU up 12, 6:08 left... Jimmy milked that to the very last second and we won!!!!!

even though we've seen it a million times it's still funny to see him awkwardly and half heartedly clap after his team stands around looking confused before having to toss up an unathletic brick. It's the only time I can relate to SU basketball - "hell I can do that"

 

[sutomcat]

Always knew he was really good in close games, but he is literally the best of coaches involved in 150 games or more decided by 5 points or less.

Glad someone did this research.

Good stuff Jake. Andrew Toole really stands out on this graphic. He is a young coach for Robert Morris. A name to keep an eye out in the future.

 

[Capt. Tuttle]

his teams have been too good to be in that many close games even if he does make the kinda close ones closer

he's like a football coach who takes a safety to not get a punt blocked with a big lead late

Nah. The lack of great NBA talent tells us the teams are not superior, the coaching is.

 

[20plus]

Did you really have to dig that one up? Sigh. Still remember wes dunking on the break to put us up 4 and starting to believe...

Pure pain and sorrow