Jim Boeheim & Bill Self Know How to Win Close Games, Like Few Others

[OrangeXtreme]

 

[teamco]

Since 2002, Jim Boeheim and Bill Self have each won more than 100 games decided by five points or fewer, according to KenPom.com. Mark Few trails just behind. All three enjoy winning percentages in close games of nearly 75 percent. For perspective, Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski, the all-time winningest coach in Division I, wins just more than 50 percent of the time in tight contests. North Carolina’s Roy Williams and Michigan State’s Tom Izzo have fared slightly better.

Players and coaches for Kansas, Gonzaga and Syracuse all agreed that the edge their respective coaches possess late in games is not so much the ability to draw up plays but the capacity to stay cool as the stress rises.

Orange players and coaches said it’s a multitude of factors that make Boeheim so effective when the games are close and the arenas are loud. One thing stands out, however: He has an “encyclopedic” memory of past sequences and games. He’ll then tweak the two-three zone or draw up plays to free up space for his best player, accordingly.

“Players playing good games,” Boeheim said when asked about his success in close games. “That is how you win those games.”

 

[blust2i3d4]

I know if this had been a close game, Beiheim will find a way to win it. But sometimes the opposing team just shot 3 points like they are possessed. There is nothing you can do.