Defense a key for success in difficult Big 12
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West Virginia Athletic Director Wren Baker isn’t overwhelmed when it comes to the world of analytics.
In fact, a former basketball coach himself, Baker referenced KenPom multiple times when it came to filling the vacant position atop the hoops program.
But one thing that Baker understands that the new coach needs to be successful doing in the rugged Big 12 Conference is playing defense.
It’s one thing that travels in basketball and that’s been particularly true in the Big 12 over the last five years as Baker referenced with a look at the statistics.
“You have to be great defensively, period. You look in this league over five years and every team that’s finished in the top half is generally top 50 in the country defensively,” he said.
Baker said that you won’t find anybody outside the top 100 in the top half of the Big 12 during that time frame and that shows how important that end of the floor is in such a difficult, competitive league. It was an area where this past year's team struggled as the Mountaineers allowed 90 points in six of their final ten games.
With that emphasis on the defensive end, typically comes a slower pace and more valued possession on the offensive end of the floor. It isn’t a necessity, but it certainly helps.
“Not a lot of turnovers, high offensive efficiency. There’s just a culture of valuing possessions. If you have to work so hard on the defensive end to get them you tend to take care of them a little bit better on the offensive end,” he said.
Now there are a lot of ways to skin a cat and perhaps others check the boxes in other categories more in the end to suit the needs of whom Baker eventually wants to lead the program.
But it’s clear that playing sound defense is certainly a way to have success in the league.
“There is no question you have to be really good defensively,” he said.
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