WHO CAN COMPETE WITH CATS?

  In the world of college basketball this year, there is really only one major storyline you need to know: the Kentucky Wildcats.  A team loaded with a with returning stars from last years Final Four run such as the Harrison twins and Willie Cauley Stein. Throw in a few highly touted freshman and this team has been virtually invincible all year. But they aren't immortal.  They have had close calls against Ole Miss, Texas A&M, and LSU just in conference play.  Not exactly top tier teams. But that shows to their resilience and just shows how far this team can go when it comes to March. We know Kentucky will be the #1 overall seed. But who will grab the other 3? Who will be Kentucky’s most challenging roadblocks when it comes to tournament time?

VIRGINIA (24-1)

 A team that relies on its defense. That may be a drastic understatment. This team has shut down nearly every team that it has played this year. 20 of their 25 games they have held their opponents to 60 points and under. That is an amazing pace to keep up. The stats prove it. They’re #1 in scoring defense. They’re only loss was to a Duke team that can attack you from many different ways but they make it a very long day for any team they’re going up against. Including a potential matchup with the powerful Wildcats.

DUKE 23-4

 Now you look at the opposite end of the spectrum. Virginia will smother you with their defense.  Duke will attack you from countless ways on offense and score at will and that shows with their #7 ranked scoring offense in the nation.  Any team, including the Wildcats would have trouble guarding this team between National Player of the Year candidate Jahlil Okafor and a group of very talented scoring guards including Tyus Jones who is really the cog that makes the offense run so smoothly.  This team is young, but its youth provides a huge contribution to the team as they are the only team in the nation to have three freshmen average over 10 PPG. Duke matches up with Kentucky in the terms of talent. If Duke would put together a complete game it would give the Cats a huge test.

WISCONSIN 25-2

 Bo Ryan has made a consistent winner out of this Wisconsin team. Another Final Four team from last year is on pace to win the Big Ten with ease. They are clearly a tier ahead of everyone in the conference they space the ball very well and are a very efficient squad. They’re only mishaps came against Duke and Nebraska and in the latter they were without their Player of the Year candidate in Frank Kaminsky. They played in an amazing Final Four game last year against Kentucky, I’m sure college basketball fans everywhere would love to see any of the matchups with Kentucky to give them the best run for their money.

A Statistical Look at the New 2015 Padres

A.J. Peller at a Padres
Press Conference

A Statistical Look at the New 2015 Padres

By Dylan Oyer


The 2006 NLDS may have been the last time you've seen the Padres in the playoffs, but don't be surprised to see them in this year's postseason come October. 

After finishing 77-85 in 2014, the Padres fired John Byrnes (acting GM at the time) and replaced him with A.J. Preller, a former scout for both the Dodgers and more recently the Rangers. Preller has wasted no time in attempting to bring the Padres their first World Series win in franchise history. 

In 2014, the Padres outfielder's hit for a .244 average*, while their new outfielders -- Matt Kemp, Wil Myers, and Justin Upton hit for a .265 average. To non-baseball fans this number may seem small, but that extra .021 can be the difference between a strikeout with the bases loaded and a bases-clearing double down the line. These offensive changes didn't come without compromise however--the Padres outfielders combined for 3 errors and 10 assists, while their new crew committed 19 errors and made 17 assists. This offensive boost is a fair tradeoff however, considering that the Padres ranked dead last in the majors with a measly .226 BA.

The left bar represents the 2014 Padres Outfielders Batting Average

The right bar represents the Padres new Outfielders Batting Average in 2014

In addition to the upgrades in the outfield, Preller brought in a few big name pitchers to add to the Padres rotation, which had an ERA of 3.29** last season. Both Brandon Morrow and James Shields will improve the pitching staff, and lower the teams ERA from 3.29 -- which was among the leagues best last year, to 3.03***. 

Although Shields wasn't enough to bring the Commissioner's Trophy to Kansas City last year, he did lead the Royals to their first playoff appearance since '85. This could be just the guy to bring a struggling franchise back to relevance, especially given the talent that has been brought    in  alongside him. 

The final piece to the puzzle is Derek Norris, the former Athletic's catcher who was traded to the Padres in December for Jesse Hahn and R.J. Alvarez. Norris posted a .270/.361/.403 batting line last year, compared to Rene Rivera's .252/.319/.432. Norris was also able to play in 24 more games that Alvarez while still committing 3 less errors. 

With all this being said, the Padres are still in a tough division in the West behind the Dodgers and the defending champion San Francisco Giants so it is likely that they will be playing for one of the two Wild Card spots come the end of the season. Only time will tell if the money that Preller has invested into some big name free agents will pay off or not, but it is clear that he is not a GM that is in the rebuilding state of mind -- he's in it to win it. 

--Dylan Oyer

*-Average was based on the Padres 3 most-used outfielders in 2014 - Seth Smith, Cameron Maybin, and Will venable.

**- ERA was based on Padres 5 most-used Starting Pitchers in 2014 - Ian Kennedy, Tyson Ross, Eric Stults, Andrew Cashner, and Odrisamer Despaigne

***- ERA was based on the Padres 2015 projected starting rotation of James Shields, Ian Kennedy, Andrew Cashner, Tyson Ross, and Brandon Morrow. Their 2014 ERA was used, with the exception of Brandon Morrow-- his last full season was used (2012) because he started just 6 games in 2014 and 10 in 2013 due to injury.