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Kentucky is Better Defensively with Anthony Davis on the Bench

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Luke Winn as Kentucky at #3 in the SI.com power rankings, but even more interesting is the chart that says the Cats are actually better defensively with Anthony Davis on the bench.

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[URL=”http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/basketball/ncaa/men/teams/kentucky-wildcats/”][I]Kentucky Wildcats (8-1)[/I][/URL]
[I]Anthony Davis could very well be an All-American due to his defense. Jonathon Leverenz, who’s been doing Defensive Score Sheet charting of the Wildcats [/I][URL=”http://www.aseaofblue.com/2011/12/8/2621922/kentucky-wildcats-basketball-defense-at-the-quarter-mark-part-2″][I]over at A Sea Of Blue[/I][/URL][I] — using the same methodology as SI’s [/I][URL=”http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1191988/index.htm?eref=sisf&eref=sisf”][I]preview issue study[/I][/URL][I] — shared his latest figures with us, and he has Davis with the best DRating (79.5) and engagement rate (25.7 percent of possessions) of any UK starter:

[/I]

[I]Player[/I][I]Min/G[/I][I]DRtg[/I][I]Poss%[/I][I]Stop%[/I][I]DFG%[/I][I]FTO%[/I][I]FTR[/I]
[I]Vargas[/I][I]8.4[/I][I]77.9[/I][I]22.8[/I][I]72.7[/I][I]22.9[/I][I]13.1[/I][I]41.7[/I]
[I]Davis[/I][I]27.1[/I][I]79.5[/I][I]25.7[/I][I]68.7[/I][I]27.8[/I][I]21.3[/I][I]25.8[/I]
[I]Gilchrist[/I][I]30.3[/I][I]82.8[/I][I]17.3[/I][I]63.4[/I][I]40.7[/I][I]20.1[/I][I]45.5[/I]
[I]Miller[/I][I]24.4[/I][I]83.4[/I][I]13.5[/I][I]61.5[/I][I]35.3[/I][I]22.5[/I][I]18.2[/I]
[I]Lamb[/I][I]31.0[/I][I]83.5[/I][I]10.6[/I][I]61.1[/I][I]50.7[/I][I]24.4[/I][I]36.1[/I]
[I]Teague[/I][I]30.2[/I][I]83.5[/I][I]14.6[/I][I]61.4[/I][I]49.8[/I][I]33.2[/I][I]44.1[/I]
[I]Jones[/I][I]30.3[/I][I]84.2[/I][I]21.8[/I][I]59.9[/I][I]43.0[/I][I]21.9[/I][I]28.1[/I]
[I]Wiltjer[/I][I]13.6[/I][I]84.6[/I][I]21.2[/I][I]59.0[/I][I]35.5[/I][I]14.3[/I][I]26.6[/I]

[I]Yet, for how effective Davis is, his backup at the five-spot, Eloy Vargas, has been even better defensively in his limited playing time (8.4 mpg). This may help to explain a strange phenomenon that I encountered when doing a possession-by-possession, efficiency plus-minus study of the Wildcats’ defense when Davis is on or off the floor. I figured UK would be better at D with Davis; that was the case in the loss to Indiana, when the Wildcats were 0.431 PPP stingier while he was playing.

But over the course of the season, the Wildcats have been slightly better with Davis on the bench (allowing 0.822 PPP in 202 possessions) than they have with him on the floor (allowing 0.825 PPP in 440 possessions). Who expected that to be the case? This chart has the Davis +/- breakdown:

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[I]UK’s Defense: With / Without Anthony Davis[/I]
[I]TEAMS[/I][I]Poss-IN[/I][I]Poss-Out[/I][I]DEff-IN[/I][I]DEff-OUT[/I][I]Margin[/I]
[I]Marist[/I][I]42[/I][I]33[/I][I]0.976[/I][I]0.515[/I][I]-0.461[/I]
[I]Kansas[/I][I]64[/I][I]10[/I][I]0.797[/I][I]1.400[/I][I]0.603[/I]
[I]PennSt[/I][I]39[/I][I]28[/I][I]0.897[/I][I]0.429[/I][I]-0.469[/I]
[I]ODU[/I][I]38[/I][I]28[/I][I]0.737[/I][I]0.857[/I][I]0.120[/I]
[I]Radford[/I][I]45[/I][I]29[/I][I]0.444[/I][I]0.690[/I][I]0.245[/I]
[I]Portland[/I][I]52[/I][I]20[/I][I]0.808[/I][I]1.050[/I][I]0.242[/I]
[I]StJohns[/I][I]59[/I][I]19[/I][I]0.746[/I][I]0.789[/I][I]0.044[/I]
[I]UNC[/I][I]56[/I][I]10[/I][I]1.107[/I][I]1.000[/I][I]-0.107[/I]
[I]Indiana[/I][I]45[/I][I]25[/I][I]0.889[/I][I]1.320[/I][I]0.431[/I]
[I]Total[/I][I]440[/I][I]202[/I][I]0.825[/I][I]0.822[/I][I]-0.003[/I]

[I][B]Next three:[/B] 12/17 vs. Chattanooga, 12/20 vs. Samford, 12/22 vs. Loyola (Md.)

[/I][URL=”http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/writers/luke_winn/12/15/Syracuse.OSU/index.html”][I]Source[/I][/URL]

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