Basically I was curious as to how often VU even had leads during the course of the SEC season. TO start they played 765 overall minutes this year with 380 minutes in the first and second halves and 5 minutes of OT.
Overall: 147 minutes and 45 seconds (19.3%)
First Half: 107 minutes and 26 seconds (28.3%)
Second Half/OT: 40 minutes and 19 seconds (10.5%)
Home Games Overall: 73 minutes and 23 seconds (20.1%)
Home 1st Half: 39 minutes and 3 seconds (21.7%)
Home 2nd Half/OT: 34 minutes and 20 seconds (18.6%)
Away/Neutral Games: 74 minutes and 22 seconds (18.6%)
Away First Half: 68 minutes and 23 seconds (34.2%)
Away Second Half: 5 minutes and 59 seconds (3%)
January Overall: 84 minutes and 26 second (29.7%)
January First Half: 49 minutes and 32 seconds (35.3%)
January Second Half/OT: 34 minutes and 54 seconds (24.1%)
February Overall: 30 minutes and 27 seconds (9.5%)
February First Half: 26 minutes and 51 seconds (16.8%)
February Second Half: 3 minutes and 36 seconds (2.3%)
March Overall: 32 minutes and 52 seconds (20.6%)
March First Half: 31 minutes and 3 seconds (38.9%)
March Second Half: 1 minute and 49 seconds (2.3%)
2nd Half of last 13 games (since UT game): 5 minutes and 25 seconds (2.1%)
Average points per game in SEC play: 59.5 ppg
Games where VU had a lead with under 5 minutes to play: 3
My point is that while the amount of time you lead in a ball game doesn't equate to "Being close", in my opinion if you don't really ever had a lead late in the game or in the 2nd half, you don't have an actual chance of winning. It is very rare to be down the entire came and just take the lead with a few seconds to go and win (that didn't happen to this team though).
To me these stats show that as the year went on, this team was not even close/competitive in the second half of games. For instance they had 5 minutes and 25 seconds of leads in the 2nd half of the last 13 games, Texas A&M led for more game time in the first 6 minutes of the game last night. The score of some games might have ended in single digits but this team was not close to winning a game in the last 13 games except for the Arkansas. On the year the team only had a lead in the last 5 minutes of the game three times so maybe the argument can be made this team was close to being 3-16, not a great argument to have.
I realize that some people will say lead times are pointless in telling the true story of a game, which can be true to some extent and is your opinion, but I know that in order to win a game a team must have a lead late in the game, something this team did not do much of the entire SEC season.
Overall: 147 minutes and 45 seconds (19.3%)
First Half: 107 minutes and 26 seconds (28.3%)
Second Half/OT: 40 minutes and 19 seconds (10.5%)
Home Games Overall: 73 minutes and 23 seconds (20.1%)
Home 1st Half: 39 minutes and 3 seconds (21.7%)
Home 2nd Half/OT: 34 minutes and 20 seconds (18.6%)
Away/Neutral Games: 74 minutes and 22 seconds (18.6%)
Away First Half: 68 minutes and 23 seconds (34.2%)
Away Second Half: 5 minutes and 59 seconds (3%)
January Overall: 84 minutes and 26 second (29.7%)
January First Half: 49 minutes and 32 seconds (35.3%)
January Second Half/OT: 34 minutes and 54 seconds (24.1%)
February Overall: 30 minutes and 27 seconds (9.5%)
February First Half: 26 minutes and 51 seconds (16.8%)
February Second Half: 3 minutes and 36 seconds (2.3%)
March Overall: 32 minutes and 52 seconds (20.6%)
March First Half: 31 minutes and 3 seconds (38.9%)
March Second Half: 1 minute and 49 seconds (2.3%)
2nd Half of last 13 games (since UT game): 5 minutes and 25 seconds (2.1%)
Average points per game in SEC play: 59.5 ppg
Games where VU had a lead with under 5 minutes to play: 3
My point is that while the amount of time you lead in a ball game doesn't equate to "Being close", in my opinion if you don't really ever had a lead late in the game or in the 2nd half, you don't have an actual chance of winning. It is very rare to be down the entire came and just take the lead with a few seconds to go and win (that didn't happen to this team though).
To me these stats show that as the year went on, this team was not even close/competitive in the second half of games. For instance they had 5 minutes and 25 seconds of leads in the 2nd half of the last 13 games, Texas A&M led for more game time in the first 6 minutes of the game last night. The score of some games might have ended in single digits but this team was not close to winning a game in the last 13 games except for the Arkansas. On the year the team only had a lead in the last 5 minutes of the game three times so maybe the argument can be made this team was close to being 3-16, not a great argument to have.
I realize that some people will say lead times are pointless in telling the true story of a game, which can be true to some extent and is your opinion, but I know that in order to win a game a team must have a lead late in the game, something this team did not do much of the entire SEC season.
