Glossary

Every stat, metric, and abbreviation explained.

Efficiency Metrics
AdjOEAdjusted Offensive Efficiency

Points scored per 100 possessions, adjusted for opponent strength. Calculated by Barttorvik using game-by-game results and opponent quality.

AdjDEAdjusted Defensive Efficiency

Points allowed per 100 possessions, adjusted for opponent strength. Lower is better.

AdjEMAdjusted Efficiency Margin

AdjOE minus AdjDE. Positive means you outscore opponents on a per-possession basis after adjusting for schedule strength.

TempoTempo

Possessions per 40 minutes. Higher means faster-paced play. Calculated from game pace data.

PPPPoints Per Possession

Raw offensive output per possession, without opponent adjustment.

Opp PPPOpponent Points Per Possession

Points allowed per defensive possession. Lower is better.

Four Factors

Dean Oliver's four key factors that determine basketball success. Each has an offensive and defensive component.

eFG%Effective Field Goal %

Field goal % weighted to value 3-pointers 50% more than 2-pointers. Formula: (FGM + 0.5 * 3PM) / FGA.

TOV RateTurnover Rate

Turnovers committed per 100 possessions. Lower is better for offense, higher is better for defense.

ORB%Offensive Rebound %

Percentage of available offensive rebounds captured. Measures second-chance opportunity generation.

FT RateFree Throw Rate

Free throw attempts per field goal attempt. Measures ability to get to the free throw line.

Shooting
FG%Field Goal Percentage
3PT%Three-Point Percentage

Made 3-pointers divided by 3-point attempts.

FT%Free Throw Percentage
3PT RateThree-Point Rate

Percentage of field goal attempts taken from 3-point range. Higher means more perimeter-oriented offense.

Rim %Rim Shot %

Percentage of shots taken at the rim. Approximated from ESPN box score data.

Mid %Mid-Range Shot %

Percentage of shots taken from mid-range. Approximated from ESPN box score data.

Player Stats
PPGPoints Per Game
RPGRebounds Per Game
APGAssists Per Game
PERPlayer Efficiency Rating

Per-minute production normalized to a league average of 15. Created by John Hollinger. Sourced from Basketball Reference.

USGUsage Rate

Percentage of team possessions used by a player while on court. Measures offensive involvement.

BPMBox Plus-Minus

Estimated points per 100 possessions a player contributes above average, derived from box score stats. Sourced from Basketball Reference.

WSWin Shares

Estimated number of wins contributed by a player across the season. Sourced from Basketball Reference.

Rankings
NETNCAA Evaluation Tool

Official NCAA ranking algorithm combining team value, net efficiency, winning percentage, adjusted win percentage, and scoring margin. Used for tournament seeding.

T-RankTorvik Ranking

Barttorvik's predictive team rating system based on adjusted efficiency metrics. Derived from the Barthag metric (predicted win probability vs average D1 team).

APAssociated Press Poll

Weekly top-25 ranking voted on by a panel of sports journalists.

Team Metrics
SOSStrength of Schedule

Average quality of opponents faced, calculated from opponent efficiency ratings. Sourced from Barttorvik.

LuckLuck Rating

Actual win% minus expected win% from scoring margin. Measures close-game variance — high luck means winning more close games than expected.

ATSAgainst The Spread

Win-loss record relative to the Vegas point spread. A team that consistently beats the spread is outperforming expectations.

Assist RateAssist Rate

Percentage of made field goals that are assisted. Measures ball movement and team play.

Steal RateSteal Rate

Steals per 100 opponent possessions. Measures defensive ball-hawking ability.

Model & Predictions

How our prediction system works and what each value means on game cards.

ConfConfidence

Model's win probability, from 50% (coin flip) to 100% (near certain). Based on the margin between teams' adjusted efficiency metrics.

ModelModel Spread

Our model's predicted point spread. The team shown is the predicted favorite; the number is the expected margin of victory.

VegasVegas Spread

Sportsbook consensus point spread. The team shown is the favorite; the number is the expected margin of victory.

StyleStyle Matchup Grade

How favorable the play style matchup is (A+ to F), based on historical performance of similar archetype pairings.

ValueValue Pick

Games where our model spread differs significantly from the Vegas line, suggesting a potential betting edge.

Game Stats
Paint PointsPoints in the Paint

Average points scored inside the painted area per game. Sourced from ESPN box scores.

Fastbreak PointsFastbreak Points

Average points scored in transition per game. Sourced from ESPN box scores.

Record Categories

The NCAA quadrant system classifies wins and losses by opponent quality and game location.

Quad 1Quadrant 1 Record

Record against top-tier opponents: home vs NET 1-30, neutral vs NET 1-50, away vs NET 1-75. Most important for NCAA tournament selection.

Quad 2Quadrant 2 Record

Record against above-average opponents: home vs NET 31-75, neutral vs NET 51-100, away vs NET 76-135.

Data Sources

Where our data comes from and how often it updates.

ESPN

Game schedules, scores, team rosters, box score stats (paint points, fastbreak points, shooting splits). Updated daily.

Barttorvik

Advanced team efficiency metrics (AdjOE, AdjDE, Tempo, Four Factors), strength of schedule, luck ratings, and player advanced stats. Updated daily.

Basketball Reference

Player advanced metrics (PER, Win Shares, BPM, Usage Rate). Updated weekly.

NCAA

Official NET rankings scraped from ncaa.com. AP and Coaches Poll rankings from ESPN.

The Odds API

Vegas point spreads and over/unders from major sportsbooks. Free tier with daily updates.