Hoops Nerd

On Hoops Nerd Christmas (also known as The Release Date)...

Clash of the Titans (the matchup between two teams with the highest combined Hoops Nerd Rating): there are no shortage of places to read up on UCLA's (+19.2) comeback victory over Michigan St. (+22.2) - mostly with glowing reviews of Kevin Love's performance - but it's important to note that he did commit five turnovers and had an effective field goal percentage of 40%. Possessions are the currency in basketball, and while we are quick to laud a players for converting them into points (hitting shots) or retaining them (offensive rebounding), sometimes we overlook a player's careless inefficiency in squandering (missing shots) or relinquishing (turning the ball over) possessions. That is: it was a great game by Love (particularly in drawing fouls), but there is still work to do on the efficiency front.

The Poison Cupcake (the night's biggest upset): in a night of relatively few upsets, the most prolific was Towson's win - as a four point underdog - over Samford. There have been multiple significant upsets virtually every night up until last. If there are fewer upsets as the season progresses, does that simply mean that odds-makers are getting better at identifying which teams ought to be favored? Or does being favored affect the outcome itself? Only at Hoops Nerd do we talk about this kind of stuff... I mean, when was the last time Andy Katz or Dick Vitale* invoked Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle?
*"It's existential BABY!!!"

Superman Wears Eric Gordon Pajamas (the night's top performer): Indiana's freshman Guard makes the first of what could be many appearances in this space. The context-adjusted stats:

Eric Gordon 11/20 vs. UNC Wilmington
Effective Field Goal Percentage: 75.0
Free Throw Rate: 100.0
Assists per 100 Possessions: 9.1
Turnovers per 100 Possessions: 3.0