Blow outs
I was reading some articles about college basketball teams, and I came across something that struck me as odd. As you may or may not know, we're rapidly approaching the long awaited "March Madness" where 68 teams will compete for the right to be declared "National Champions."
I was reading an article on a team that is currently on a long winning streak. They didn't start particularly well, but have put it together as the season has progressed. That wasn't what got me. What caught my attention was the finishing blurb stating that this team had won several games but only by single digits - 9 points and lower.
I read that a couple of times.
Why is winning by a close margin a problem?
Why do we assume that a blow out win, let's say 15 points more, is a better indicator of a dominate or top tier program, while a win by 6 points, is a clear sign that there's leaks in the dam?
I don't see it this way. I see a team that wins by closer margins as a team that's been battled tested. They are ready for a "grind it out," every single point is a premium, game, typical of tournaments like "March Madness," or the "NIT." Sure, on paper the team winning by 15 every night looks like a clear cut favorite, but I don't know that this is always the case.
I have won and coached some races that were "horizon jobs," the rowing term for a 15 point victory. They felt great, but they really didn't tell us anything other than that day, we were really fast. But were we that fast? Did we get lucky or are we that good? Maybe the other boat had steering issues. Maybe some equipment broke. If we get pressed next time, are we going to come out on top, or are we going to fold because we've never been pressed before?
It's been said by many coaches before me, and many coaches after me, that you will learn more from a loss than a win. I firmly believe that. A win tells me very little. A loss tells me a great deal. I think the same goes into wins. A quality win is not necessarily a blow out. I think that you learn more from a close win than a "horizon job." You answer that nagging problems that keep you awake at night, and leave you pacing on the shoreline.
I'm not going to dive into the tangible and intangible things that you learn from a photo finish win. Boat mentality, athlete mentality, chemistry, etc. I could go on. I am going to say that I think there's too much of an emphasis placed on winning by large margins, that teams who have those 15 point wins are clearly the better team compared with a team winning by 6.
I don't see it that way, and truly, a win by 15 points or 6, is still a win.
I was reading an article on a team that is currently on a long winning streak. They didn't start particularly well, but have put it together as the season has progressed. That wasn't what got me. What caught my attention was the finishing blurb stating that this team had won several games but only by single digits - 9 points and lower.
I read that a couple of times.
Why is winning by a close margin a problem?
Why do we assume that a blow out win, let's say 15 points more, is a better indicator of a dominate or top tier program, while a win by 6 points, is a clear sign that there's leaks in the dam?
I don't see it this way. I see a team that wins by closer margins as a team that's been battled tested. They are ready for a "grind it out," every single point is a premium, game, typical of tournaments like "March Madness," or the "NIT." Sure, on paper the team winning by 15 every night looks like a clear cut favorite, but I don't know that this is always the case.
I have won and coached some races that were "horizon jobs," the rowing term for a 15 point victory. They felt great, but they really didn't tell us anything other than that day, we were really fast. But were we that fast? Did we get lucky or are we that good? Maybe the other boat had steering issues. Maybe some equipment broke. If we get pressed next time, are we going to come out on top, or are we going to fold because we've never been pressed before?
It's been said by many coaches before me, and many coaches after me, that you will learn more from a loss than a win. I firmly believe that. A win tells me very little. A loss tells me a great deal. I think the same goes into wins. A quality win is not necessarily a blow out. I think that you learn more from a close win than a "horizon job." You answer that nagging problems that keep you awake at night, and leave you pacing on the shoreline.
I'm not going to dive into the tangible and intangible things that you learn from a photo finish win. Boat mentality, athlete mentality, chemistry, etc. I could go on. I am going to say that I think there's too much of an emphasis placed on winning by large margins, that teams who have those 15 point wins are clearly the better team compared with a team winning by 6.
I don't see it that way, and truly, a win by 15 points or 6, is still a win.
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