X's and Joe's

In Episode 3 of Xs and Joes, Mike Wiemuth (iu-in-philly) and Bob Moats (cbobmoats) dive into what makes for good roster construction and analyze a few of this season's rosters from across the country.

In this episode ...

Segment 1: A High Performing Roster: A simple yet very difficult thing to do.

1) Follow the Shoe/Follow the Gourd: How do we, oftentimes, miss the point of Rankin/Bass by thinking that “misfits” have clear, binary paths?

2) The Sweet Spot Performance Curve: Why are OADs better than most other freshmen but are, usually, not as good as Sweet Spot Upperclassmen? (Charts)

3) The only thing that matters...is it working? Can the Good, the Bad and the Ugly basically be the same thing?

Segment 2: Model Rosters: Who they are and how are they performing

1) UConn: Could they be the last to “do it this way”? What the model program actually looks like. (Team Sheets)

2) Kentucky: Is this your dad’s UK team? How shooting has changed some things in Lexington.

3) Michigan State: Can you blame players for “effort” or is there shared responsibility here? The parts can be greater than the sum.

Segment 3: Misfit Rosters: What are they trying to do and how are they doing it?

1) Purdue: Can a true system-scoring-based team actually achieve at the highest level? Just how much can you exponentially increase the sum of the parts.

2) Houston: Will they continue to stifle in the toughest conference in D1? Small ball and lockdown faces a great overall test.

3) Indiana: Do they have what it takes to get somewhere? Is the gun loaded or do they need a shovel?

Segment 4: Results

You will not win a National Title, a Conference Title or even gain a tournament berth in the first half of the season, but you certainly can lose one. Where do you need to be at the end?

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In Episode 2 of Xs and Joes, Mike Wiemuth (iu-in-philly) and Bob Moats (cbobmoats) dive into what really creates momentum -- and possibly even stability -- for new coaches.

As usual, when you take a peek under the hood, the factors lead that lead to success or failure may not quite be what you assume.

In this episode ...

Segment One: There are very few happy endings for college coaches

1. How do Mob Movies (Godfather and Scorsese Trilogy) help explain eventual outcomes for college coaches?
2. Job Stability in Coaching: An Oxymoron (Chart)
3. Convening the College of the Cardinals and Getting to White Smoke: Crean to Woodson

Segment Two: The Honeymoon Phase- What Are Danger Signs A Program May Need A Divorce Lawyer Sooner Rather Than Later?

1. Getting The Right Pieces In Place- Assistant Coaches and the First Three Classes
2. Get Kids Then Win Over Fans- What Role Does Style of Play Play
3. Can Early Winning Cause Problems Later On?

Segment Three: Your Chipstack- What does your stake look like?

• All Programs Are Not Created Equally- Some Places Are Higher Risk/Higher Reward
• Whiffs and Losses- Keeping Fans Engaged During The Transition
• The Payoff aka The Extension Season- What Does It Look Like?

Segment Four: The Crown Lies Uneasy on the Heads of Mob Bosses and College Coaches: If You Think Getting To The Top Was Tough...Try Staying There

To view the visuals used in this episode, click here to download the PDF. (Images arranged in order of how they are displayed and discussed in the episode.)

URL: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1jtVnG5B6O4xINOkNTTX9Q8YM4m8lJr5H/view?usp=sharing

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In Episode 1 of Xs and Joes, Mike and Bob provide the backstory on their decades-long research project and conversation trying to identify what it takes to build a winner in college basketball. Then they jump right into exploring one of the Big Questions they've been wrestling with since 1996.

Here's the outline for the episode:

Segment One: The Conversation at 7th and Washington that launched the primary question.

1) Dec. 7th, 1996...A Date That Lives In Infamy.

2) Comparing the two teams

3) The Initial Findings: Talent does matter, and IU was quite talented in their heyday

Segment Two: The Hoosiers Mythos: The movie is not a documentary.

1) Mike's Process: How Excel aggregated the paradigm?

2) Elements of Winning Programs: Two Good Examples and Butler.

3) "Convincing" the Barbershop

Segment Three: Is talent enough?

1) 2015: Wisconsin Saves the 1976 Legacy

2) The Tobacco Road Scrolls: Dean Smith on System vs Flexible Coaching

3) What this means for IU right now? Can Woodson get "buy in"?

Segment Four: 1996-97 Season Epilogue

1) A Trip to Tobacco Road, A Disaster, and An Open Practice: recognizing just how special the sauce has to be.

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In this short trailer, you'll get a taste for what X's and Joe's, hosted by Mike Wiemuth (iu-in-philly) and Bob Moats (cbobmoats), is all about.

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On this edition of Xs & Joes, Bob and Mike turn their attention to the transfer portal. They discuss some misconceptions and myths, how it’s impacting the Sweet Spot, what we’re learning about the best way to balance portal recruiting and high school recruiting, and much more.

Segment 1: Why Would a Kid Want to Leave “My School”?

1. Misconceptions and Myths- Things Aren’t Always What They Appear To Be
2. Current State of The Portal in Summer 2024- Overviews of Where Things Are
3. Applying Metrics to Players To Estimate Impact- We’re Going to Talk BPM (Slides 1-2)
4. And more.

Segment 2: What are some of the early findings with the Portal?

1. How is The Portal impacting the “Sweet Spot”? (Slides 3-4)
2. When is The Portal a proactive choice or a reactive decision? (Slide 5)
3. What is the best path for an incoming coach? (Slide 5)

Segment 3 and Wrap Up

• Summer Deeper Digs: How Can You Help?
• Plus, More Fun Stuff Coming...

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