Originally Posted by
Goodfella10
I'm sure you know this already, but boxscores have a wealth of information. I use them quite frequently to analyze games and find team's strengths and weaknesses. In reference to IU/Penn St and the fact that Penn State scored 82 points, 2 things stand out to me from the boxscore. I didn't watch the game, so I have to go by the stats. 1. Fouls/Free throws - Penn State got to the line 25 times and converted 21 times. Indiana plays physical basketball and it appears that the refs decided to call the game with a tight whistle. There was also 32 free throws attempted by Indiana, which stops the clock and leads to more possessions. 2. Turnovers - Usually Penn State isn't a up and down team, but when you get 16 turnovers it leads to fastbreak opportunities and results in a faster paced game. Both of these things result in easier baskets and more points for a team that usually struggles offensively. These are also things that are very hard to predict by looking at stats beforehand, but it is really a guessing game.