It's a pay article (their site is TOTALLY worth it, you'll get smarter by reading their articles), but here is a great excerpt from their preview regarding our defense:

http://www.basketballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=1528

What allowed Gonzaga to turn around this season? There are a variety of explanations, including health and personnel, but the simplest is the Zags' in-season improvement at the defensive end of the floor. As Gasaway has noted, this is the first Few team in recent memory and maybe ever that has won primarily with defense. Gonzaga is still nothing special when it comes to defending the three-point line (a challenge in a conference loaded with shooters), but makes up for it by stifling opponents in the paint. During conference play, teams shot just 40.7 percent inside the arc. For the season, the Bulldogs are top-10 in the country when it comes to stopping two-point attempts. With 7-footer Robert Sacre in the middle and another big man alongside him, Gonzaga's length makes life difficult for both post players and guards driving the paint.

Required reading for anyone interested in furthering their understanding of basketball (both NBA and college):

http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/miamiheat/post/_/id/4548/the-heat-stats-glossary

These “advanced” stats are grounded in solid basketball theory, not in abstract mathematics. It's worth keeping in mind that some advanced statistics are invented by analysts who played professional or collegiate ball and wanted to improve the way we look at the game.

If you're interested to learn more about the basketball metrics that analysts are using these days (including yours truly), here's a little handbook to use as a guide.

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