One of the strengths of the Total Impact Quotient is that it quantifies a player’s complete contribution to a team’s points during a full 40 minutes.
That includes a variety of measures: points scored, points contributed through assists, points prevented by blocks or steals, points lost through turnovers, etc. After we gather a whole slew of statistics, we divide by the minutes logged by a player and multiply by 40 to boil all those numbers down to a nice, neat product for 40 minutes of action.
As a result, a reserve player who plays few minutes but scores points, shoots well and collects rebounds could have a higher TIQ than a player who scores more points and plays more minutes.
And then there’s Vanderbilt’s Joe Duffy.
Duffy is the type of statistical anomaly that epitomizes the term “outlier.” His TIQ is 46.8 through the Commodores’ nine games. If he finished the season with that rating, he’d more than double the best previous TIQ of any major conference player from 2009-10 or 2o10-11. However, that rating is jacked up because Duffy has been ruthlessly effective in the nine total minutes that he has logged in four games against Presbyterian, Grambling State, Appalachian State and Western Kentucky.
A senior from Charlotte, N.C., Duffy doesn’t just help Vanderbilt mop up opponents in garbage time, he waxes the floor with them. Duffy is a perfect 6-of-6 from the field, including 2-of-2 from three-point range. He has 18 points, two offensive rebounds and no turnovers in his limited action. The only blemish on Duffy’s line is three missed free throws in seven attempts.
It’s highly unlikely that Duffy could maintain that performance in extended minutes. And his limited playing time precludes him from qualifying for our rankings —we look for players who play at least seven or eight minutes per game. With an upcoming home date against Southeast Louisiana, there’s a good chance that Duffy will get another opportunity to make his impact on the court.
