EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – The first four minutes. Coaches constantly preach their importance and significance. Getting off to a good start is paramount. Getting out of the gate quickly, or poorly for that matter, is important but does not guarantee a victory, loss or what may transpire the duration of the contest.
At games covered I frequently chart the shots and possessions of both teams over the first four minutes of both halves. The “first four” can tell us a great deal. In this article we will look at two games from the past weekend and how their “first four” of the game played out.
Rhode Island defeated Fordham 90-58 at the Izod Center on Saturday. After four minutes Rhode Island held a 10-2 lead. At that point each team had seven possessions. The offensive efficiency saw URI enjoying an outstanding 143-29 edge. Jim Baron’s club did not keep up the rate; still, the final numbers were significantly in Rhody’s favor.
The final pace and efficiency:
Pace, Offensive Efficiency
Rhode Island: 75, 120
Fordham: 77, 75
Rhode Island, naturally, could not match that efficiency on offense and defense for the full 40 minutes. Regardless, their end of game efficiency, offensively and defensively, were dominant – as they were in the early going.
On Sunday Rutgers entertained West Virginia at the RAC. It was a good start for Mike Rice’s club. At the four-minute media time out, Rutgers led 6-4. They had six possessions to the seven of West Virginia. Rutgers enjoyed a 100-57 lead in offensive efficiency. The Mountaineers’ seventh possession produced their first field goal, a three-pointer. That in itself may have been a message that Bob Huggins and company would not be an easy out.
West Virginia emerged victorious 65-54 in a moderately-paced game. The numbers of primary importance:
Pace, Offensive Efficiency
West Virginia: 62, 105
Rutgers: 62, 87
As noted from the two games highlighted, the first four minutes do not guarantee the outcome. Rutgers led by two, but that advantage at the 16-minute break would not be a certainty to be kept going the full forty minutes. If anything, as previously noted, the last West Virginia possession before the four-minute cutoff, the three-point field goal, served notice the Mountaineers would be around for the duration.
On Saturday we were given a different read. Rhode Island had the 10-2 lead after four minutes and already were well on their way, never to be seriously threatened.
The team leading after the first four minutes is not assured victory. There is too much time and many factors to consider. Regardless, those early minutes are important to study. Both teams obviously want to get out and secure an upper hand early. A closer look will give us a hint on the teams’ offensive and defensive game plans. By knowing those, you get a good indication if the plan will work and if not, what adjustments will be made by both teams.
The game is forty minutes in length, sometimes longer with overtime. Yet there is simply a great deal of activity to consider and study in those initial 240 seconds of play.
