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In case you haven't heard, some forward-thinking athletic department (Stony Brook) finally woke up and hired longtime Ohio State assistant/defensive coordinator Jeff Boals to lead their men's basketball program. When Boals was hired as an assistant under Thad Matta prior to the 2009-10 season, Ohio State was not some sort of dumpster fire defensively. In fact, the Buckeyes had been good, very good, and elite defensively in the three seasons prior to Boals' hiring in spite of possessing three very different groups of personnel from 2006-09.
Here's how those three pre-Boals Ohio State teams fared defensively when measured by Ken Pomeroy's (KenPom) defensive efficiency rankings, which slots teams based on how many points per 100 possessions they surrender on an opponent-adjusted basis. (In other words, 90 is better than 95 and 95 is better than 100, etc.) I also noted where those Buckeye teams ranked in the Big Ten and nationally according to KenPom.
Season |
Adjusted Defensive Efficiency |
Big Ten Rank |
National Rank |
2008-09 |
96.7 |
6 |
64 |
2007-08 |
93.3 |
3 |
22 |
2006-07 |
91.6 |
3 |
11 |
Season |
Adjusted Defensive Efficiency |
Big Ten Rank |
National Rank |
2015-16 |
97.1 |
5 |
42 |
2014-15 |
95.0 |
3 |
37 |
2013-14 |
89.6 |
1 |
2 |
2012-13 |
89.9 |
3 |
12 |
2011-12 |
89.7 |
2 |
7 |
2010-11 |
92.1 |
1 |
16 |
2009-10 |
93.0 |
4 |
30 |
Season |
Scoring Defense |
Big Ten Rank |
National Rank |
2015-16 |
68 points per game |
7 |
77 |
2014-15 |
62.9 |
3 |
76 |
2013-14 |
59.8 |
1 |
12 |
2012-13 |
59.4 |
3 |
30 |
2011-12 |
59.8 |
3 |
18 |
2010-11 |
59.7 |
2 |
10 |
2009-10 |
61.5 |
3 |
32 |
Season |
Opponents' Field Goal % |
Big Ten Rank |
National Rank |
2015-16 |
40.4 |
4 |
37 |
2014-15 |
40.3 |
6 |
62 |
2013-14 |
40.6 |
2 |
43 |
2012-13 |
39.5 |
5 |
40 |
2011-12 |
40.7 |
3 |
47 |
2010-11 |
42.4 |
5 |
132 |
2009-10 |
41.0 |
5 |
66 |
Season |
Opponents' 3-point % |
Big Ten Rank |
National Rank |
2015-16 |
33.4 |
5 |
109 |
2014-15 |
32.2 |
3 |
71 |
2013-14 |
29.3 |
1 |
7 |
2012-13 |
32.4 |
5 |
102 |
2011-12 |
32.5 |
3 |
91 |
2010-11 |
34.0 |
5 |
162 |
2009-10 |
33.7 |
6 |
151 |