Mar 22, 2015; Charlotte, NC, USA; Duke Blue Devils forward Justise Winslow (12) shoots the ball against San Diego State Aztecs forward Angelo Chol (3) during the first half in the third round of the 2015 NCAA Tournament at Time Warner Cable Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
As the second day of the Elite 8 is upon us many traditional powers like Duke, Louisville, Michigan State and UCLA prepare to get one step closer to yet another Final Four appearance next weekend in Indianapolis. As all sports fans know, the difference between winning and losing a tournament game is razor thin and any edge you can achieve over your opponent is invaluable in the quest to stay alive in the single-elimination NCAA Tournament.
Traditionally, many basketball programs employ video staffs that can assemble clips for the coaching staff to study their next opponent and key players, but Synergy Sports has taken this standard process and made it more efficient for the coaching and support staffs.
Synergy boasts an enormous college and professional basketball video library and arms coaches with advanced data combined with film analysis to get any edge on their opponent. While the Arizona Wildcats were able to hold off the Xavier Musketeers last night to earn a berth to the Sweet 16, they probably knew going in that double-teaming Xavier center Matt Stainbrook was a very risky idea:
While Stainbrook still had a very good game against the Wildcats, scoring 17 points, it seemed like double teams in the post come very infrequently for a talented post player in college basketball. It would be interesting to see the Synergy Data!
Here is an example from the University of Arizona communications office, which recently did a profile on Synergy’s capabilities for the Wildcat basketball team:
Synergy Co-Founder Scott Mossman also told Arizona how they get their footage and increase the efficiency for coaching staffs.
Mossman went on to describe a specific example of how thorough this data is and how much time it can save.
In a format like the NCAA Tournament, this kind of efficiency is invaluable. For teams that are fortunate enough to make it to the Second Round and Elite 8, there is often less than 48 hours to prepare a game plan. With Synergy’s services, teams can now have full statistical and video breakdowns within minutes of learning their next opponent.
