The Don coach who could save LSU basketball

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If Todd Golden’s style of play is reminiscent of one team in particular, that team would be Auburn. Golden’s Dons fly up and down the floor and rank 86th in adjusted tempo. They let ‘em rip behind the arc, sitting 42nd in 3-point attempts rate. They are currently ranked top 50 in offensive FG% thanks in large part to their efficacy inside the arc, covering a 54.2 percent clip that ranks 37th in Division I. They are lethal in transition, averaging 1.19 points per possession. They rely heavily on spot up attempts, shots out of ball screen actions and hand offs. Unlike many modern offenses where outside shots come purely off of catch and shoot opportunities, San Francisco is more than happy for 3-point attempts to come off of pull ups, much like Auburn.

Defensively, the Dons may be even better. They rank 18th nationally in adjusted defensive efficiency per Pomeroy. They are extremely effective at preventing three point shots from being attempted. They rank 17th in allowing the fewest 3 point field goals per field goal attempted. This leads to a low volume and low quality of opponents looks from outside. They also do a very good job of cleaning the glass to disallow second chance opportunities.

On a larger scale, Golden prides himself as an analytics nut. This should be of little surprise considering his time spent under Kyle Smith. A recent piece in The Athletic delved into how Golden’s data-driven approach forms his game to game strategy as well as his program strategy. Golden has mined the transfer portal using these strategies to help his program compete with his mentor at St. Mary’s and the elephant in the room, the behemoth in Spokane.

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