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Individual Stat Leaders

12.18.05

I’m getting a little closer to posting some of the more exotic individual stats on a regular basis. For now, here are some of the national leaders (through Saturday). I’ve required one to play in 40% of his team’s minutes to qualify. For shooting stats, a player needs to average four FGAs per game. Stats against non-D1 teams don’t count.

Best Offensive Rebounder: Jason Cain of Virginia is grabbing 20.3% of his own team’s missed shots - even after getting shut out against Gonzaga on Saturday. Eventual leader Joey Dorsey of Memphis currently sits 10th nationally (18.9%).

Best Defensive Rebounder: Aaron Gray of Pitt is hauling in 31.9% of his opponents missed shots while he is on the court. He’s averaging double-digit rebounds in only 24.9 mpg. Granted, against weak competition.

Biggest Ballhog: Jose Juan Barea uses 37.8% of Northeastern’s possessions while he is on the court.

Biggest Gunner: Rodney Stuckey takes 39.4% of Eastern Washington’s shots while he is on the court.

Best Shotblocker: A two-man race between Northeastern’s Shawn James (blocks 21.3% of opponents’ two-point shots) and Wyoming’s Justin Williams (21.1%). Pearson Griffith of Murray State is in third at 18.8%.

Best Thief: Charlie White of Jackson State is getting steals on 10.2% of opponents’ possessions.

Best FT Rate (100*FTA/FGA): Evansville’s Matt Webster has shot 68 free throws compared to 57 field goals for a 119.3 FT Rate.

Best Shooter: Ohio State’s Je’Kel Foster owns a 87.7 eFG% (42 of 61 overall, 23 of 38 on threes).

Ironman Award: Marist point guard Jared Jordan has played 97.1% (272 of 280) of his team’s minutes.

Friday

                           FG    3pt  FT   Reb
                      Min  M-A   M-A  M-A  O-T   A F S TO BLK Pts
Paul Davis             34  9-11  0-0  6-7  2-11  1 3 0  3  1   24
Result: Win. Michigan St. 83, Cleveland St. 75.

Not too much longer until it’s fair to say Michigan State ‘06 = Gonzaga ‘05. Unstoppable offense, pathetic defense.

Saturday

                           FG    3pt  FT   Reb
                      Min  M-A   M-A  M-A  O-T   A F S TO BLK Pts
Derek Coleman          34  9-15  6-7  7-8  0-5   6 3 0  2  0   31
Result: Win. Robert Morris 97, Charleston Southern 85.

Sunday

                           FG    3pt  FT   Reb
                      Min  M-A   M-A  M-A  O-T   A F S TO BLK Pts
Steven Smith           59 17-27  3-5  4-5  2-11  6 3 3  4  1   41
Result: Win. La Salle 107, Central Connecticut 106 (4OT).

When I saw La Salle scored 107, I thought for sure Smith would have 50.

More Scoreless Material

12.16.05

Thanks to some reader e-mail, I can begin work on the history of great scoreless streaks in college hoops. Illinois fans were quick to point out that their team blanked Northwestern for the first 15:13 of a February 19, 2000 game at Welsh Ryan. And Duke fans insisted I point out that the NCAA Record Book is about as accurate as Wikipedia, as Dean Smith four-cornered his UNC team into a scoreless first half of a 1979 game at Cameron Indoor.

The information regarding the longest scoreless streak is the second inaccuracy we’ve found in the Record Book. You’ll recall the bogus “final regular season poll” data much referenced by media outlets last April.

Line o’ the Night

                           FG    3pt  FT   Reb
                      Min  M-A   M-A  M-A  O-T   A F S TO BLK Pts
Solomon Jones          40  7-11  0-0  3-3  4-15  2 4 1  3  6   17
Result: Win. South Florida 62, Florida Atlantic 44.

Larry Eustachy, Meet Joe Scott

12.15.05

Suddenly those awful offensive games by Southern Miss don’t appear to be so bad. Last night, Princeton tied the record for fewest points scored by a Division I team in the “modern era” (since the three-point line was introduced) in a 41-21 loss to Monmouth. Princeton, who regularly is among the best at passing the ball, recorded two assists on their nine made field goals for the game. The game’s 62 total points easily broke the modern-era record for combined offensive crappiness. The previous record was 67.

The Tigers went scoreless over a span of 14:52 in the second half. According to the NCAA Record Book, a school called Columbus owns this record by going scoreless for 15:33 in a 1984 game against UMass. Of course that was pre-shot clock, and Columbus wasn’t D1, so that record is somewhat tainted. Unlike some of the other records listed, the NCAA does not indicate what the longest scoreless streak has been since inception of the shot clock, but you have to think Princeton has a good chance of owning it.