Sweet 16 by the numbers
Mar 26, 2009
Roy Williams says Gonzaga’s numbers scare him to death - that the Zags are shooting 49 percent while allowing teams to shoot just 37 percent against them. That kind of differential is just about unheard of in Williams opinion. I didn’t just take Ole Roy’s word for it - I looked it up. Sure enough, Gonzaga is a statistical marvel.
Gonzaga has limited its opponents to just 10 offensive rebounds per game, one of the better figures among all teams in the Sweet 16. North Carolina by contrast allows more than 11 offensive boards per game. The Zags don’t foul a lot. Teams shoot fewer than 12 free throws a game against them. And Gonzaga does a respectable job of forcing turnovers-14.5 per game. That’s not as many as UNC and Duke create, but still good. On offense, Gonzaga shoots better than 39% from three with just eleven turnovers per game.
There are just a couple of areas where North Carolina outperforms Gonzaga. The Tar Heels average a whopping 13 offensive rebounds per game. And Carolina shoots and makes more free throws. The Tar Heels make 19 per game and shoot 76 percent - best by far of any teams in the Sweet 16. Only Villanova even comes close.
But will those areas be enough to offset Carolina’s deficiencies? The Heels allow teams to shoot 41 percent against them. More importantly, they allow opponents to shoot 35 percent from three-point range - that’s the worst showing among teams still alive in NCAA play. One other note about UNC vs. Gonzaga: The Zags allow teams to shoot 34 percent from three. So like Florida State, Gonzaga is difficult to score against inside, but threes are available. With Wayne Ellington’s recent surge, North Carolina ranks third among Sweet 16 teams in three point shooting. Gonzaga and Arizona, however, are better.
Here are some other interesting Sweet 16 stats:
Connecticut, with Hashim Thabeet, averages almost eight blocked shots per game, far more than any other Sweet 16 team.
Duke, despite its reputation for defense, allows teams to shoot 43 percent! Only Arizona is worse. Duke compensates for this by forcing more than 16 turnovers per game (second only to Missouri), and allowing just 9 offensive rebounds per game. Only Pittsburgh and Memphis do a better job in that category.
Syracuse, with its famous zone, is holding teams to a phenomenal 29 percent from beyond the arc. And teams don’t shoot very well inside against the Orange either - barely 40 percent.
Missouri, with its frenetic press, forces 18 turnovers per game.
Memphis has the best overall defensive performance. The Tigers let teams shoot just 36 percent from the floor (No. 1) and 30 percent from three (second only to Syracuse). Memphis forces 15 turnovers per game while committing only 18 fouls per game. It’s tough to get points against the Tigers (57 per game).
Arizona, along with Gonzaga, leads Sweet Sixteen teams in three point shooting-better than 39 percent.
Oklahoma is the top shooting team over all, nosing out Gonzaga by .1 percent. The Sooners are hitting 49.1 percent from the field.
And finally, if this NCAA Tournament comes down to free-throw shooting, Louisville and Syracuse are in trouble. Both teams shoot less than 65 percent from the line. Connecticut, Pitt, Oklahoma, and Missouri are also well under 70 percent.
