From ESPN Insiders
Tournament Truths: Numbers to know for all 68 tourney teams
John GasawayESPN Insider
Each March, before I fill in my NCAA tournament bracket, I like to pause a moment and consider the most important statistic related to each of the 68 teams in the field. Sometimes it's a number recorded by an individual player or the head coach; other times, it's a collective team statistic. This March, I've found some numbers that really surprise me -- both in good and bad ways.
Here are the numbers to know for each of the field's 68 teams:
1. Kansas
Number to know: 51
The Jayhawks haven't walked off of a basketball floor in defeat for 51 days now, a rather impressive feat for a team playing in the Big 12, statistically the strongest conference in the nation. Since Bill Self solidified his rotation by starting Landen Lucas alongside Perry Ellis, the Jayhawks have been able to combine potent scoring with formidable defense in a manner that is downright KU-like.
2. North Carolina
Number to know: 1,279
During ACC regular-season play, the Tar Heels' defense allowed 1,279 points over the course of 1,276 possessions. Holding opponents to almost precisely one point per trip is a marker of very good, and I might even say Virginia-level, defense. Somehow, there arose a belief this season that UNC was inconsistent on defense or that the unit's good showing in the ACC tournament was the result of a marked improvement. The numbers suggest otherwise: UNC's defense is excellent, and it has been that way for a long while.
3. Virginia
Number to know: 83
For years, the ACC was easy to describe from high altitude: Duke and North Carolina dominated, and every other program cycled through coaches, looking for a guy who could compete with Mike Krzyzewski and Roy Williams. (Long-tenured Leonard Hamilton being the sole exception to that rule at Florida State.) In 2009, Virginia found its guy. Over the past three seasons, Tony Bennett has won 83 percent of his games in ACC play, pointedly superior to what teams in Durham (72 percent) or Chapel Hill (70 percent) can claim over that same span. Bennett has taken the Cavaliers to heights that once seemed off limits for the ACC's "other" programs.
Oregon
Numbers to know: 4 and 7
If you don't already, get to know Chris Boucher. He has a fantastic personal story, and, oh by the way, his performance on the basketball court is remarkable. In the Ducks' win at Arizona State earlier this season, the 6-foot-10 Boucher drained four 3s and blocked seven shots. He's the only player to have done that in a Division I game over the past six years. Again, get to know Boucher.
5. Michigan State
Number to know: 43.4
Not only does Michigan State shoot 3s better than any team in the nation, but the Spartans' 43.4 percent success rate from beyond the arc is the highest such number recorded by any major-conference program since at least 2002. When you combine such 3-point accuracy with characteristic Tom Izzo-brand rebounding and defense, the result is fairly extraordinary. And, needless to say, Denzel Valentine helps make this combination possible.
Tournament Truths: Numbers to know for all 68 tourney teams
Each March, before I fill in my NCAA tournament bracket, I like to pause a moment and consider the most important statistic related to each of the 68 teams in the field. Sometimes it's a number recorded by an individual player or the head coach; other times, it's a collective team statistic. This March, I've found some numbers that really surprise me -- both in good and bad ways.
Here are the numbers to know for each of the field's 68 teams:
1. Kansas
Number to know: 51
The Jayhawks haven't walked off of a basketball floor in defeat for 51 days now, a rather impressive feat for a team playing in the Big 12, statistically the strongest conference in the nation. Since Bill Self solidified his rotation by starting Landen Lucas alongside Perry Ellis, the Jayhawks have been able to combine potent scoring with formidable defense in a manner that is downright KU-like.
2. North Carolina
Number to know: 1,279
During ACC regular-season play, the Tar Heels' defense allowed 1,279 points over the course of 1,276 possessions. Holding opponents to almost precisely one point per trip is a marker of very good, and I might even say Virginia-level, defense. Somehow, there arose a belief this season that UNC was inconsistent on defense or that the unit's good showing in the ACC tournament was the result of a marked improvement. The numbers suggest otherwise: UNC's defense is excellent, and it has been that way for a long while.
3. Virginia
Number to know: 83
For years, the ACC was easy to describe from high altitude: Duke and North Carolina dominated, and every other program cycled through coaches, looking for a guy who could compete with Mike Krzyzewski and Roy Williams. (Long-tenured Leonard Hamilton being the sole exception to that rule at Florida State.) In 2009, Virginia found its guy. Over the past three seasons, Tony Bennett has won 83 percent of his games in ACC play, pointedly superior to what teams in Durham (72 percent) or Chapel Hill (70 percent) can claim over that same span. Bennett has taken the Cavaliers to heights that once seemed off limits for the ACC's "other" programs.
Oregon
Numbers to know: 4 and 7
If you don't already, get to know Chris Boucher. He has a fantastic personal story, and, oh by the way, his performance on the basketball court is remarkable. In the Ducks' win at Arizona State earlier this season, the 6-foot-10 Boucher drained four 3s and blocked seven shots. He's the only player to have done that in a Division I game over the past six years. Again, get to know Boucher.
5. Michigan State
Number to know: 43.4
Not only does Michigan State shoot 3s better than any team in the nation, but the Spartans' 43.4 percent success rate from beyond the arc is the highest such number recorded by any major-conference program since at least 2002. When you combine such 3-point accuracy with characteristic Tom Izzo-brand rebounding and defense, the result is fairly extraordinary. And, needless to say, Denzel Valentine helps make this combination possible.
