Overall Efficiency:Here are the top 10 teams in Overall Efficiency this season with strength of schedule in parentheses:
1. Gonzaga .988 (11)
2. Georgetown .988 (89)
3. North Carolina .986 (90)
4. Duke .986 (64)
5. Pittsburgh .985 (126)
6. Connecticut .977 (167)
7. Missouri .976 (235)
8. West Virginia .972 (110)
9. Clemson .970 (227)
10. Oklahoma .969 (98)
West Virginia(8) and Clemson(9) enter the top 10 in overall efficiency this week replacing Louisville(16) and Ohio State(14).
Louisville: Louisville lost to an underrated Minnesota(41) team mostly because their offense ranks only 122nd in offensive efficiency. They rank outside the top 100 in 3 of the 4 key indicators for success: Effective FG%(118), Off. Rebound %(165), & Free Throw Rate(174). So basically this tells us that Louisville shoots a poor percentage from the field, doesn't rebound those misses very well, and they aren't getting to the line enough or knocking down their free throws consistently when they do go to the charity stripe. As long as Louisville continues to struggle on offense, it won't matter that they are 1st in defensive efficiency come tournament time. They would be in danger of losing to any team that also has a solid defense.
Teams To Keep An Eye On:
Kentucky: Kentucky is a team to keep an eye on because they are in top 15 in both offensive and defensive effective FG%, which are the two most important factors to a team's success. They are also a solid rebounding team and shoot a high number of free throws, while keeping their opponents off the line. Their biggest weakness is that they are one of the worst teams at protecting the ball ranking 319th out of 344 teams in turnover percentage. Kentucky has a bad loss against VMI(184) and two acceptable losses against North Carolina(3) and Miami(33). In the W column, they have some nice wins against Kansas St.(24) and West Virginia(8). Jodie Meeks(24.8 points, 47.0% FG , 42.3% 3FG) and Patrick Patterson(19.0 points, 9.1 rebounds, 71.1% FG) form a lethal inside/outside combo for the Wildcats. The SEC is not too strong this year for the second year in a row, so I think Kentucky will be strong in conference.
Clemson: The Clemson Tigers have started off the season 12-0, with their best victories coming against Illinois(17), Miami(33), & Temple(77). Most of the rest of the schedule hasn't been too challenging and that might explain how they cracked the top 10 this week in overall efficiency. They are however 10th overall in offensive efficiency and a sold 34th in defensive efficiency. Their strengths on offense are effective FG% and offensive reb %, so they put the ball in the hoop often and when they don't, they usually get the rebound and give themselves another chance. Defensively, they are doing a great job turning other teams over and they aren't sending their opponents to the free throw line often. I'm not completely sold on them yet, but they are worth keeping an eye on to see how they perform in the ACC. Clemson is led by K.C. Rivers(14.7 points, 6.1 rebounds, 1.6 steals, 48.9% FG) and Trevor Booker(14.5 points, 9.6 rebounds, 1.3 steals, 2.5 blocks, 57.3% FG).
Players Catching Wreck:
Jodie Meeks, Kentucky: Meeks has gone absolutely berserk in his last two games dropping 46 points and 32 points in his last two games hitting an insane 17 3-pointers. It's safe to say that Meeks has really broken out in his Junior season and 24.8 points a game are 16 more per contest than last season when he averaged 8.8. Meeks is currently 5th in the nation in scoring and should lead an underrated Kentucky team back to the NCAA Tournament.
Stats: 24.8 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.6 steals, 47.0% FG , 42.3% 3FG
More: NCAA Basketball
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