Fun facts

[CappyNU]

This season, the 'Cats have allowed exactly one team to shoot 50% or higher from 2-point range.

It's not Butler
It's not Texas
It's not ND
It's not Wake
It's not Dayton

It's Eastern Washington. They shot 54% against us from 2-point range. No other team has cracked 44% against us. Bodes well for conference play if we can keep it up.

Additional bonus fun fact: We are currently 2nd in the country in blocked shot %, blocking 18.8% of opponents' shots thus far led by Skelly, Pardon and Benson. Our previous high in the Kenpom era was 12.2% in 2010, with Mirkovic, Shurna and Crawford leading the way.

 

[Medill90]

Good stuff

 

[NUCat320]

The stat on block percentage is just insane. That's a stat that I always associate with ultra athletic teams. When advanced basketball stats first came under discussion, I recall that Connecticut and Michigan State were always the teams at the top of the list.

 

[CappyNU]

Coincidentally, Houston Baptist is dead last in the country at blocked shots.

 

[Kelly_32]

Coincidentally, Houston Baptist is dead last in the country at blocked shots.

They also give up 82 points a game. We are scoring 100+ tonight.

 

[VirginiaWildcat]

They also give up 82 points a game. We are scoring 100+ tonight.

I wouldn't bank on it...but I'll freely and happily admit it if I'm wrong...

 

[DaCat]

Since we do most of the heavy lifting these days in the first half, if we don't have 70 by halftime, we won't hit 100+ for the game.

 

[elgatoloco]

The stat on block percentage is just insane. That's a stat that I always associate with ultra athletic teams. When advanced basketball stats first came under discussion, I recall that Connecticut and Michigan State were always the teams at the top of the list.

It's a great stat, but I'd like to know how many of the blocked shots result in additional shots by the opponent (because of swatting the ball out of bounds, for example) versus rebounded by the defense. One reason Tim Duncan was such an effective shot blocker was that he kept the ball in bounds and sometimes tipped it to a teammate. Such stats do exist at the NBA level; not sure about college.

 

[mikewebb68]

Coincidentally, Houston Baptist is dead last in the country at blocked shots.

With a 6-11 starting center, this is quite an accomplishment....

 

[DaCat]

Not all 6-11 centers are created equally. Which hopefully bodes well for NU tonight.

 

[mikewebb68]

Not all 6-11 centers are created equally. Which hopefully bodes well for NU tonight.

Yeah he averages 10 ppg, but Houston Baptist is one of our few noncon opponents I have not seen play, so I have no clue.

 

[NJCat]

Yeah he averages 10 ppg, but Houston Baptist is one of our few noncon opponents I have not seen play, so I have no clue.

I watched a few minutes of them playing Indiana. They aren't terrible. If NU plays their normal defense Cats win.

 

[Kelly_32]

They also give up 82 points a game. We are scoring 100+ tonight.

Never mind. We may not hit 50.

 

[NJCat]

Never mind. We may not hit 50.

Barely over 70.......