This article from ESPN highlighted us as a premier passing team and a stat that leads to deep runs in March:
https://www.espn.com/mens-college-b...wo-factors-help-predict-2020-final-four-teams
https://www.espn.com/mens-college-b...wo-factors-help-predict-2020-final-four-teams
It's not you, it's us.
OK, so that's not exactly the phrase George Costanza tried to take credit for, but it's close enough. It's us as a basketball community that is the problem. Scoring is sexy. Scoring leads highlight shows. Scoring wins awards. And scoring gets you paid. It's as if we have adopted a new slogan to live by: Those that can, score, and those that can't, pass.
That's just wrong. Very wrong. I'm happy to spearhead this battle. It'll be a long war, but for now, I'm just trying to help you win your bracket. Over the past decade, the average Final Four team is recording assists on 21.1% of its buckets. During that same stretch, just three Final Four teams out of those 40 have had a player average 19 points per game. There are 16 teams in the AP Top 25 that have an assist percentage north of 21% with a leading scorer averaging less than 19 points per game, and I'm comfortable if you want to consider them all viable options. But you're not reading a March Madness article in the middle of the winter because you want a ton of teams to watch. You're reading with the hope of getting a handful of championship contenders that you want to track prior to picking them to make a serious run.
Don't worry, I got you. Over that same stretch, the past decade, the average champion has seen its leading scorer average 17.8 points a night, and I'm not in the business of shying away from data. Here are the four teams that have an assist percentage over 21%, as well as a leading scorer averaging under 19 points per game and closest to 17.8 points per game:
Prefer this set of finalists or the Final Four we worked through during Christmas week? Or a mix? It's never too early to start thinking about the bracket. There's not much time between the bracket release and when they need to be submitted, so those who get their studying in ahead of time will be in position to succeed.
Privacy PolicyRead the Latest
Most newscasters have some sort of sign-off phrase that you recognize. Writers often wrap up a piece with a witty one-liner. Researchers? We are a different breed, and I'm not the least bit sorry about it. Here is some data to take with you, to store, to bring up in a few short months when the bracket is released and you have the year's best puzzle at your fingertips waiting to be solved.
OK, so that's not exactly the phrase George Costanza tried to take credit for, but it's close enough. It's us as a basketball community that is the problem. Scoring is sexy. Scoring leads highlight shows. Scoring wins awards. And scoring gets you paid. It's as if we have adopted a new slogan to live by: Those that can, score, and those that can't, pass.
That's just wrong. Very wrong. I'm happy to spearhead this battle. It'll be a long war, but for now, I'm just trying to help you win your bracket. Over the past decade, the average Final Four team is recording assists on 21.1% of its buckets. During that same stretch, just three Final Four teams out of those 40 have had a player average 19 points per game. There are 16 teams in the AP Top 25 that have an assist percentage north of 21% with a leading scorer averaging less than 19 points per game, and I'm comfortable if you want to consider them all viable options. But you're not reading a March Madness article in the middle of the winter because you want a ton of teams to watch. You're reading with the hope of getting a handful of championship contenders that you want to track prior to picking them to make a serious run.
Don't worry, I got you. Over that same stretch, the past decade, the average champion has seen its leading scorer average 17.8 points a night, and I'm not in the business of shying away from data. Here are the four teams that have an assist percentage over 21%, as well as a leading scorer averaging under 19 points per game and closest to 17.8 points per game:
- Duke (assist percentage: 21.4%, Vernon Carey Jr.: 18.7 PPG)
- Michigan State (assist percentage: 27.1%, Cassius Winston: 17.6 PPG)
- Texas Tech (assist percentage: 21.5%, Jahmi'us Ramsey: 17.4 PPG)
- Baylor (assist percentage: 21.4%, Jared Butler: 17.6 PPG)
Prefer this set of finalists or the Final Four we worked through during Christmas week? Or a mix? It's never too early to start thinking about the bracket. There's not much time between the bracket release and when they need to be submitted, so those who get their studying in ahead of time will be in position to succeed.
Privacy PolicyRead the Latest
Most newscasters have some sort of sign-off phrase that you recognize. Writers often wrap up a piece with a witty one-liner. Researchers? We are a different breed, and I'm not the least bit sorry about it. Here is some data to take with you, to store, to bring up in a few short months when the bracket is released and you have the year's best puzzle at your fingertips waiting to be solved.
