The Most Impressive Statistics in College Basketball from 2014-15

Statistics often get overlooked in college basketball.

That’s not to say they aren’t important or never get discussed, but the sport doesn’t have millions of people playing fantasy versions like professional football and baseball do. What’s more, the most important part of the season is the tournament when people fill out brackets based on teams, not individual stars.

It is one of the few remaining sports in which the name on the front of the jersey is always more important than the one on the back.

However, just because statistics often get overlooked in college basketball doesn’t mean there aren’t some impressive ones this season. With that in mind, here is a look at the most notable stats thus far in the 2014-15 campaign.

The factors considered when selecting these stats were national leader boards, how much better they were in relation to other players in that specific category and how important the statistic is to winning games, among others. 

All advanced statistics are courtesy of Sports-Reference.com.

Tyler Harvey, Eastern Washington: 23.4 Points Per Game

Fred Beckham/Associated Press

It almost feels mandatory to start off a list like this with the nation’s leading scorer.

Tyler Harvey may not be on the radar of many college basketball fans because he plays at Eastern Washington, but he has carried the Eagles to an impressive 16-5 mark with lethal three-point shooting and the ability to attack the basket off the dribble.

He has scored more than 30 points in four different games, including a 39-point outburst against Weber State. However, his biggest performance, given the magnitude of the stage and the result, was his 25-point display in Eastern Washington’s victory at Indiana.

Kendall Gray, Delaware State: 13 Rebounds Per Game

Just like the scoring, this list wouldn’t be complete without the nation’s leading rebounder.

Kendall Gray has dominated play in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference for Delaware State and has nine consecutive games with double-digit rebounding numbers, including two different contests in which he topped 20 boards.

Gray has 13 double-doubles this season and is an absolute monster on the glass. It’s unfortunate he likely won’t get the chance to show off his rebounding skills to the nation at large in the NCAA tournament.

Robert Upshaw, Washington: 4.5 Blocks Per Game

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Outside of a rim-rattling dunk, there may not be another play in college basketball that fires up the home crowd more than a swatted shot.

Robert Upshaw had done that better than anyone in college basketball for the Washington Huskies and had an incredible 14 games with at least four blocks. The only problem is he was dismissed from the Washington program after he violated team rules.

That is a major blow to both Washington’s tournament hopes this season and Upshaw’s dreams of ever reaching the NBA as a shot-blocking machine.

Domantas Sabonis, Gonzaga: 71.8 Field-Goal Percentage

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Domantas Sabonis is making a ridiculous 71.8 percent of the shots he takes from the field. There are plenty of players in college basketball who can’t even shoot that clip from the free-throw line, let alone when there are defenders draped all over them in the open floor.

Sabonis (who happens to be Arvydas Sabonis’ son) is only a freshman for Gonzaga, but he has made an immediate impact as one of the first players off the bench. He provides instant offense and contributes on the boards every night.

The Bulldogs are going to need him if they hope to parlay their high ranking into a Final Four appearance this season.

Briante Weber, VCU: 3.9 Steals Per Game

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Every season-ending injury is devastating in college basketball, but VCU lost a critical cog in Briante Weber.

He dominated on the defensive side of the ball for the havoc-creating Rams defense and racked up a ridiculous 3.9 steals per game. The combination of his athleticism and lateral quickness was too much for opposing guards to deal with for 40 minutes.

VCU coach Shaka Smart discussed where his team will turn next, via Dana O’Neil of ESPN.com:

"

Well, we're not gonna play zone for 40 minutes, I know that much. We'll try to be who we are, but at the same time, Bri was a big part of who we are. To think losing him will have no impact would be a little naive, but at the same time we're not going to reinvent the wheel.

"

Weber, a senior, tore his ACL, MCL and meniscus in a loss to Richmond on Saturday.

Derrick Marks, Boise State: 53.8 Three-Point Shooting Percentage

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Nobody in the country has shot three-pointers at a higher clip than Boise State’s Derrick Marks, and the senior certainly hopes he can find some NCAA tournament success this year behind that shooting stroke.

Marks has been playing his best basketball of late and scored at least 28 points in five of the past seven games, including two 31-point efforts.

Three-point shooting is always the great equalizer in college basketball when it comes to underdogs in the tournament, which is why some of the nation’s best teams should be aware of Boise State.

Marc Loving, Ohio State: 53.2 Three-Point Shooting Percentage

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Marc Loving also makes this list for his proficiency from behind the three-point line because of the various defenses he has done it against.

Ohio State plays in the physically grueling Big Ten that features some of the best defenses in the nation, and all Loving has done is hit 53.2 percent of his long-range shots (he was a perfect 5-of-5 against Maryland in his last game). He did it out of conference as well, shooting a combined 7-of-11 from behind the three-point line against Louisville and North Carolina.

While Marks’ numbers are impressive, there is something to be said for shooting like Loving has against strong defenses.

Riley Grabau, Wyoming: 94.1 Free-Throw Percentage

Free-throw shooting, much like kicking in football, is the one part of the game that is overlooked until players start missing. The problem in college basketball is that far too many guys miss those shots with the game on the line.

Wyoming doesn’t have to worry about that with the nation’s leader in free-throw percentage, Riley Grabau.

Grabau isn’t a huge scorer (8.9 points, 3.2 free-throw attempts per contest), but the 18-4 Cowboys have certainly benefited from his cool demeanor at the line. There is something to be said for having that type of weapon on the roster.

Gonzaga: 52.8 Field-Goal Percentage as Team

Young Kwak/Associated Press

I already mentioned Sabonis’ ridiculous shooting clip from the field, but the fact his team is hitting better than 52 percent of its shots is terrifying for opponents.

There is a reason Gonzaga is 22-1 and No. 2 in the country. This team is ruthlessly efficient on the offensive side and makes opponents pay if they allow even a glimpse of daylight for the shooters. The Bulldogs’ only loss was an overtime thriller at Arizona, and they are likely headed toward a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament.

It will be difficult for anybody to beat Gonzaga if it continues to shoot like this into March.

UC Davis: 45.3 Three-Point Shooting Percentage as Team

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The difference between first and second place when it comes to three-point shooting for a team is what makes UC Davis’ 45.3 percent mark so impressive.

There is a 3.1 percent gap between UC Davis and second-place Idaho (42.2 percent), which is larger than the difference between Idaho and 28th-ranked North Florida (39.2 percent).

All UC Davis does is chuck up three-pointers and make them, which makes the 16-4 Aggies a potentially dangerous underdog come March Madness.

West Virginia: 12.43 Steals Per Game as Team

Alonzo Adams/Associated Press

While teams like VCU get credit for stifling defense, and rightly so, West Virginia has quietly racked up the most steals per game in the nation at 12.43.

That is almost an unfair number that can certainly make the difference in a game that is so dependent on possession and converting on scoring opportunities. Opponents can’t score against West Virginia if they can’t even get a shot off.

The Mountaineers are almost a full two steals ahead of the second-place team, Minnesota (10.57), which is a bigger difference than the gap between the Golden Gophers and 12th-place VMI (8.82).

Mike Myers, Maryland-Eastern Shore: 215 Free-Throw Attempts

Laurence Kesterson/Associated Press

Nobody draws fouls better than Maryland-Eastern Shore’s Mike Myers.

While he is only converting 63.3 percent of his free throws, Myers deserves credit for getting to the line nine times per game. It is almost a guarantee that he will put the opponent in foul trouble, which gives his team a much better chance to win down the stretch in the penalty.

Myers went to the free-throw line 10 times or more in his last four games and six of the past eight contests, which means he is only getting better at drawing fouls as the season progresses.

Rico Gathers, Baylor: 115 Offensive Rebounds

Tony Gutierrez/Associated Press

Nobody in the country has more total offensive rebounds than Baylor’s Rico Gathers, which is one reason why the Bears are an impressive 16-5 and in the Top 25.

Offensive rebounds create easy opportunities at the basket on the offensive end, and they also serve to frustrate the opposition. A frustrated opposition often plays outside of its comfort zone and forces up bad shots at the other end or commits needless fouls.

Those add up over the course of a 40-minute game.

Jesse Reed/Darius Gardner, American: 39.2 and 39 Minutes Per Game

Robin Scholz/Associated Press

Darius Gardner on defense.

Teammates Jesse Reed and Darius Gardner lead the nation in minutes per game, which deserves plenty of recognition.

The starting backcourt for American rarely comes off the court and has redefined the notion of ironmen in the Patriot League. While the Eagles are only 12-10 on the season and would have to win their conference tournament to reach the Big Dance, the two guards have certainly done their part this season.

Frank Kaminsky, Wisconsin: 35 Player Efficiency Rating

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Frank Kaminsky became a household name during Wisconsin’s run to the Final Four last season, but he has been overshadowed by others players like Jahlil Okafor and half of Kentucky’s roster in the early going this season.

Kaminsky may be quietly doing his thing in Wisconsin, but there hasn’t been a player in the nation who has put up a higher player efficiency rating than the Badgers' big man.

This number basically combines the player’s positive and negative accomplishments and boils them down to a per-minute rating of performance that goes beyond just the raw box score. Kaminsky won’t be overlooked in March if he continues to play at this level on his way to another Final Four.

Evan Bradds, Belmont: .710 Effective Field-Goal Percentage

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Effective field-goal percentage numbers don’t get nearly enough recognition in college basketball, which is unfortunate because they place more emphasis on hitting difficult three-point shots that are worth more than two-pointers.

Belmont’s Evan Bradds has put up better numbers in this category than any other player in the country, which is part of the reason the Bears are 7-2 in the Ohio Valley. In a world where raw scoring numbers get most of the attention, Bradds deserves some recognition for putting up his stats at such an efficient clip.

Egidijus Mockevicius, Evansville: 23.2 Total Rebounding Percentage

Bill Boyce/Associated Press

Think about this number from Evansville’s Egidijus Mockevicius: He grabs more than one-fifth of the available rebounds when he is on the floor. That is just ridiculous.

There is no better player in the country at vacuuming up every single loose ball that clanks off the rim on both ends of the floor than Mockevicius. As a result, he is averaging a double-double with 12.7 points and 10.6 rebounds per game and has the Purple Aces at a solid 16-6 on the season.

It would be a treat for college basketball fans if he gets the chance to test his rebounding skills against some of the best big men in the country in the NCAA tournament.

Kris Dunn, Providence: 49.9 Assist Percentage

Jessica Hill/Associated Press

Kris Dunn may be fourth in the nation in assists per game, but that is far less impressive than his 49.9 assist percentage.

That means Dunn assists on virtually half of his teammate’s field goals when he is on the floor. That is insane when you think about it, considering there are five players on the floor at any given time, and many field goals don’t even come off assists in the flow of a game.

Dunn sets the table for this Providence offense, and his ability to set his teammates up with timely passes will be critical for the Friars down the stretch of the Big East season.

Jerian Grant, Notre Dame: 5.4 Win Shares

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Perhaps no other player in the country has announced his superstardom louder than Notre Dame’s Jerian Grant this season.

He has the Fighting Irish at 20-3 and dominated Duke on a national stage with 23 points, 12 assists, six rebounds, three steals and two blocks on 9-of-15 shooting from the field. While his 17.3 points and 6.3 assists per game are impressive on the surface, the fact he is responsible for more win shares than any player in the country is far more important.

After all, winning is the bottom line in any sport, and no player helps his team accomplish that more than Grant.

Gary Payton II, Oregon State: 2.3 Defensive Win Shares

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Like father, like son.

Oregon State’s Gary Payton II is averaging 2.9 steals per game, which is impressive in its own right, but the fact he leads the country with 2.3 defensive win shares is more important.

As mentioned in the Grant section, wins are the most important stat for any sport, and Payton has given the Beavers a better chance to win because of his defense than any other player in the country this season.

Oregon State is 14-7 and needs quality wins, but Payton could certainly help his team make some noise in March.