Ranking the Most Unstoppable Offenses in College Basketball
You can't win if you don't score.
It's not the only key to a winning formula, but it's pretty darn important. From low majors up to bluebloods, it's pretty clear by now which teams have the right ingredients for offensive success.
These are the college basketball teams that have done it best in 2015-16. Some are among the nation's elite; others, well, aren't. But all have the individual talent, group scheme and sheer firepower to put up points in big bundles. And all are well-nigh unstoppable when it comes to getting buckets.
Teams are ranked based on their scoring and offensive efficiency averages. Keep in mind that a great offensive team doesn't necessarily have a great record and vice versa.
All statistics are accurate as of Feb. 8 and courtesy of ESPN.com unless otherwise noted.
10. The Citadel Bulldogs
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At 10-14, it's not a banner year at The Citadel from a win-loss perspective. It's a good consolation prize for the Bulldogs, then, that they're leading in another kind of record.
Points per game, to be exact, according to NCAA stats. No other team in the nation surpasses The Citadel's 88.7 points per contest. They've surpassed 90 points on nine separate occasions and passed the century mark twice.
Too bad for Bulldogs fans that their defense is even more stop-averse than the offense: They're dead last in the nation on that front, surrendering 92.7 points per contest. How's that for symmetry.
9. Butler Bulldogs
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It's been a hard year at Butler. Take away the inconsistent play, the hot streaks and cold streaks, ups and downs and holding patterns throughout this campaign. The entire Bulldog family has struggled through personal tragedy, losing former player Andrew Smith to cancer at age 25, then the son of assistant coach Emerson Kampen.
On the court, their constant has been a steady offensive attack, itself anchored by the best shooting in the Big East. They lead the Big East Conference with 81.5 points per game and 36.9 percent three-point shooting and are tied for the lead with a 47.4 percent overall field-goal mark.
Butler doesn't have any major stars, so it's good that its scoring is balanced and deep. Led by senior guard Kellen Dunham, four Bulldogs average at least 10 points a game.
Three of these players—Dunham, Roosevelt Jones and Kelan Martin—have scored more than 20 points in a contest on multiple occasions this season. Dunham and Martin have both surpassed 30 at least once.
Good on the entire Butler program for playing through inconsistency and, what's more, through the misfortune that has plagued them all season. Here's to better times.
8. Oakland Golden Grizzlies
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For the Oakland Golden Grizzlies, everyone knows it begins and ends with point guard Kay Felder, who will in all likelihood join the NBA this summer.
Felder stirs the drink and buys the ingredients, but he's not the only reason Oakland sits second in the nation in team scoring with 86.2 points per contest and a not-at-all-shabby 21st in kenpom.com's offensive ratings.
Granted, the team's high scoring has a lot to do with the attention Felder commands from opposing defenses, not to mention his nation-leading 9.1 assists per game. At the same time, though, it's clear there are plenty of Grizzlies who know what to do with the ball once they have it, with a total of five players averaging in double figures.
It's why only Valparaiso outranks Oakland in the Horizon League standings, and it's why the Golden Grizzlies lead the conference in just about every major offensive category, from three-pointers to free throws.
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7. Iowa State Cyclones
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Eighth in offensive efficiency at KenPom and 17th nationally with 82.2 points per game, the Cyclone offense is rolling, even if the team as a whole can't, at 17-6, seem to get a big-time streak going.
Big man Georges Niang and quiet star Monte Morris do it all for Iowa State, and that will be even more the case with center and third-leading scorer Jameel McKay suspended, per Randy Peterson of the Des Moines Register.
That suspension might hurt the Cyclones in their efficiency, as McKay's absence may cut into the team's 49.8 percent field-goal percentage. In turn, that may cut into their productivity down the stretch.
6. Kansas Jayhawks
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If it weren't for the dazzling season unfolding down in Oklahoma, Kansas would be the offensive juggernaut of the Big 12 Conference and a much larger presence in national conversations.
It looks like the Jayhawks will have to settle for statistical bridesmaid status. They sit second in the Big 12 in scoring (83.3 points per game), field-goal percentage (48.8 percent) and three-point shooting percentage (a rock-solid 42.2 percent).
Wayne Selden Jr. has taken the reins, hitting big shots and turning in career highs across the board. Perry Ellis is a powerful complement down low, even if frontcourt scoring hasn't been as prolific as in seasons past.
“I don't think easy baskets have been near as easy," coach Bill Self told the Topeka Capital-Journal.
Still, the 19-4 Jayhawks are pretty tough to handle right now as March begins to loom.
5. Indiana Hoosiers
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Indiana is 19-5, third in the tough Big Ten and playing good defense. All of these truths may have come as a surprise to observers before the season began.
What wouldn't surprise anyone, though, are the Hoosiers' offensive numbers, which are just as good as anticipated.
Senior guard Yogi Ferrell makes it go, and he leads the team with 17.8 points per game. Freshman revelation Thomas Bryant holds it down in the post (12.1 points per game on a conference-leading 72.4 percent field-goal shooting percentage) and Troy Williams is a solid third leg for the scoring stool (12.8 PPG).
The Hoosiers lost some pop when they lost James Blackmon and his 15.8 points per game for the season due to a knee injury, but Ferrell, coach Tom Crean and company have continued to steer the ship admirably. When you're second in the national standings in team field-goal percentage (51.1 percent) and seventh with a 15.6 scoring margin, you're going to be in and ahead of a lot of games.
4. North Carolina Tar Heels
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North Carolina has a vaunted frontcourt. More than any one player or scoring metric, that may be the linchpin of the Tar Heels offense.
To be more specific, offensive rebounding is the UNC catalyst and calling card. They're 13th nationally in that category with 14.13 offensive rebounds per game, in the same neighborhood with teams more regularly recognized for rebounding prowess like Baylor and Louisville.
That means more possessions, which in turn means more points. North Carolina has always prided itself on doing the little things like this better than others.
"Few teams are better at nabbing quick buckets after the other team just scored," wrote Steven Muma of NC State SB Nation blog Backing the Pack. "In that regard, they're always looking to steal points, and all it takes is a brief loss of focus on an opponent's part to hand over some free layups."
It's those quieter things that have UNC quietly at the top of the nation offensively. The Tar Heels rank third in KenPom's offensive rankings and ninth nationally with 84.5 points per game.
3. Duke Blue Devils
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It's been a little tougher season than Blue Devils fans are used to, but that's not the fault of the Duke offense.
Behind guard Grayson Allen and emerging superfrosh Brandon Ingram, the Devils are second in the nation in KenPom's adjusted offensive efficiency ratings.
Luke Kennard and Matt Jones are picking up some of the slack too. With Amile Jefferson out and no return in sight, they'll need to keep that up. And they are, hence their per-game team scoring average of 84.8—good for fifth in the country.
Now if they could just get their defense and rebounding to catch up.
2. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
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Give it up for KenPom's top team in offensive efficiency, your Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
How do they do it? Having five guys scoring in double figures is a good start. Ball movement is the real key, with the Irish always making the extra pass before taking the shot, which they make at a 48.7 percent clip.
Demetrius Jackson's penetration is perhaps the top weapon. But their secret weapon—forward Zach Auguste—might be the most potent. The 6'10" senior carried the Irish to their biggest win of the season Saturday when they knocked off North Carolina.
Along with Bonzie Colson and Jackson in the backcourt, there's a strong inside-out combination in South Bend. Based on their nation-leading efficiency, it's a winning combination.
1. Oklahoma Sooners
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Surprise!
OK, maybe not.
For a team with a schedule as difficult as Oklahoma's—fifth hardest in the nation, per KenPom—it's pretty astonishing how consistently devastating the Sooners are offensively.
Fourth in the nation (and first among power-conference schools) in points per game with 85.
The key? The three. It's as simple to say as it is hard to do. They're first in the nation with 45.3 percent team shooting beyond the arc and fourth with 11 three-pointers made per game.
With likely player of the year Buddy Hield and his insane 51.1 percent individual three-point shooting (itself second in the country) at the helm, the Sooners' success is easy to understand. It's just very, very hard to stop.
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