College Basketball's 10 Most Efficient Scores: Defenses Beware

The saying that defense wins championships applies in every sport. However, it does not hurt to have great scorers.

The players on this list are the most of efficient scorers in college basketball, with a minimum of 24 percent of possessions.

The formula to determine offensive efficiency ratings are very complex but fortunately for us, there is a website devoted to doing just that as well as many other things.

Using the Pomeroy Ratings, here are the nation's top 10 most efficient scorers as of right now.

11. Kemba Walker, UConn

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PITTSBURGH, PA - DECEMBER 27: Kemba Walker #15 of the Connecticut Huskies pulls up for a three against the Pittsburgh Panthers at Petersen Events Center on December 27, 2010 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)

Leaving one of the nation's most prolific scorers off the list is unfair so Kemba still gets mentioned, even if he is not in the top 10. 

The UConn guard's numbers have fell a little bit after that spectacular start to the season but he is still second in the nation in scoring, averaging 25.5 points per game.

Walker has also nailed a couple game winning shots, proving himself to be one of the top clutch shooters in college basketball this season. He has steadily increased his scoring averages each season and if he stays for his senior season, Kemba might be good enough to average 30 points a game.

The Pomeroy Ratings rank him 11th with a 124.4 rating. However, he is ranked 2nd in the nation if the minimum amount of possessions used is 28 percent.

10. Noah Dahlman, Wofford

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If you have not heard of Noah Dahlman, do not be too hard on yourself. 

He plays for a school of only 1,500 students and is probably the biggest celebrity on campus. The senior forward averages 19.4 points per game to go with 5.6 rebounds.

His competition is obviously not stellar but Wofford did gain a little attention when they played Xavier into triple overtime, losing 94-90. Dahlman scored 33 points in that game and certainly caught the eye of the Xavier coaching staff.

Dahlman's Pomeroy offensive rating is 125.1 which must be pretty good since he is in the top 10 nationally.

9. Reggie Johnson, Miami (FL.)

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GREENSBORO, NC - MARCH 12: Jeff Allen #00 of the Virginia Tech Hokies guards Reggie Johnson #42 of the University of Miami Hurricanes in their quarterfinal game in the 2010 ACC Men's Basketball Tournament at the Greensboro Coliseum on March 12, 2010 in G

Would you believe me if I said the 303 pound center for Miami did not play football in high school?

Well according to his player bio page, Reggie Johnson only competed in basketball and track and field at Winston-Salem Prep (North Carolina).

Although Johnson could very easily be passed over as an offensive lineman for the Hurricanes football team, he has done pretty well for Miami in basketball.

Johnson averages about 12 points and 10 rebounds a game and is close to unstoppable when he has the ball bear the basket.

Although he has only cracked 20 points twice this season, Johnson has a 125.3 rating by Pomeroy so he must be doing something right, other than just running people over.

8. Matt Howard, Butler

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CINCINNATI, OH - DECEMBER 9: Shelvin Mack #1 and Matt Howard #54 of the Butler Bulldogs come off the floor during a timeout in the game against the Xavier Musketeers at Cintas Center on December 9, 2010 in Cincinnati, Ohio. Xavier defeated Butler 51-49. (

This has been a down season for Butler so Matt Howard having a lot of success may surprise some people.

Howard will almost certainly never compete in the Final Four again and might never even play in another NCAA Tournament game. Still, he is making his final season as a Bulldog count.

Currently, Howard is averaging just over 17 points a game and is shooting nearly .500 from behind the arc. He also brings in 7.6 rebounds on average, making him one of the most dynamic and fun to watch forwards in the country.

He has a 125.4 offensive efficiency rating and he will need to keep playing well if the Bulldogs want to make the NCAA Tournament again.

7. Jared Sullinger, Ohio State

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GAINESVILLE, FL - NOVEMBER 16: Forward Jared Sullinger #0 of the Ohio State Buckeyes yells after a dunk against the Florida Gators November 16, 2010 at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center in Gainesville, Florida. (Photo by Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images)

Jared Sullinger has lived up to the hype and has led his Buckeyes to a perfect record so far.

The freshman forward averages 17.4 points a game along with just about 10 rebounds. When the Buckeyes need a clutch shot, he has been there.

Sullinger will most likely leave college after his freshman season as he is projected to be a top five draft pick by most analysts. This list is one of the few places that he is not at the top of.

Pomeroy gives Sullinger a 127.5 offensive rating and it will probably rise as conference play continues.

6. Marcus Morris, Kansas

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LAWRENCE, KS - DECEMBER 18: Marcus Morris #22 of the Kansas Jayhawks in action during the game against the USC Trojans on December 18, 2010 at Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence, Kansas. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

Marcus Morris is posting another terrific season for the undefeated Jayhawks.

Morris averages 17 points a game for Kansas as well as seven rebounds. His best performance of the season has been the 33 points and 13 rebounds he dropped on Iowa State earlier this month. 

The junior forward will be projected to be a mid to late first round draft pick if he leaves for the pros. Considering he is already a junior and has a twin brother playing with him, Morris probably will want to stay all four years at Kansas, a rarity in this day and age for talented basketball players.

He has a 127.7 offensive rating, putting him slightly above Jared Sullinger and slightly below the next guy on the list.

5. Reggie Jackson, Boston College

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CHESTNUT HILL, MA - FEBRUARY 20: Reggie Jackson #0 of the Boston College Eagles celebrates in the second half against the North Carolina Tar Heels on February 20, 2010 at Conte Forum in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. The Eagles defeated the Tar Heels 71-6

Apparently there are some very efficient Reggies in the ACC this year.

Reggie Jackson, not to be confused with the baseball Hall of Famer of the same name or Reggie Johnson of Miami (FL.), has quietly produced a very good season with Boston College.

Jackson averages 19.4 points a game and nearly five assists. More impressively, he shoots .538 from the field and .473 from three point range.

The Eagles' success lies heavily on Jackson but he has come through in just about every game. Boston College does have three confusing losses to Yale, Harvard, and Rhode Island but Jackson still performed well in each of those games.

Pomeroy's current rating of Jackson is 127.9 but that will likely fall as Boston College faces tougher ACC opponents.

4. Arasalan Kazemi, Rice

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Arsalan Kazemi is best known as the first Iranian to play college basketball in America. After receiving scholarship offers from schools like Maryland, Oklahoma State, and Missouri, Kazemi decided to attended an esteemed academic institution so he could receive a top notch education when not playing basketball.

With all this said, Kazemi is a great basketball player and may one day be the first Iranian to play in the NBA. He is currently averaging 16.6 points 11.2 rebounds for the Owls who have not yet won a game in C-USA play.

Kazemi's scoring numbers dropped significantly after he only scored two points against UTEP. Regardless, he has one of the top offensive efficiency ratings in the country at 128.4.

3. Jordan Taylor, Wisconsin

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LAS VEGAS - NOVEMBER 20: Jordan Taylor #11 of the Wisconsin Badgers brings the ball up the court against the UNLV Rebels during their game at the Thomas & Mack Center November 20, 2010 in Las Vegas, Nevada. UNLV won 68-65. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty I

Jordan Taylor's offensive efficiency rating is actually a little higher than his Wisconsin counterpart Jon Leuer. 

Taylor has averaged 17.6 points a game for the Badgers and is shooting nearly .400 percent from behind the three point line. He also shoots a very impressive .879 percent from the free throw line and is part of the reason Wisconsin leads the nation in free throw shooting percentage.

Taylor does not appear to have an NBA future so he will certainly stay his senior season but ff he keeps his offensive numbers up, he may just catch the attention of a few NBA scouts.

His currently offensive efficiency rating is 129.2 but it may go down since Jon Leuer will want to do anything he can to bring up his own draft status.

2. Charles Jenkins, Hofstra

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Charles Jenkins and his Hofstra Pride have been gaining little notoriety this season so maybe this mention of him will gain them some more popularity.

Jenkins is not Kemba Walker but he is pretty good. The senior guard is averaging 23.2 points per game this season and shoots .455 percent from three point range.

He also dishes out an average of five assists a game along with two steals. Without Jenkins, Hofstra would most likely not be competing near the top of their conference.

Jenkins has a 131.1 efficiency rating which is only a little below the nation's leader.

1. Derrick Williams, Arizona

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Surprise! College basketball's most efficient scorer is Derrick Williams of Arizona, not Jimmer Fredette of BYU. In fact, Fredette is more than 10 points behind Williams' 131.5 rating.

You might ask how a relatively unknown forward at Arizona is the nation's "best" scorer. Well its a combination of things Williams does so well that makes him almost unstoppable when he has the ball.

First and foremost, he has an unmatched ability to get close to the basketball and either draw a foul (he leads the nation in free throw attempts) or lay the ball in the hoop. He also is one of the most electrifying dunkers in country.

Williams averages about 20 points a game to go with seven and a half rebounds. The scariest part about his game is his ability to knock down three pointers. Following Arizona's loss to Washington, Williams has made 18 of 26 three pointers. That's almost .700 percent from behind the arc.

His biggest weakness is foul trouble, something that cost Arizona a chance to beat both Kansas and most recently Washington.

If Williams stays in college to the delight of many Wildcat fans, he will only become more of a dominating force in the college basketball world.