College Basketball 2011-12: 10 Best Ball-Handling Teams in Early Action

Teams that distribute and take care of the ball well usually win.

One of the best stats to look at to determine this is assist-to-turnover ratio (A/TO).

The combination of these two measurements gives a solid look at how well a team maximizes possessions.

Here are the 10 best ball-handling teams in early 2011-12 action.

10. UC Santa Barbara Gauchos

The Gauchos are off to solid 4-2 start, winning their first four games before losing back-to-back OT games to San Diego State and UNLV.

UCSB is averaging 16.3 assists with a 1.51 A/TO

Orlando Johnson (pictured) is pulling off the team trifecta: leading in scoring (23.8 PPG), rebounding (7.7 RPG) and assists (3.3 APG).

9. Marquette Golden Eagles

The Golden Eagles are a perfect 8-0, with consecutive quality wins over Wisconsin (in Madison) and Washington (at Madison Square Garden).

Buzz Williams' bunch run when they can but generally play under control. They are averaging 18.8 assists with a 1.52 A/TO

Junior Cadougan (pictured) runs the show for Marquette, leading the team in assists (6.3 APG with only two turnovers per game—an exceptional 3.1 A/TO).

8. Pittsburgh Panthers

With the exception of an unexpected loss to Long Beach State, the Panthers (8-1) are off to a good start to '11-12.

Pitt is averaging 19.3 assists with a 1.58 A/TO.

Jamie Dixon's unit doesn't rely on just one player to do all of the playmaking.

Travon Woodall (pictured) leads the team in assists (8.3 APG), but he is out for a month with a groin strain and an abdominal tear.

Lamar Patterson (4.1 APG) and Ashton Gibbs (3.4 APG) will set things up until Woodall returns.

7. Purdue Boilermakers

Purdue is glad to have Robbie Hummel back, and they are playing well (7-2) in the first month of the '11-12 season.

The Boilermakers are averaging 15 assists and only 9.2 turnovers per game (1.63 A/TO).

Senior PG Lewis Jackson (pictured; 4.3 APG with a 2.2 A/TO) runs the show for head coach Matt Painter.

6. Wisconsin Badgers

Most years, Bo Ryan's teams are among the best ball-handling teams in the country. This year is no different.

Don't worry that Wisconsin (7-2) has lost two games. They were close contests with North Carolina and Marquette.

The Badgers average 14.6 assists and a mere 8.6 turnovers (best in the nation) per game (1.7 A/TO).

Jordan Taylor (pictured; 5.1 APG) led the nation last season in A/TO (3.83) and is on his way to a similar mark this year (3.4).

5. Creighton Bluejays

Creighton is one of the top mid-major programs.

Currently, the Bluejays (7-0) are the No. 4 scoring team (87 PPG) and No. 4 shooting team (52.6 percent) in the nation. 

They are also the No. 2 assists team (21.3 APG) in the nation with a 1.71 A/TO.

Grant Gibbs (pictured; 5.1 APG, 3.3 A/TO) is the classic "Glue Guy," making tons of things happen for his team.

4. Iona Gaels

After losing its opening game against Purdue, Iona (6-1) has peeled off six straight wins.

The Gaels are the leading scoring (92 PPG) and assists team (22.6 APG) in the nation, with a 1.72 A/TO.

Scott Machado leads the nation in assists with an eye-popping 11.4 APG and an amazing 3.8 A/TO

Iona also has Arizona-transfer MoMo Jones dishing 3.6 APG.

3. Northwestern Wildcats

Northwestern is gunning for its best season in school history.

The Wildcats are 7-1 with their only loss coming to Baylor.

Bill Carmody's Cats are averaging 16.4 assists per game with a 1.77 A/TO.

Freshmen guard Dave Sobolewski leads NU in assists, averaging 4 APG with an insane 4.6 A/TO.

2. Ohio State Buckeyes

Is it fair that a team as big and talented as Ohio State also takes care of the ball this well?

The Buckeyes are undefeated after eight games with quality wins against Florida and Duke.

Thad Matta's team is averaging 19.3 assists per game with a 1.77 A/TO.

Aaron Craft, one of the best floor leaders in the country, is averaging 5.5 APG with a 2.8 A/TO                   

One more reason that you might see the Buckeyes in the 2012 Final Four.

1. Missouri Tigers

Missouri suffered a serious preseason setback when powerful PF Laurence Bowers blew out his knee.

This forced first-year coach Frank Haith into playing small ball, sometimes with four guards on the floor at the same time.

Mizzou is 8-0 and is the team that has the best A/TO (1.79 with 17 assists and 9.5 turnovers per game).

Flip Pressey (pictured) leads the team in assists (5.8 APG with a 2.7 A/TO).

While Missouri may experience some matchup problems when they play teams with size, they are going to create more than their share of mismatches this season.