Notes from 13 of the best leagues in the country:
— Southern
71% free throw % is 2nd-worst of any conference.
35.3% on 3’s is 7th-best %age in country.
NC-Greensboro/Samford are tied for first, at 6-1
Furman/Chattanooga are game behind, at 5-2.
From 2015-22, Western Carolina was 101-151, 54-89 in SoCon.
Last two years, Western Carolina is 33-21, 14-11 in SoCon.
— WAC
WAC teams are playing 2nd-fastest tempo in country.
WAC games have the most free throws of any league in country.
Grand Canyon is 8-1; they lead the WAC by 2.5 games.
Antelopes will have pressure in WAC tourney; this is a one-bid league.
In three years under Chris Victor, Seattle is 55-29, 30-15 in WAC games.
— WCC
WCC teams are shooting 53.4% inside the arc, best in country.
WCC teams have the 3rd-fewest turnovers of any league.
Saint Mary’s is 6-0 in WCC, after a 9-6 pre-conference mark.
Santa Clara is 6-1, Gonzaga 5-1, right behind the Gaels.
Right now, according to ESPN’s Bracketology, this is a one-bid league, with Gonzaga the first team out of the field of 68, but we’re still in January, still a long way to go.
— Missouri Valley
Valley teams are #6 in country in eFG%; lot of good shooters.
Valley teams are outside top 20 in steals, blocked shots; not a great defensive league.
Indiana State leads the Valley with an 8-1 record.
Drake/Bradley are both a game behind. Right now, this is a one-bid league.
Belmont has won 20+ games thirteen years in a row; right now, they’re 11-9.
Last two years, Bradley is 40-15, 23-6 in Valley games.
— American
39.6% of shots AAC teams take are 3’s, 3rd-highest %age.
AAC teams rebound 31.2% of their missed shots, #5 in country.
FAU/Charlotte are 6-1 in AAC; North Texas/South Florida are 5-1.
From 2010-21, Wichita State was 168-43 in league games; the last three years, Shockers are 15-24, 0-6 this season.
East Carolina is 3-5 in games decided by 6 or less points, lot of close games.
Florida Atlantic is 6-1 in AAC this year, only 2-5 against the spread.
— Atlantic 15
A-15 teams are shooting 48.5% inside arc, 3rd-worst in country.
Home teams are only 25-22 SU in A-15 league games (#24 home win %age)
Dayton/Richmond are tied for first in A-15, with 6-0 records.
Loyola (5-2), VCU (4-2) are next in the standings.
This is a one-bid league, unless Dayton loses in the A-15 tourney- Flyers are getting in.
In 8 years under Bob McKillop, Davidson was 91-46 in A-15; in the two years since he retired and his son took over the program, Davidson is 10-14 in A-15 games.
— Baseball Note of the Day: Minnesota Twins won the World Series in 1991; since then, no Minnesota team has won a championship, or gotten to the finals in their league. Of the 13 places with teams in all four major sports, Minnesota’s drought is 10 years longer than anyone else’s.
— Thought of the Day: Insanity is doing the same thing over and over, and expecting a different result.
— Mountain West
Mountain West teams are playing 4th-slowest tempo in country.
Mountain West teams are shooting 52.9% inside arc, #4 n country.
Utah State/Boise State are 6-1; San Diego State/New Mexico are 5-2.
Colorado State was 12-1 in pre-conference, but is only 3-3 in league games.
Bracketology has five Mountain West teams in Field of 68.
16-4 Nevada is in Next Four Out; MW has six teams in the top 60.
— Pac-12
Pac-12 teams are shooting 36.6% on arc, #2 in country.
Home teams are 37-14 in Pac-12 games, #2 %age in country.
Oregon is 6-2 in Pac-12, followed by Colorado at 6-3.
Arizona schools are both 5-3.
Last four years, UCLA was 99-36, 58-19 in Pac-12. This year, they’re 8-11, 3-5.
Arizona is 6-5 in its last eleven games, after an 8-0 start.
— ACC
ACC teams are shooting 74% on foul line, 3rd-best in country.
ACC teams are shooting only 49.8% inside arc, #20 in country.
North Carolina is 8-0 in ACC games; their last loss was December 16.
Florida State/Duke are next in standings, at 5-2.
Bracketology has Wake Forest/Virginia in Next Four Out.
Other than UNC, they have Duke as a 5-seed, Clemson as a 7-seed.
— Big 14
Big 14 teams are shooting 36% on the arc, #3 in country.
Big 14’s turnover %age is 15.9%, #5 in country.
Wisconsin is 8-1 in Big 14, Purdue 7-2.
Illinois/Northwestern are tied for third, at 5-3.
Bracketology has six Big 14 teams in the Field of 68.
Michigan State is 12-8, 4-5; they haven’t missed NCAA’s since 1997.
— SEC
SEC teams have 48.8 eFG%, 4th-worst in country.
SEC teams are playing 4th-fastest tempo in country.
Auburn/Alabama are both 5-1; Tennessee is 4-1.
Kentucky, South Carolina, Georgia are all 4-2.
Last 4 years, Arkansas was 95-42, 41-30 in SEC; this year, they’re 10-9, 1-5.
Bracketology has seven SEC teams in, with Ole Miss/Florida near-misses.
— Big East
Big East teams are rebounding 30.1% of their misses, #7 in country.
Big East teams are shooting 75.3% on foul line, best in country.
Defending national champ UConn is 7-1 in conference games.
Creighton/Seton Hall are 6-3; Marquette is 5-3.
In Jay Wright’s last nine years, Villanova was 263-53, 130-31 in conference.
In 1.5 years since Wright retired, Villanova is 28-25, 14-14 in conference.
— Big X
Big X teams are playing 5th-slowest tempo in country.
Big X teams are shooting 33.2% on the arc (#24)
Texas Tech is 4-1 in Big X; four other teams are 4-2.
Four new teams in the Big X this year are 11-13 in league games.
Bracketology has six teams in, with Texas/TCU in the play-in games
Last 3 years, Oklahoma State was 27-27 in Big X; they’re 0-6 this year.
