It’s been a while since I wrote anything, mostly because I’ve been really consumed with bracketology and trying to search for the Holy Grail of Bracket Math. (Spoiler alert: I haven’t found it yet.) But I decided it was high time for a good ol’ deep dive into the leaderboards.

For each of the 32 conferences in D1 ball, I’ve identified a statistic for a team or player from that league that leads the nation. Some of them are relatively mainstream and straightforward. Others required a lot of digging and a little massaging. But the end result, I think, is a pretty interesting look at the varied landscape of NCAA hoops.

If nothing else, you’re gonna learn something. Feel free to immediately forget it.

Tip of the hat to KenPom, Bart Torvik, and Sports-Reference. All of this info comes from those sources. Especially thanks to Bart, whose site’s customization made a lot of the really specific statistics possible.

Anyway, here goes, in alphabetical order because I really have no clue how else I could have ordered this. If you find errors, you can tell me. Or don’t. Follow your heart.

America East – Hartford’s experience

The Hawks are the most experienced team in the country, per KenPom’s metric. At an average of 2.88 years, there isn’t much these players haven’t seen – except for an NCAA Tournament. Hartford is currently in fourth place in the AE, but is a dangerous team to bet against come March. They start five seniors, but not just that – these guys play a lot. In fact, Hartford has the lowest bench usage of any team in America, with just 15.5% of their minutes being played by non-starters. But when your starting five is as experienced as the Hawks’ is, you stick with that.

American – South Florida’s free throw rate

The Bulls are better than anyone at getting to the line, relative to how often they shoot. This effort is led by David Collins, who ranks 34th nationally in free throw rate. He has two teammates, Alexis Yetna and LaQuincy Rideau, who also rank in the top 200. The next step is making the damn free throws. The Bulls are a paltry 63.4% shooting team, ranking 337th in the nation.

Atlantic 10 – St. Joseph’s turnover rate

If you’re looking for ball protection, look no further than the Hawks. Their 13.5% turnover rate is lowest in the country by half a point. But their conservatism with the ball carries over a little too much on the other end of the court. They are one of the worst teams at forcing turnovers, at just 15.4%. That number is 328th among Division I teams and worst in the Atlantic 10.

Atlantic Coast – Virginia’s pace

There were a lot of options for this in the talent-laden ACC, but Virginia’s methodical pace stands out. While Tony Bennett’s offense has been among the nation’s slowest for years now, this season’s team is much more efficient and explosive than in years past. I’ll sneak a bonus one in here. The Cavaliers are also the country’s top team at defending three-pointers, allowing just a 25.8% clip.

Atlantic Sun – Kennesaw State’s three-point attempt rate

This one, unfortunately, might be construed as a bit negative. Or just outright negative. The Owls are pretty bad at a few things, actually. Their effective field goal percentage and two-point percentage are both next-to-last in the country. Which makes it all the more perplexing that this team shoots a lower pecentage of three-pointers than anyone else. Of course, their threes don’t really go in either. KSU is shooting them at a 31.1% rate, so I guess the red light makes a little sense. Still, to spin this positively, this team looks to push the ball inside more than anyone else? Hey, I tried. Moving on.

Big 12 – Texas Tech’s defensive effective field goal percentage

The Red Raiders defense under Chris Beard has been a talking point all season long and the crux of their efficiency is limiting good shots to their opponents. Seems pretty intuitive. The goal of defense, more than anything, is to keep players from scoring. No one does it better than Tech. If they can figure out a way to make the offense a little more potent, the Red Raiders could be playing in the second weekend of the tournament – and maybe further.

Big East – Tyrique Jones’ offensive rebounding percentage

So, this one is a bit of a stretch for the Xavier big man. Jones’ position atop the offensive rebounding leaderboard is dependent on what threshold you use for qualifying players. KenPom has Jones second, while Sports-Reference has him first. Either way, Jones is a force on the glass, grabbing 16.8% of available offensive boards when he’s on the floor. He’s not too shabby on the defensive end either, where his 19.1% is in the 85th percentile nationwide.

Big Sky – Portland State’s offensive rebounding percentage

A little love for my alma mater here! This stat is one of the few bright spots statistically for the Vikings. And boy is it bright. Nobody crashes the glass better than Portland State, which is probably aided by the fact that they are 346th in the country in three-point shooting. (The two-pointers arent much better, at just 235th.) The appetite for boards doesn’t translate to the other end of the floor, but the starters and reserves alike contribue to the Vikings’ #1 ranking in this department.

Big South – Chris Clemons’ scoring

Maybe you’ve heard of this guy? As I’m sure you saw this past weekend, the Campbell guard became just the ninth player in Division I history to cross the 3,000-point threshold. This season has been especially spectacular. Clemons is averaging a mind-boggling 29.8 points per game. One reason for his scoring prowess: he’s shot more free throws this season than anyone else in America.

Big Ten – Indiana’s opponent free throw percentage

This is just a funny stat. Teams are really, really bad at shooting free throws against the Hoosiers. Perhaps that’s due to the crowds at Assembly Hall. Whatever the reason, teams are shooting just 62.7% from the line when they face Indiana. This facet of the game is one the Hoosiers’ strongest, as they are 32nd in defensive free throw rate. So they don’t put teams on the line too often, and when they do, they don’t often convert. Just ask Michigan State, who went 8-for-22 (36.4%) in their recent loss. Maybe it’s all the red?

Big West – Lamine Diane’s usage rate

Fans of basketball on the left coast probably know Diane’s name by now, but he’s still a bit of a kept secret nationwide. Well, that’s not going to be the case much longer if he continues being used with such high frequency. The freshman has provided an enormous amount of offense for a Cal State Northridge that desperately needs it. He is involved on a whopping 37.4% of possessions. This high usage rate has anchored his offensive rating, but Diane leads the country in two-point shooting (both attempted and made).

Colonial – Hofstra’s free throw shooting

Much can be said about the star turn of Hofstra’s all-everything Justin Wright-Foreman – who does lead the country in offensive win shares, per Sports-Reference. But the Pride’s success this season goes well past him. Hofstra is the country’s best free throw shooting team, hitting their shots from the line at a blazing 80.3% rate. That’s nearly ten points higher than the national average. The only player shooting lower than 68% is Stafford Trueheart, who has thankfully only had his (outstanding) name called 11 times so far this season.

Conference USA – Florida International’s pace

If you’re one of those people who complains about Virginia’s slow, “boring” basketball, then maybe FIU is a little bit more your speed. (Pun fully intended.) The Panthers reel off a crazy 78.4 adjusted possessions per game, which is about ten above the national average and nearly 20 more than Virginia gets. They also huck quite a bit of threes, ranking 66th in three-point rate. Sounds like an NBA team, right? Well, the problem is, FIU doesn’t make very many of them. They’re currently 330th in three-point percentage, hitting just over 30% of their deep shots.

Horizon – Antoine Davis’ field goal attempts

Another individual story here. Antoine Davis has been making headlines by hitting a lot of three pointers. So many, in fact, that his 118 made three-pointers is just four away from passing Steph Curry for the most long bombs made by a freshman. His coach (and father) Mike Davis has giving him the permanent green light. Becuase of this, the younger Davis has attempted more shots than anyone in D1 ball this year. Luckily, they’ve been going in at a pretty respectable rate (39.1% 3P).

Ivy League – Penn’s defensive assist ratio

The Quakers’ defense has been slightly above average this year, but they’ve certainly perfected the style of defense they like to play. The fact that they allow very few assists and three-point attempts means that they are often in a man defense. That’s keeping some opponents from getting in a good passing rhythm, such as Villanova and Temple. Those two Big 5 opponents are both in the top 70 for assist rate, but were held to 25% and 30% in their respective losses, well below their season averages.

Metro Atlantic – Cam Young and Jalen Pickett’s epic battle

This one is a pretty recent happening, so it should still be fresh in your mind. But the reason it makes this list – aside from the eye-popping stats they each put up – is that this game produced the two top Game Scores of any D1 contest this season, per Sports-Reference. Cam Young’s 55-point, 10-rebound outburst was the main headline, but Pickett arguably had the better game. The outstanding freshman dropped 46 points and 13 assists and four steals. Perhaps the craziest stat? These guys combined for just three turnovers in a 55-minute game where they each dominated the ball. Amazing stuff.

Mid-American – Jalen Avery’s assist-to-turnover ratio

Avery leads all qualifying seniors (>50% minutes played) in taking care of the ball. The Kent State guard has been effective in small spurts, sporting an offensive rating over 120 at around 16% usage. The main reason for that high number is the fact that he only turns the ball over on about 6% of his possessions. And with a decent assist rate of 18.6%, the numbers work in his favor for the assist-to-turnover ratio. Bonus! He is also among the national leaders in fewest fouls committed per 40 minutes. I don’t think there’s a stat for boneheadedness, but if there were, Avery would probably be very low on that list.

Mid-Eastern – Cletrell Pope’s offensive rebounds

While there are a bunch of guys who grab a higher percentage of offensive rebounds, nobody in the country has snagged more rebounds than this Bethune-Cookman big man. He is second in the country in total rebounds and rebounds per game, but his totals on the offensive end are unmatched. Pope’s averaging 13.4 points and 12.1 rebounds per game in 2018-19, including six games with over 15 boards and two with over 20.

Missouri Valley – Loyola-Chicago’s defensive rebounding

While it has no doubt been a bit of a hangover year for the Ramblers after last season’s Final Four run, it hasn’t been all bad. Loyola is better than anyone at preventing offensive rebounds, only allowing opponents to grab 21% of missed shots. Unfortunately, they don’t have that same passion on their own misses. They are a near-worst 350th in offensive rebounding. They’re pretty much the opposite of the Portland State team I discussed earlier. But Cameron Krutwig has made hay in the defensive paint this year, ranking 23rd among qualified players on KenPom’s defensive rebounding leaderboard.

Mountain West – Nico Carvacho’s rebounds

While players like Tyrique Jones and Cletrell Pope snag lots of offensive boards, and others like Colorado’s Tyler Bey and South Dakota State’s Mike Daum excel at defensive rebounding, nobody is putting the two together quite like Colorado State’s big man. Carvacho’s 13 boards a game are first in the nation by almost a full rebound. He’s not getting much help from his teammates, though, as the Rams rank outside the Top 150 in rebounding on both ends.

Northeast – Raiquan Clark’s around-the-rim game

This is another stretch, but hey, this isn’t the easiest piece to write, OK? The LIU Brooklyn senior has more attempts at the rim than anyone else in the country, per Bart Torvik. His at-the-rim attempts outnumber second-place Ethan Happ’s by 15, though Happ does convert at a better rate. Still, this is the prime reason why Clark is a frontrunner for NEC Player of the Year honors. He also draws quite a bit of fouls playing down low so much, ranking 26th in the country in fouls drawn per 40 minutes and just outside the Top 150 in free throw rate. The Blackbirds know where their bread is buttered.

Ohio Valley – Ja Morant’s assists

Yes, yes. We all love dunks. They’re fun and exciting and blah blah blah. But what really excites me – and I think most serious students of basketball – is Morant’s court vision. The Murray State guard is averagin over ten assists per game and has a ridiculous assist rate of 53.5%. Consider that he is a Top 3 player in terms of usage, but falls outside the Top 100 in shooting rate (field goals attempted per possession). So you can keep the highlight-reel dunks. I’m here for the dimes.

Pacific 12 – Kylor Kelley’s blocks

Sorry, more homer love. Before I get into Kelley, I just want to mention that Noah Dickerson’s free throw rate, Matisse Thybulle’s steal rate, and Tyler Bey’s defensive rebound rate are all also stats where Pac-12 players lead the country. OK, there. Now to Kelley, the JUCO transfer who got a big boost in minutes after an early injury to Gligorije Rakocevic forced him into action. The result? A new Oregon State record for blocks in a season and a block rate of 17.1%. He’s a key reason why opposing offenses are only converting two-pointers at a 46% clip, good for 29th in the land – and why the Beavers sit in second place in the Pac-12.

Patriot – Lehigh’s three-point shooting

One of the reasons that the Hawks are in contention for a Patriot League title is because of their deep threats. Four players on this Lehigh team rank in the Top 100 for three-point percentage. Lance Tejada and Pat Andree are the more prolific pair, while Jordan Cohen and Kyle Leufroy are more accurate. Put it all together and you’ve got a team hitting 44% of their long balls, nearly ten points higher than the national average. It’s also why they’re #3 in effective field goal percentage.

Southeastern – Auburn’s defensive turnover rate

This Auburn team has been inconsistent all year long, but one thing that they always do is force turnovers. They’ve been held under the national average in only four games all year long, all losses. But they are 16-4 when forcing turnovers at a higher-than-average rate. The interesting thing is, this is a team that has a better offense than defense, according to the efficiency ratings. But the bellwether for Auburn’s success definitely comes from its nation-leading turnover rate of 25.8 per 100 possessions. So, if you’re game planning for the Tigers… remind your players to hold onto the ball.

Southern – Fletcher Magee’s free throw shooting

This Wofford team is definitely much more than just Magee, but he’s the centerpiece of the show. And for all the fireworks he provides, including his 103 three-pointers, the purist in me loves the fact that the kid makes his damn free throws. His 95.3% clip on 81-of-85 shots is nearly unheard of in a day when the national average is just 70%. There are worse comparisons to get than Chris Mullin, which is the guy that Magee reminds me of.

Southland – Hayden Koval’s three-point shooting

This was by far the deepest dive for this entire piece. But now I – and you – know that the Central Arkansas sophomore is the nation’s most prolific three-point shooter who also happens to be a 7-footer. While he doesn’t have the accuracy of Chattanooga’s Thomas Smallwood, Koval has made 27 threes on 75 attempts, both of which lead the country among the 84-inches-high club. Besides being a deep threat, Koval also leads the Southland in block percentage during league play. Not a bad combination, if you ask me.

Southwestern – Jeremy Combs’ 25 free throw attempts

The SWAC is not really a bastion of great team statistics, nor is it really one for individual averages. However, one recent game that really sticks out to me is Jeremy Combs’ performance in Texas Southern’s win on Monday against Jackson State. The North Texas-via-LSU transfer put up a nasty 33-point, 17-rebound performance. But what really stood out in the box score was Combs’ ungodly 25 free throw attempts. Per Sports-Reference, that’s the most of any D1 player in a single game this season. He’s stepped up big time as TSU’s top option in the wake of Trayvon Reed’s injury.

Summit – Mike Daum’s defensive rebounds

The Dauminator, as the South Dakota State senior has come to be known, has had quite the college career. He’s played much of this season in the shadow of Chris Clemons, but he is not far behind the Campbell sparkplug in career scoring. Daum should cross the 3,000 point mark soon. But he gets mentioned here because he is not just a scorer. In fact, nobody has pulled down more defensive boards than Daum this season. He’s averaging 25.4 points and 11.6 boards per game this year and should be on his way to another Summit League POY award.

Sun Belt – Kris Bankston’s two-pointers

Despite playing fewer than half of the time, Bankston has made his mark on this Little Rock team. The 6-8 sophomore has been absolutely dynamite down low, scoring on an astonishing 81% of his two pointers (81-for-100). This is why he leads the team in offensive rating. It’s also a big part of why the Trojans rank in the Top 30 for effective field goal percentage and two-point percentage. Bankston is also no slouch on the defensive end, posting a 6.5% block rate that falls just outside the Top 100 nationally.

West Coast – Gonzaga’s effective field goal percentage

Another year in Spokane, another top-notch offense. Mark Few really does play the hits. But this year’s Gonzaga team may be the best he’s ever had. Looking past national POY candidates Brandon Clarke and Rui Hachimura, the Zags have a full arsenal of gunners, including Zach Norvell, Josh Perkins, and Corey Kispert. In fact, only one player on the team who has played over 25% of the available minutes this season has an offensive rating below 118. It’s going to be hard for teams to keep up with this level of firepower, as evidence by Gonzaga’s win over consensus #1 Duke. I’m kinda hoping for a rematch in the national championship, if I’m being honest.

Western – New Mexico State’s depth

Well, I started this piece by talking about a Hartford team that plays the fewest bench minutes in all of college basketball, so it seems fitting that I’ll end it by talking about the deepest team in D1. The Aggies run with about a 13-man rotation, with each of them having played between 18 and 64 percent of the team’s minutes. The craziest thing? There’s very little drop-off on the offensive end when the subs come in. All but one player has an offensive rating over 100 on the year. All told, the Aggies’ bench players have logged 48.4% of the minutes played this year, which is 18 points higher than the national average and three points higher than the second-ranked team.