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Why Creighton is a Frightening Team

By Kyle Scott

Published: Jan 21st, 2014 · 2:17 PM EST

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Really good article by Tom Ley on Deadspin explaining why Villanova didn’t really lose that game to Creighton, but rather found themselves on the receiving end of the scariest offensive team in the country:

Creighton leads the country in three-point percentage (43.7) as well as overall offensive efficiency. According to Ken Pomeroy’s metrics, Creighton’s adjusted offensive efficiency is 128.2. This number means that after adjusting for various factors such as quality of opponents (far more necessary in college than the NBA), Creighton’s offense scores about 128 points per 100 offensive possessions. That is a staggering number, and one that no team has come close to reaching in the past decade. The last team that was this efficient on offense was the 2005 Wake Forest team, which had an adjusted offensive rating of 124—and Chris Paul.

And then we have Ethan Wragge, who looks at his teammates’ commitment to shooting the three and thinks it’s not quite enough.* Wragge leads the country in effective field goal percentage (73.4), because he does not give a single shit about shooting anything other than a three ball. This year, he’s attempting nearly eight threes per game, and he’s hitting 50 percent of them. But it gets crazier: During his four years at Creighton, Wragge has attempted a grand total of 47 two-point field goals. 47! He took that many threes in a five-game stretch in December, and has already launched 148 threes this year. And yes, Wragge’s game looks exactly as bughouse as it sounds. Just look at this highlight reel from last night’s game.

Go read.