2014-15 2012-13 Championship Team 2011-12 Final Four Team
Points Per Game 73.6 (41st) 74.3 (27th) 68.2 (156th)
Avg Scoring Margin +17.1 (9th) +15.9 (4th) +7.2 (45th)
Field Goal % 43.2% (154th) 45.6% (55th) 42.2% (221st)
2-point FG% 50.5% (76th) 51.0% (44th) 47.2% (193rd)
3-point FG% 29.7% (292nd) 32.9% (216th) 31.8% (271st)
Free Throw % 65.8% (266th) 70.7% (128th) 68.8% (193rd)
Rebound Rate 52.9% (61st) 52.7% (57th) 51.2% (109th)
Blocks Per Game 6.0 (14th) 4.2 (78th) 4.8 (30th)
Steals Per Game 10.4 (4th) 10.8 (2nd) 8.8 (7th)
Assists Per Game 12.1 (183rd) 14.5 (42nd) 13.3 (114th)
Turnovers Per Game 12.9 (165th) 12.4 (95th) 13.8 (228th)
Opponent Turnovers Per Game 17.8 (6th) 18.4 (2nd) 15.1 (53rd)
Team Fouls Per Game 17.9 (127th) 18.1 (208th) 17.6 (128th)
Opponent Shooting % 36.4% (9th) 39.2% (23rd) 38.4% (6th)
Opponent 2-point FG% 39.9% (8th) 43.1% (29th) 42.2% (11th)
Opponent 3-point FG% 28.7% (30th) 31.4% (56th) 30.3% (17th)
Opponent Block Per Game 2.4 (19th) 3.3 (142nd) 3.6 (218th)
Opponent Steals Per Game 6.5 (213th) 5.7 (53rd) 7.1 (255th)

We are mid-way through College Basketball’s regular season. The Cards are 3 games into its conference schedule and are 14-2 with 15 games remaining coming off a final minute loss on the road to North Carolina.

I thought it might be time for some perspective on how this year’s UofL Basketball team compares to its most recent successful teams, the 2013 National Championship team, and the 2012 Final Four group.  Being that the Cards are just 3 games into its ACC schedule, the current statistics will change as the season wears on, but that said this year’s group is really well positioned stat-wise to become a classic team.

The current Cardinal team is much better offensively than the 2012 team, and just slightly worse than the title squad.  Two metrics that need to improve are Free Throw Shooting and 3-point shooting.  The 2014-15’s average margin of victory is MUCH higher than the 2012 Final Four, but also higher than the 2013 Championship team.

In terms of rebounds, all 3 teams are similar with the current team having a slight edge, but the current team has a significant lead in blocks. This year’s team is the low in terms of overall assists, but is holding court with the championship’s record-breaking performance in steals.

Defensively, the current club STANDS OUT in shooting defense from the field, from 3-point range, and from 2-point range.

Overall, I’d say that this year’s 2015 club can make some small improvements statistically to stack up against two of Louisville’s most recent classic teams.  We’ll continue to monitor this throughout the course of the season and provide trends if they occur.

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@UofLSheriff50. Louisville native, University of Louisville Business School Grad c/o 2004. Co-Founder of TheCrunchZone.com

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