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To prepare you for the NCAA Tournament, we dug into the numbers and are bringing you one stat for each of the 68 teams in the 2024 NCAA Tournament field! We have broken the teams up by seed lines and ordered each line alphabetically. All stats include games against Division I teams only.
No. 1 Seeds
Iowa: Caitlin Clark is on pace to become the first player in NCAA Division I history to average at least 30 points and six assists per game. The only 30-point scorer to come close was Kim Perrot, who averaged 30.0 points and 5.6 assists per game in 1989-90 for Louisiana.
South Carolina: South Carolina has held 115 of its last 118 opponents below their scoring average (points per game). Only Vanderbilt (1/28/24), Kentucky (2/2/23), and UConn (2/5/23) hit their season averages against South Carolina during this span. In that 118-game span – which began against Kentucky on Feb. 21, 2021 – the Gamecocks’ opponents are averaging 17.3 fewer points per game than their season averages.
Texas: Despite losing star point guard Rori Harmon after only two games, the Longhorns posted their most efficient offense and second-most efficient defense in the HHS Era when adjusting for the strength of their opponents.
USC: JuJu Watkins is closing in on the all-time NCAA Division I scoring record for freshmen, currently ranking fourth with 810 points. The freshman record is 898 by Tina Hutchinson of San Diego State in 1983-84. At Watkins’ current pace of 27 points per game, she is on pace to break the record if she has at least three NCAA Tournament games.
No. 2 Seeds
Notre Dame: Hannah Hidalgo is on pace to become the first freshman in NCAA Division I women’s basketball history to average at least 20 points, five assists and 4.5 steals per game (confirmed when including games against non-Division I opponents).
Ohio State: The Buckeyes – thanks partially to the addition of Duke transfer
Celeste Taylor – have posted their best HHS Defensive Rating since 2009-10, the first season of the HHS Era.
Stanford: Cameron Brink is on pace to become the first player since Amanda Zahui B in 2014-15 – and just the third player in the HHS Era (since 2009-10) – to average at least 17 points, 10 rebounds, and 3.5 blocks while playing at least 30 games.
UCLA: UCLA has done a great job controlling the glass this season, ranking second in defensive rebounding rate at 77.1% and in offensive rebounding rate at 41.6%. The 2016-17 Baylor Bears are the only other team in the HHS Era to finish a season ranked in the top two in rebounding rate on both sides of the ball.
No. 3 Seeds
LSU: Aneesah Morrow averaged at least 15 points, 2.5 steals, and a block in both of the prior two seasons (2021-22 and 2022-23) and is on track to do so again this season. No other player has had more than one such season since 2021-22.
NC State: The Wolfpack are one of the nation’s best teams at limiting mistakes, ranking 13th nationally in turnover rate and third nationally in foul rate. The last high-major team other than UConn to rank in the top five in foul rate and top 15 in turnover rate was Baylor, who did so in 2012-13.
Oregon State: After stumbling in the three seasons after their 2019-20 campaign was cut short due to COVID, the Beavers have jumped back to the upper echelon of the Pac-12 in its final season. Oregon State has had the sixth-best improvement in HHS Rating among Power 5 programs, jumping by 14.0 points per 100 possessions.
UConn: After struggling with turnovers last season, Paige Bueckers's return has the Huskies protecting the ball at a much higher level: They have jumped from 220th in turnover rate last season to 26th this season.
No. 4 Seeds
Gonzaga: The Zags have posted historic offensive efficiency numbers this year and are on pace to become just the third team in the HHS Era to shoot at least 50% from 2-point range, 40% from 3-point territory, and 77.5% from the free-throw stripe. Only UConn in 2016-17 and Iowa in 2020-21 have done the same in that time.
Indiana: Mackenzie Holmes is on pace to record her third season in the last four with at least 17.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 1.25 blocks on at least 60% shooting (min. 25 games played). The rest of Division I has had just two such seasons in the past four years.
Kansas State: The Wildcats have posted their best HHS Offensive and Defensive ratings in the HHS Era this season thanks to the nation’s eighth-largest improvement by HHS Rating compared to last year.
Virginia Tech: Between her own shots and assisting teammates, Georgia Amoore contributes to 48.2% of the Hokies’ made baskets. That ranks ninth nationally and trails only Caitlin Clark (58.4%) among Power 5 programs.
No. 5 Seeds
Baylor: Baylor holds opponents to just 26.1% shooting from behind the arc, good for sixth in the country.
Colorado: The Buffaloes have greatly improved in assist-to-turnover ratio, jumping from a solid 1.00 A/TO last season to 1.36 A/TO this season to rank 12th nationally.
Oklahoma: In Year 3 of head coach Jennie Baranczyk’s tenure with Oklahoma, the Sooners rank second in the nation with 20.3 assists per game. Since 2015-16, Baranczyk’s teams (Drake through 2020-21, Oklahoma 2021-24) have ranked no lower than sixth in the country in assists.
Utah: Alissa Pili is one of the nation’s most efficient volume scorers and is the only player to average at least 20 points per game on 60% shooting inside the arc in each of the past two seasons.
No. 6 Seeds
Louisville: The Cardinals are one of the nation’s top offensive rebounding teams, pulling down 37.7% of offensive rebound chances which is the 19th-best rate in Division I.
Nebraska: The Cornhuskers are a perfect 16-0 when holding opponents below 62 points while going 6-11 when allowing 62 or more.
Syracuse: Syracuse is the only team in the country with multiple players averaging at least 13 points, 4.5 rebounds, three assists, and 1.5 steals per game (min. 25 games played). Dyaisha Fair and Georgia Woolley are those two players.
Tennessee: In their narrow defeat to South Carolina in the SEC championship game, Tennessee became just the fourth team in the past three seasons to play South Carolina within one possession.
No. 7 Seeds
Creighton: Creighton is the nation’s No. 1 ranked free-throw shooting team, converting on a ridiculous 82.5% of their attempts. That would rank fifth all-time in NCAA Division I history.
Duke: Against ACC foes this season, Duke held teams to a conference-low 57.7 points per game. That is the second consecutive season Duke led the ACC in in-conference scoring defense.
Iowa State: Addy Brown is on pace to become the first freshman in the HHS Era to average at least 10 points, eight rebounds, and four assists in at least 20 games played.
Mississippi: The Rebels block 6.1 shots per game, the second-most in Division I this season. What makes their shot-blocking most impressive is the incredible balance. Seven of their players have blocked at least 15 shots this season, which is the most in Division I this season, and tied for the most in the HHS Era with 2022-23 South Carolina and three different Baylor seasons.
No. 8 Seeds
Alabama: Alabama is 22-1 when scoring at least 67 points and 1-8 when scoring 66 or fewer.
Kansas: Taiyanna Jackson is the only player in Division I to average at least three blocks per game in each of the last three seasons. In the HHS Era, only Brittney Griner has done so in more seasons.
North Carolina: The Tarheels are 12-1 when recording more assists than turnovers this season, and 7-11 in all other games.
West Virginia: The Mountaineers have recorded a steal on 16.6% of opponents’ plays, which is the second-best rate in the nation.
No. 9 Seeds
Florida State: Florida State turns the ball over on just 12.9% of their plays, which is the third-best rate in Division I. That is a big improvement from just two seasons ago when they ranked 202nd with a 19.7% turnover rate.
Michigan: Michigan’s opponents average just 8.2 offensive rebounds per game, which is the sixth-fewest in Division I this year.
Michigan State: The Spartans are averaging 5.5 more points per game this season despite playing at a slightly slower pace than last year. They now rank sixth in points per game and fifth in points per 100 possessions.
Princeton: The Tigers very rarely get sent to the free-throw line, their 12.1% free-throw rate is the third-worst (lowest) in the country.
No. 10 Seeds
Marquette: Marquette ranks fourth in the country in defensive rebounding rate, pulling down 76.9% of opportunities.
Maryland: Maryland has played the toughest schedule in the country this season based on their opponents’ average HHS Rating.
Richmond: The Spiders posted their best season in the HHS Era, thanks largely to their highest-rated offense in that span. Their 108.5 HHS Offensive Rating, which predicts offensive efficiency against an “average” team, is 7.6 points per 100 possessions better than their previous high.
UNLV: The Rebels posted the nation’s No. 10 rated offense when adjusting for the strength of opponents which is their highest-ranked offense in the HHS Era. They ranked 19th last season and 34th the year before that, but before those two seasons, they had never ranked higher than 111th in the metric.
No. 11 Seeds
Arizona: Arizona is the only team in the country to play in three games that went to double-overtime or later.
Auburn: Auburn holds its opponents to an assist-to-turnover ratio of 0.43, which is the best mark in the nation.
Green Bay: Green Bay leads the country in assist-to-turnover ratio at 1.74. That is the highest since 2019-20 and would rank 12th in the HHS Era.
Middle Tennessee: The Blue Raiders have held opponents to just 38.1% shooting inside the arc, which ranks third in Division I.
Texas A&M: The Aggies are 13-1 when scoring over 70 points and 6-11 when scoring 70 or fewer.
No. 12 Seeds
Columbia: Abbey Hsu is currently on pace to become the first player since Elena Delle Donne to shoot 50% from inside the arc and 39% from deep while also averaging at least 20 points and seven boards (min. 7 2PA, 5 3PA, and 25 games played).
Drake: For the ninth season in a row, the Bulldogs have averaged more than 18 assists per game. No other team has hit that number in each of the past nine seasons.
FGCU: The Eagles lead Division I in free-throw rate, getting to the stripe on an incredible 23.8% of their 2-point scoring attempts.
South Dakota State: Even accounting for one of the easier offensive schedules in the country — their opponents allowed on average 96.6 points per 100 possessions, which is the fourth-highest (worst) in Division I — the Jackrabbits have one of the nation’s top offensives as their HHS Offensive Rating ranks 35th in the country.
Vanderbilt: The Commodores are 15-2 when recording double-digit steals and 7-7 when recording nine or fewer.
No. 13 Seeds
Fairfield: Carly Thibault-Dudonis — a finalist for our 2024 Kathy Delaney-Smith Mid-Major Coach of the Year award — has led the stags to the fifth-largest improvement in HHS Rating this season, and the largest turnaround for any of the 68 tournament teams. They enter the tournament with the nation’s second-longest winning streak at 29 consecutive games.
Marshall: The Thundering Herd won the Sun Belt’s auto-bid in a win over James Madison with one of the weirdest box scores you will ever see. Marshall won the turnover battle 39-12 while only winning the game by three points. That is only the second time in the HHS Era that a team has had a +27 turnover advantage without winning by at least 20 points.
Portland: Lucy Cochrane is once again one of the nation’s top paint protectors, blocking 3.2 shots per game to rank second nationally. Cochrane joins Cameron Brink and Taiyanna Jackson as the only three players to average at least 2.5 blocks per game in each of the last three seasons.
UC Irvine: The Anteaters generate a steal on 13.5% of opponents’ plays, which is the sixth-best rate in Division I this season.
No. 14 Seeds
Chattanooga: The Mocs are an unusual combination of exceptional defensive rebounding with lackluster offensive rebounding. They are the only team in the nation to post an offensive rebounding rate below 23.5% with a defensive rebounding rate above 73.5%, and one of just eight such seasons in the HHS Era (min. 25 games played).
Eastern Washington: The Eagles are extremely secure with the ball, their turnover rate of 14.5% ranks ninth in Division I this season which is their lowest in the HHS Era.
Jackson State: Jackson State averages 11.6 free-throw trips per game, which ranks second in Division I behind only LSU.
Rice: The Owls’ opponents averaged only 4.6 made 3-pointers per game this season, which is the 29th-fewest in Division I.
No. 15 Seeds
California Baptist: For the fifth season in a row, the Lancers rank in the top 10 nationally in assisted shot rate, recording assists on 68.6% of their made baskets.
Kent State: Kent State is a good defensive rebounding team, ranking 23rd nationally with a 74.5% defensive rebounding rate.
Maine: Adrianna Smith is on track to be one of only four players in the HHS Era to average at least 15 points, 10 rebounds, and 4.5 assists over a full season.
Norfolk State: The Spartans average 12.3 steals per game, which ranks fourth in Division I. This would be their third season in a row ranking in the top four and their fifth season ranking in the top 20.
No. 16 Seeds
Drexel: Drexel is the fifth-slowest team in the nation this season and has been among the bottom 7% nationally in every year of the HHS Era.
Holy Cross: Holy Cross generates just 4.9 steals per game, which is the 11th-fewest in Division I.
Presbyterian: The Blue Hose aren’t going to block many shots, as their 3.8% block rate is the seventh-worst this season.
Sacred Heart: After struggling to start her sophomore campaign, Ny’Ceara Pryor returned to form late in the season to become just the third player in the HHS Era to average at least 19 points, seven rebounds, four assists and three steals per game.
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi: The Islanders average 10.1 trips to the line per game, which ranks 20th in Division I.
UT Martin: The Skyhawks commit just 13.4 fouls per game, which ranks 18th in the country this season.
Good story idea. Useful information except for 3rd seed UConn. This was an unprofessional lapse in an otherwise fine piece of work.