Editor's note: This story appears in the Star's NCAA Tournament preview section, which you can read in its entirety by clicking here.
When one team leads all of women’s collegiate basketball in four statistical categories, they’ve got to be doing something right.
And, yes, South Carolina does look mighty imposing this year.
But Iowa and Iowa State also boast big numbers, as does Arizona. Err, well, the Wildcats boast a little stat, but it’s a good little stat.
Here, we break down the Greensboro Regional’s eye-popping numbers.
No. 1 South Carolina
The big number: 33
The Gamecocks lead the country in three good categories — blocks, blocks per game, rebounding margin — and one great one. South Carolina allowed a minuscule 33% opposing field goal percentage on 1,866 shots. The next highest mark belongs to UCF at 33.3%, but that was across 1,431 shots.
No. 2 Iowa
The big number: 50.5
There are stats that jump off the page and there are stats that jump out of the building. When your No. 2 scorer — one who averages 21.1 points per game — shoots an astounding 67.8% from the field, your team is bound to be efficient. But the Iowa Hawkeyes shoot 50.5% from the field, best in the country by a country mile. The difference between No. 1 and No. 5 BYU is nearly five percentage points.
No. 3 Iowa State
The big number: 82.6
The Cyclones are not unlike Jeremy Renner’s character in the Marvel movies — you guessed it, Hawkeye — who is deadly with an arrow. Iowa State shoots 82.6% from the free-throw line, only trailing one team for the nation’s lead. That team? You guessed it, the Iowa Hawkeyes.
No. 4 Arizona
The big number: 56.81
Once again, Adia Barnes’ crew can rest its hat on the defensive end. The Wildcats led the Pac-12 in points allowed at just 56.81 per game, a byproduct of the hustle that Barnes has instilled. Arizona held six opponents to 45 points or fewer this year.
No. 5 North Carolina
The big number: 34.9
Despite a pint-sized lineup, North Carolina is led by one of the top defenses in the country. The Tar Heels are limiting opponents to 34.9% field-goal shooting, tops in the ACC and eighth in the country. North Carolina has four players 6-foot-2 or taller — and none of them figure into the six-player rotation.
No. 6 Georgia
The big number: 16.3
With a deep rotation featuring 10 players who average 10 minutes or more, the Lady Bulldogs move the ball around as often as they switch in new players. Six players average more than one assist per game, including Chloe Chapman, who drops 2.7 dimes in only 15.9 minutes per contest. The team overall averages 16.3 per game.
No. 7 Colorado
The big number: 56.83
The Buffaloes boast the league’s second-best defense, only trailing Arizona. The difference between Arizona’s 56.81 points per game allowed, Colorado’s 56.83 and Stanford’s 56.87 was razor-thin. That defense helped the Buffaloes get off to a 13-0 start before a four-game losing streak. Colorado pulled off another six-game win streak late in the season, capped off by a 45-43 win over the Wildcats in the Pac-12 Tournament quarterfinals.
No. 8 Miami
The big number: 320
Miami’s Kelsey Marshall is among the most prolific outside shooters in the tournament. Heading into her final NCAA Tournament, Marshall has 320 career 3-pointers. She knocked down a career-high 79 3s so far this year, with a sufficient 34.3 3-point percentage.
No. 9 South Florida
The big number: 53.8
The Bulls have a bearish defense, led by 6-4 forward Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu and 6-0 forward Bethy Mununga. South Florida ranked second in the American Athletic Conference, allowing just 53.8 points per game. That mark ranks 11th in the country.
No. 10 Creighton
The big number: 1.63
With senior guard Tatum Rembao leading the way, Creighton has been one of the stingiest teams in the country. Rembao boasts an assist-to-turnover ratio of 183-to-58, a big reason the Blue Jays led the entire nation with a 1.63 A/T ratio and with 20.9 assists per game. In a 107-59 win over St. John’s on Feb. 18, Creighton had 32 assists to seven turnovers.
No. 11 Dayton/DePaul
The big number: 88.3
Sorry Dayton, only one Big Number reigns supreme here. DePaul’s 88.3 points per game lead the nation by almost a full four points per game over No. 2 Iowa. With all five starters in double figures, including Aneesah Morrow (21.7 points per game) and Sonya Morris (17.9), the Blue Demons are a force to be reckoned with.
No. 12 Stephen F. Austin
The big number: 12.4
Stephen F. Austin is like a gang of robbers, ranking second nationally in steals. The Ladyjacks have 398 thefts on the season, with three players swiping more than two per game — Stephanie Visscher (2.6), Brianna Mitchell (2.3) and Zya Nugent (2.1).
No. 13 UNLV
The big number: 11.1
With a balanced offense led by two 15-point scorers in Essence Booker (15.5 ppg) and Desi-Rae Young (15.1 ppg), the Rebels boast one of the top scoring margins in the country at 11.1 — tied with Arizona for 37th nationally. That margin leads the Mountain West, and it’s a big reason the Rebels are tourney-bound.
No. 14 UT Arlington
The big number: 1.11
UTA’s 1.11 turnover ratio led the Sun Belt Conference, as did its 383 turnovers on the year. And with 425 assists, the Mavericks ranked second in the league with 15.7 per game. Two key contributors: Terryn Milton and Kate Ferrell, who each averaged 4.5 assists per game.
No. 15 Illinois State
The big number: 34.2
Illinois State’s 34.2 3-point percentage ranks best in the Missouri Valley Conference and just on the inside of the nation’s top 50. The Redbirds ought to do what they can to get the ball to Kayel Newland behind the perimeter: she’s connected on 19 of 37 attempts this year.
No. 16 Howard/Incarnate Word
The big number: 21
We’ll give this one to Howard: Ty Grace did in his second season what no Howard head coach has done since the turn of the century — led the Bison to the NCAA Tournament. After advancing to the tourney in 1996, 1997, 1998 and 2001, they haven’t been back in 21 years. This year, they won both the conference regular season and tournament championships.
