University of North Texas Athletics
Photo by: Ben Stewart
By The Numbers: UNT MBB At An All-Time High
3/8/2021 3:20:00 PM | Men's Basketball
DENTON — As the calendar turns to March and the madness begins, the North Texas men's basketball team is entering the final month of the season playing some of its best basketball in recent memory and the statistics back it up.
UNT, who is the highest ranked Conference USA team in the NCAA NET, ESPN BPI and Ken Pom enters postseason with a No. 70 NET ranking, which is its highest ranking headed into the postseason ever.
Ken Pom gives the Mean Green a similar ranking of 80 that is their highest ranking in March ever. Ken Pom's analytics began in 2002.
UNT is getting this recognition on the backs of its tremendous defense. But it doesn't end with defense. They are doing it on both ends of the court as the Mean Green are a highly effective offense too.
North Texas ranks 19th in the nation in scoring defense while holding opponents to just 62.5 points per game. On Jan. 2 they held Loyola, who Ken Pom ranks in the top 10 in the nation, to just 57 points on the road. That's the second fewest points Loyola had scored all year at home. Loyola is averaging 74 points per game at home.
While defense has always been their calling card under fourth-year head coach Grant McCasland, what has made this Mean Green team elite is the efficiency their offense runs on.
Led by reigning C-USA Player of the Year in point guard Javion Hamlet, UNT's effective field goal percentage, which is a Ken Pom stat that gives extra value to 3-pointers, ranks the Mean Green 28th in the nation at 54.8 percent.
With more traditional offensive stats, the Mean Green still rank high.
Entering the final week of the season, they ranked top 40 in the nation in 2-point field goal percentage, 3-point field goal percentage and overall field goal percentage.
And once UNT is able to pass the 70-point mark in a game it's an almost guarantee victory.
Under McCasland, North Texas is 55-12 when scoring 70 or more points.
As the Madness begins to heat up, the North Texas men's basketball team is feeling good as the stats and analytics show they are close to be dancing for the first time since 2010.
Follow the Mean Green on Twitter @MeanGreenMBB for updates.
UNT, who is the highest ranked Conference USA team in the NCAA NET, ESPN BPI and Ken Pom enters postseason with a No. 70 NET ranking, which is its highest ranking headed into the postseason ever.
Ken Pom gives the Mean Green a similar ranking of 80 that is their highest ranking in March ever. Ken Pom's analytics began in 2002.
UNT is getting this recognition on the backs of its tremendous defense. But it doesn't end with defense. They are doing it on both ends of the court as the Mean Green are a highly effective offense too.
North Texas ranks 19th in the nation in scoring defense while holding opponents to just 62.5 points per game. On Jan. 2 they held Loyola, who Ken Pom ranks in the top 10 in the nation, to just 57 points on the road. That's the second fewest points Loyola had scored all year at home. Loyola is averaging 74 points per game at home.
While defense has always been their calling card under fourth-year head coach Grant McCasland, what has made this Mean Green team elite is the efficiency their offense runs on.
Led by reigning C-USA Player of the Year in point guard Javion Hamlet, UNT's effective field goal percentage, which is a Ken Pom stat that gives extra value to 3-pointers, ranks the Mean Green 28th in the nation at 54.8 percent.
With more traditional offensive stats, the Mean Green still rank high.
Entering the final week of the season, they ranked top 40 in the nation in 2-point field goal percentage, 3-point field goal percentage and overall field goal percentage.
And once UNT is able to pass the 70-point mark in a game it's an almost guarantee victory.
Under McCasland, North Texas is 55-12 when scoring 70 or more points.
As the Madness begins to heat up, the North Texas men's basketball team is feeling good as the stats and analytics show they are close to be dancing for the first time since 2010.
Follow the Mean Green on Twitter @MeanGreenMBB for updates.
Players Mentioned
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