Mick Cronin’s Bearcat teams play exceptional defense and somewhat lack excitement and production on the offensive end of the floor. This is nothing new, and pundits and the media alike will point to the offensive flaws in explaining each and every loss. However, it is certainly helpful to look at the below statistics for the 2015 season.
| UC Wins | UC Losses | |
| Scoring | 65.9 | 52.4 |
| Scoring Defense | 51.6 | 63.0 |
| Field Goal % | 47.8% | 34.6% |
| Field Goal % Defense | 36.1% | 43.5% |
| 3 Point % | 33.5% | 22.6% |
| 3 Point % Defense | 27.5% | 40.7% |
| Rebounds | 35.1 | 37.8 |
| Rebound Margin | +6.6 | +5.2 |
| Assists | 11.8 | 9.4 |
| Turnovers | 13.0 | 15.6 |
| Blocks | 6.5 | 5.2 |
| Steals | 7.1 | 6.6 |
So what does this tell us? Rebounds, rebound margin, assists, turnovers, blocks, and steals are essentially a wash. UC has never been an assist heavy team, and sure, turning the ball over like we did against Memphis is a recipe for disaster. But, in general terms these stats do not explain W’s and L’s.
When UC can hold opponents under 60 points a game, UC wins. It’s that simple. The Cats should be able to score 60 points a game with their offensive weapons down low (Ellis, Clark, DeBerry) and outside (Caupain, Cobb, Thomas, Moorman, Johnson). UC does not live and die by the 3 like other teams. However, making a few 3’s and shutting down the opponent from beyond the arch is also key. How many times did UConn drain a 3 when the Cats were starting to claw their way back or were up in that game? Without offensive prowess 3-point defense is essential. Just look at the VCU game.
Whatever it’s worth, this chart certainly helps break down the season thus far, and is sure to please the stat nerds out there for Bearcat Nation.