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Here are the top 10 teams in Overall Efficiency heading into conference play with strength of schedule in parentheses:1. Texas .992 (193)
2. Duke .985 (76)
3. Kansas .983 (315)
4. Syracuse .974 (239)
5. Purdue .967 (153)
6. West Virginia .965 (162)
7. Minnesota .964 (222)
8. Clemson .961 (178)
9. BYU .960 (308)
10. California .960 (10)
Comments: Kansas(3) is an early favorite for the National Championship, but they haven't played anyone yet as witnessed by their 315th ranked strength of schedule. They should be there in the end, but I'd like to see how they do against some real competition. California(10) on the other hand has played the 10th toughest schedule and still has a Top 10 offense, which means they can score on anyone, and might cruise through a weak Pac-10. Texas(1), Duke(2), & Syracuse(4) join Kansas(3) to round out the Top 4 and of those teams Duke has played the toughest schedule so far. Usually that doesn't mean much come tournament time, but it should have them ready for conference play, while the others may struggle a little more than expected. I think all are legit Final 4 candidates though.
Other Notables (Possibly Overrated):
20. Kentucky .942 (221)
26. Michigan State .931 (230)
28. Tennessee .926 (233)
33. Villanova .914 (155)
41. Connecticut .899 (66)
44. North Carolina .895 (114)
Comments: Kentucky(20) was ranked even lower than they are now before the past couple weeks, so they look to be a team that is getting better as the season goes on. That is exactly what you would expect from such a young team and I would imagine they will be in the Top 10 in overall efficiency for most of the season. Kentucky(3), Villanova(8), Michigan State(9), and UNC(10) are all ranked in the Top 10 in the polls, so it appears they are overrated as of right now. However, it's still too early to make any concrete statements about the efficiency ratings. Don't be surprised if some of these teams start to struggle in conference play though.
Teams to keep an eye on (Possible Sleepers):
13. Mississippi State .952 (152)
16. Kansas State .946 (69)
18. Old Dominion .944 (75)
19. Tulsa .943 (333)
21. Mississippi .941 (157)
23. New Mexico .937 (167)
Comments: Chances are at least one of these teams will find their way into the Sweet 16 and possibly further. Usually it's the teams with strong offenses who advance and surprise people in the NCAA Tournament. New Mexico(9), Mississippi(13), and Mississippi State(20) have the best offenses from this group, so you definitely want to keep an eye on those teams and keep them fresh in your mind come tournament time. I especially like New Mexico, who has already beaten Cal(10) and Texas A&M(35). They are led by Darington Hobson (16.9 PPG, 8.1 REB, 4.6 AST) and Roman Martinez (16.8 PPG, 5.8 REB, 1.6 STL. Martinez also happens to be ranked 6th overall in the country in offensive rating. New Mexico is ranked pretty high in the polls right now, but chances are they won't be any higher than a 4 or 5 seed come tournament time even if they keep winning, which makes them a sleeper in my mind.
Top 10 in Offensive Efficiency (Points Per 100 Possessions)
1. William & Mary 124.7
2. Kansas 121.7
3. Duke 120.4
4. California 118.8
5. Notre Dame 118.5
6. St. Mary's 117.8
7. Texas 117.6
8. Syracuse 117.4
9. New Mexico 117.1
10. Kansas State 117.0
Comments: William & Mary(74) has one hell of an offense this season and before you write them off remember that they have beaten Wake Forest(43), played UConn(41) well and lost by 9 points, and lost to a decent Harvard(65) team in Triple OT. In conference play, they already knocked off VCU(76) and they should have a strong conference showing when all is said and done.
Top 10 in Defensive Efficiency (Points Allowed Per 100 Possessions)
1. Texas 77.0
2. Minnesota 81.0
3. Purdue 81.4
4. Duke 83.5
5. Temple 83.7
6. BYU 84.1
7. Florida State 84.3
8. Clemson 85.2
9. Missouri 85.3
10. Kansas 85.4
Comments: You need a good defense to make the Final 4, but just having a great defense alone won't get you there. Teams like Minnesota (76 in offense), Temple (115 in offense), and Florida State (154 in offense) will need to improve offensively if they want to advance more than a round or two in the NCAA Tournament. I would pretty much ignore them until they show more consistency on offense.
More: NCAA Basketball
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