The Most Mind-Boggling Stats in Men's College Basketball This Season

In today's era of college basketball and data-driven analysis, there are no shortage of statistics to overwhelm our brains.

March Madness in particular creates a half-week scramble in hopes of finding that winning hint. But all of that information will be the result of the four-month 2022-23 regular season, which continues to produce some fascinating oddities.

And, boy, do we love quirky numbers.

The list is subjective and has no specific target other than statistics and trends that are impressive, strange or in between.

Southern Indiana has uncovered a gem in Jacob Polakovich.

Easily his most notable performance of the season happened in December against Southeast Missouri State. In that victory, he racked up 27 points, 26 rebounds and five assists.

But that contest is simply the highlight of some really incredible box scores. Polakovich, who's averaging 12.4 points and 12.7 boards, has corralled 20-plus rebounds in five games. Only two players since 2010 have accomplished that number in six games in a season.

Between the regular season and OVC tournament, Polakovich has no fewer than five opportunities left for a shot at recent history.

*Taps earpiece:* I can confirm we're not talking about football.

Last season, only one SEC defense held a top-15 ranking nationally in opponent true shooting percentage. Auburn checked in 15th, while LSU (23rd) was the next program before Kentucky (43rd).

This year, though, the conference has a deep group. Tennessee ranks first nationally with Alabama right behind, followed by Mississippi State (13th), Florida (14th) and Auburn (15th). Throw in Arkansas, and six of KenPom's top-20 teams in adjusted defensive efficiency are from the SEC.

Now, context is valuable. Alabama and Tennessee are clearly the class of the conference, so the highest tier is limited.

The depth of strong defense in the league is a reminder of how perilous the situation is for bubble teams. And after Missouri (for now, at least), there are five SEC schools—Arkansas, Auburn, Kentucky, Mississippi State and Texas A&M—lingering near the bubble.

Antoine Davis may be familiar name, given the Detroit guard's pursuit of the all-time scoring record. Ja'Monta Black, on the other hand, doesn't have a whole lot of national recognition.

Let's change that, shall we?

Dating back to 2010, only Fletcher Magee (Wofford, 2018-19) has knocked down seven-plus triples in seven games of a single season. Davis and Black both have a serious opportunity to match or surpass Magee.

At this point, Davis has notched six showings with seven-plus threes—doing so in each of the last two games. That sizzling back-to-back has propelled him beyond Black, who's recorded five such performances. Both players have at least three regular-season games remaining.

And since Northwestern State is the Southland Conference leader, Black might find himself on the March Madness stage, too.

Duke loves playing at home.

So far, the Blue Devils are 17-7 overall with a 12-0 mark at Cameron Indoor Stadium. They're also 3-2 in neutral-site games with victories over Oregon State, Xavier and Iowa, losing to top-10 teams Kansas and Purdue.

Road games, however, have become a problematic obstacle. Duke has mustered only two road victories all year, and neither opponent—Boston College and Georgia Tech—owns a winning record. Otherwise, the Blue Devils have dropped six conference trips to Wake Forest, North Carolina State, Clemson, Virginia Tech, Miami and Virginia.

Sure, absences for Jeremy Roach and Dariq Whitehead have complicated a couple of those outings. Duke, though, has a seriously concerning trend to overcome in March.

As a standalone stat, assist rate is not indicative of a defense's effectiveness. For example, Syracuse is typically among the worst units in that category, but its 2-3 zone requires off-ball movement and quick shots.

Conversely, a program such as St. Mary's is known for making opponents work to win on-ball changes.

Hawaii has embraced the latter strategy.

The nation's best defense in opponent assist rate traditionally lands in the 38-40 percent range. This season, Hawaii has limited teams to a stunning 30.9 rate, which best the current standard since 2010 set by Northern Colorado (32.9) during the 2019-20 campaign.

If an opponent can drill mid-range jumpers and win off the dribble, Hawaii's defense can be exploited. If a roster lacks those abilities, they're probably in for a long night as the Warriors fight over screens and generally refuse to drift from corner shooters.