With a brief break in the schedule, there's a chance to look a little closer at some numbers and trends on the men's basketball side of things.
First, on last night, UWM shot just 26.7 percent from the floor overall and Milwaukee made just 4-of-28 from three-point range. The overall shooting percentage marked the first time in nearly a year the Panthers shot less than 30 percent from the floor, and it was the lowest shooting percentage since Milwaukee shot just 24.1 percent in a loss at Butler in 2009.
But, that sent me looking a little deeper at the numbers breakdown in wins and losses this season. A year ago at this time, the difference in wins and losses was striking on both offense and defense - remember Cleveland State shooting 65 percent from the field and squads like Portland and even Marquette lighting up the Panthers?
This year, all of the striking differences are on the offensive end, as Milwaukee has been extremely consistent defensively.
In fact, the Panthers have allowed opponents to shoot 38.7 percent in the nine wins but still just 40.2 percent in four losses.
Offensively, though, consider these breakdowns:
- UWM is shooting 43.8 percent in nine wins while scoring 69.9 points per game. In the Panthers’ four losses, they are shooting just 36 percent from the floor and averaging just 52.5 points per game.
- There’s an even greater gap in the numbers from three-point range, with Milwaukee shooting 39.4 percent from distance in nine wins and just 20.2 percent from beyond the arc in four losses.
- For those deeply into the stats, UWM’s points-per-possession number is 1.06 in nine wins and .844 in four losses.
What does it all mean? Well, obviously, a bit more consistency on offense could lead the Panthers to even greater heights. But the numbers also make a great case for just how much you can stay in games and win games simply by playing good defense. UWM's overall offense numbers are far from great, yet the record stands at 9-4 after 13 games.
