RMU by the numbers

A pretty obvious statement that might not actually seem so obvious to the general public: RMU has been super good on offense. Offense is not the problem for this team. Defense is. With that being said, it’s nearly impossible to statistically analyze defense (although we’ll give it a shot later). So we’re going to take a deeper look at RMU by the numbers.

There are some interesting offensive numbers to look at. I commented last night on how it feels like RMU just isn’t the same team from beyond the arc and the numbers will back that up. Last season, nearly 37 percent of the total points came from three. So far this year? That figure is at 31 percent. Even with Coron Williams and Russell Johnson, gone, RMU’s three point percentage as a team is 36.7 percent. That’s a pretty awesome percentage considering the amount of road games the team has played. Keep letting it fly from three!

The biggest flaw the team has is its two-point shooting. Its overall mark of 43.4 percent is outside of the top 300 in basketball. It’s not like the team doesn’t have shooters, because they do, but the shot selection can be brutal sometimes.

Ideally, with a team like RMU, you’re either shooting a three or getting to the rim. This team has plenty of guys who can do both. Problem is, they aren’t. RMU’s percentage of shots at the rim (33.1 percent) sucks, as does their field goal percentage (51.7). This means we’re seeing lotsssssss of jumpers. Yuck.

RMU hasn't been getting to the rim and finsihing like this a

whole lot (P/C: Kyle Gorcey)

I think there’s a pretty clear solution to that. When the big men are on the floor and not setting screens, they should be locked in on the low post, especially Mike McFadden. I think Mike is having a fine year but there’s so much more he could be doing. His usage rate is the highest on the team… good. Bad: our center is taking most of his shots away from the rim. Mike’s strength is posting up and using his long stride and spin moves to get to the basket and draw fouls. When 45 percent of your shots are jumpers but you’re only hitting 29 percent of them, it creates some bad offensive possessions. Teams are just going to let him take jumpers.

Mike is just a small image in a bigger picture. Why can’t RMU do anything at the rim? The average college basketball team is hitting 60 percent of their shots at the rim. RMU is at 51. Is there some curse on the Colonials this year? Is someone playing with a voodoo doll? Did the players come together and decide to not hit anything at the rim to lose games for Toole? These are all questions I have.

One more thing I’d like to point out: Anthony Myers-Pate is really struggling. For someone who plays a lot of minutes and does almost all of the ball handling, he has the fifth worse offensive rating on the team, and that’s a figure that has recently gone up. His assist rate is good but that’s a figure that I think will go down if he doesn’t shoot the ball better (34.6 percent from the floor). Eventually, teams are going to play way off and take away passing lanes and dare him to shoot.

Some other cool odds and ends: Karvel Anderson is ranked in the top 250 nationally in effective and true shooting percentage and is 27 in turnover rate. If Karvel gets a shot at the next level, it will probably be at point guard, and that’s a number he can certainly point to to help his case… Lucky Jones is super good at getting to the rim and drawing fouls, ranking in the top 300 in fouls drawn per 40 and fee throw rate. His jump shot probably isn’t where he wants it to be yet, but a good player still manges to get buckets, and that’s what he does. Jeremiah Worthem also ranks in the top 300 in turnover rate. This might seem like a moot point but remember that when teams press RMU Worthem is usually the relief guy, meaning the primary ball handler is looking for him when the double comes in the back court. Charles Oliver is really good at finishing at the rim (83.3 field goal percentage)… Stephan Hawkins is not (27.3 percent).

--Chris Cappella

--@C_Cappella