Over the course of the season, you have probably seen multiple media members use statistics from the website kenpom.com to describe a facet of Indiana’s game. However, sometimes people see the statistics and they may seem like a foreign language because they are not statistics that have been traditionally used. With that said, this post will help you understand Kenpom’s statistics for Indiana, and what exactly they mean.
Offensive Efficiency
Offensive efficiency is sometimes also called “points per possession”. KenPom calculates offensive efficiency by dividing the number of points a team has scored in the season by the number of possessions they have had (like this: points scored/possessions). After he has the team’s points per possession, he multiplies that number, and that is how he comes up with a team’s offensive efficiency. KenPom does have some minor calculations he does to adjust teams’ offensive efficiencies due to the quality of their opponents.
Currently, IU’s offensive efficiency is at 120.4, good for fourth in the nation. What this means is that IU is scoring 120.4 points per 100 possessions, or 1.204 points per possession. The division-1 average is 99.4.
Defensive Efficiency
Defensive efficiency is obviously very similar to offensive efficiency, except it calculates how many points IU is giving up on a per-possession basis. Defensive efficiency is calculated by dividing how many points the opponent has scored by how many possessions they have had (points allowed/possessions). Just like offensive efficiency, once points-per-possession are calculated, KenPom multiplies that number by 100 to get points given up per 100 possessions, otherwise known as defensive efficiency.
To this point, Indiana’s defensive efficiency is at 86.3, which is 12th in the nation. It means that IU is giving up 86.3 points per 100 possessions, or .863 points per possession. The division-1 average is 99.4.
Tempo
A team’s tempo is calculated by their total number of possessions, divided by their total number of minutes played in the season. A team’s total number of possessions is pretty easy to calculate, and its formula is: Field Goals Attempted – Offensive Rebounds + Turnovers + (.475 *Free Throws Attempted). KenPom does do a minor calculation to adjust for a team’s schedule.
IU’s tempo is currently at 69.3, which is 64th in the nation. This means that IU roughly averages around 69 possessions per game.
Offensive Effective Field Goal Percentage
Effective field goal percentage is different from the traditional field goal percentage because it takes into account the extra value of a made 3-pointer. Effective field goal percentage is calculated like this: (Field Goals Made + (.5 * 3-Point Field Goals Made))/ Field Goals Attempted. Like it was mentioned above, there is an extra value added for made 3-point field goals because they are a shot that is worth more points.
IU’s offensive effective field goal percentage right now is 56.6%, good for third in the nation. The conventional field goal percentage stat at IU at 50 percent, but since IU is a good three-point shooting team, it has raised their effective field goal percentage to 56.6 percent. The division-1 average is 48.3 percent.
Defensive Effective Field Goal Percentage
Defensive effective field goal percentage is calculated just like offensive effective field goal percentage, except for opponents. Thus, IU’s defensive effective field goal percentage is calculated like this: (Opponents’ Field Goals Made + (.5 * Opponents’ 3-Point Field Goals Made))/Opponents’ Field Goals Attempted.
Right now, IU’s opponents’ have an effective field goal percentage of 42.3 percent. IU has done a good job of forcing their opponents to shoot poorly, and their defensive effective field goal percentage is 10th in the nation. The division one average is 48.3 percent.
Turnover Percentage
Turnover percentage is easy, as it is the percentage of a team’s possessions that end in a turnover. Its calculation is: Turnovers/Possessions
IU’s turnover percentage is at 19.3 percent, meaning IU turns the ball over just under 20 percent of their possessions. That is one of IU’s worst statistics, as they are 110th in the nation in that regard.
The Hoosiers are forcing their opponents to turn the ball over on 22.1% of their possessions, good for 93rd in the nation. The division one average for turnover percentage is 20.5 percent.
Offensive Rebounding Percentage
Offensive rebounding percentage is another pretty self-explanatory one. The percentage calculates how often IU gets an offensive rebound of a missed shot. It’s calculated like this: Offensive Rebounds/Shots Missed.
Indiana’s offensive rebounding percentage is 40.2, which is eighth in the nation. Indiana’s opponents are grabbing 28.4 percent of their missed shots, which is good for 50th in the nation for the Hoosiers. The division-1 average is 32.
Assist Rate
Assist rate is the percentage of made baskets that also result in an assist. Its calculation is: Assists/Made Baskets.
The Hoosiers’ assist rate is currently at 57.5 percent. This means that Indiana is assisting on 57.5 percent of their made baskets. Indiana is currently 82nd in the nation in assist rate.
Indiana’s opponents are assisting on 45.8 percent of their made baskets, which means Indiana forces their opponents into a lot of 1-on-1 action. The division-1 average is 53.8 percent.
Free Throw Rate
A team’s free throw rate is its number of free three throws attempted compared to its number of field goals attempted (Free Throws Attempted / Field Goals Attempted).
IU’s free throw rate is 50.9 percent, good for 2nd in the nation. IU’s opponents’ free throw rate is currently 26.8 percent. The division-1 average is 35.6.
There are a multitude of other stats that KenPom calculates on his website, but the statistics listed above seem to be the most important, and are also the stats that are cited most often.