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Message: [QUOTE="BigTenGuy, post: 5180542, member: 12979"] Last night’s BIG games mark the half-way point of the BIG conference season. Every team has played at least 9 conference games, except UCLA and USC, who have played 8 games, and Northwestern, who has played 7 games. Northwestern canceled its LA trip due to the fires, otherwise all teams would have played at least 9 conference games as of January 27 (PSU and Rutgers have played 10). Through games of January 27, advanced conference-game stats show a dramatically different league with the arrival of the PAC-12 4, and the departure of Caitlin Clark and Mackenzie Holmes. The league is much less offensively efficient and (obviously) much more defensive. Through 8 games, UCLA is the best offensive team in league play, but on a Points Per Play (PPP) basis (points scored per play finished with a shot, free-throw trip or turnover), UCLA is a material step down from the best offensive BIG teams of the advanced WBB stats era: BIG OFFENSIVE PPP (since 2009-10) [TABLE] [TR] [TD]2023-24[/TD] [TD][URL='https://herhoopstats.com/stats/ncaa/team/2024/conf/iowa-hawkeyes-womens-basketball-stats-11e8e149-c886-db4c-af82-12df17ae4e1e/']Iowa[/URL][/TD] [TD]1.06[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]2022-23[/TD] [TD][URL='https://herhoopstats.com/stats/ncaa/team/2023/conf/iowa-hawkeyes-womens-basketball-stats-11e8e149-c886-db4c-af82-12df17ae4e1e/']Iowa[/URL][/TD] [TD]1.03[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]2021-22[/TD] [TD][URL='https://herhoopstats.com/stats/ncaa/team/2022/conf/iowa-hawkeyes-womens-basketball-stats-11e8e149-c886-db4c-af82-12df17ae4e1e/']Iowa[/URL][/TD] [TD]1.03[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]2020-21[/TD] [TD][URL='https://herhoopstats.com/stats/ncaa/team/2021/conf/iowa-hawkeyes-womens-basketball-stats-11e8e149-c886-db4c-af82-12df17ae4e1e/']Iowa[/URL][/TD] [TD]1.03[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]2020-21[/TD] [TD][URL='https://herhoopstats.com/stats/ncaa/team/2021/conf/maryland-terrapins-terps-womens-basketball-stats-11e8e149-c927-fb76-af82-12df17ae4e1e/']Maryland[/URL][/TD] [TD]1.02[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]2023-24[/TD] [TD][URL='https://herhoopstats.com/stats/ncaa/team/2024/conf/indiana-hoosiers-womens-basketball-stats-11e8e149-c879-30fa-af82-12df17ae4e1e/']Indiana[/URL][/TD] [TD]1.00[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]2018-19[/TD] [TD][URL='https://herhoopstats.com/stats/ncaa/team/2019/conf/iowa-hawkeyes-womens-basketball-stats-11e8e149-c886-db4c-af82-12df17ae4e1e/']Iowa[/URL][/TD] [TD]0.98[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]2015-16[/TD] [TD][URL='https://herhoopstats.com/stats/ncaa/team/2016/conf/ohio-st-buckeyes-womens-basketball-stats-11e8e149-ca1c-c6ec-af82-12df17ae4e1e/']Ohio St.[/URL][/TD] [TD]0.98[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]2016-17[/TD] [TD][URL='https://herhoopstats.com/stats/ncaa/team/2017/conf/maryland-terrapins-terps-womens-basketball-stats-11e8e149-c927-fb76-af82-12df17ae4e1e/']Maryland[/URL][/TD] [TD]0.97[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]2022-23[/TD] [TD][URL='https://herhoopstats.com/stats/ncaa/team/2023/conf/indiana-hoosiers-womens-basketball-stats-11e8e149-c879-30fa-af82-12df17ae4e1e/']Indiana[/URL][/TD] [TD]0.97[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]2024-25[/TD] [TD][URL='https://herhoopstats.com/stats/ncaa/team/2025/conf/ucla-bruins-womens-basketball-stats-11e8e149-cbe3-4154-af82-12df17ae4e1e/']UCLA[/URL][/TD] [TD]0.97[/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE] USC this season checks in at .90 Offensive PPP, tied with Minnesota and Indiana for 4th in the league. On a defensive basis, through 8 games, USC is the best defensive team in BIG play in the advanced stats era. USC’s Opponents’ PPP are the lowest in BIG league play since at least 2009-10, and Oregon is close behind with the 5th lowest in BIG league play since 2009-10: BIG DEFENSIVE PPP (since 2009-10) [TABLE] [TR] [TD]2024-25[/TD] [TD][URL='https://herhoopstats.com/stats/ncaa/team/2025/conf/southern-california-trojans-womens-basketball-stats-11e8e149-cb3d-dcc8-af82-12df17ae4e1e/']Southern California[/URL][/TD] [TD]0.66[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]2009-10[/TD] [TD][URL='https://herhoopstats.com/stats/ncaa/team/2010/conf/michigan-st-spartans-womens-basketball-stats-11e8e149-c94b-774a-af82-12df17ae4e1e/']Michigan St.[/URL][/TD] [TD]0.70[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]2019-20[/TD] [TD][URL='https://herhoopstats.com/stats/ncaa/team/2020/conf/maryland-terrapins-terps-womens-basketball-stats-11e8e149-c927-fb76-af82-12df17ae4e1e/']Maryland[/URL][/TD] [TD]0.71[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]2012-13[/TD] [TD][URL='https://herhoopstats.com/stats/ncaa/team/2013/conf/nebraska-cornhuskers-womens-basketball-stats-11e8e149-c9a4-6210-af82-12df17ae4e1e/']Nebraska[/URL][/TD] [TD]0.73[/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]2024-25[/TD] [TD][URL='https://herhoopstats.com/stats/ncaa/team/2025/conf/oregon-ducks-womens-basketball-stats-11e8e149-ca3b-bc46-af82-12df17ae4e1e/']Oregon[/URL][/TD] [TD]0.73[/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE] USC’s Opponents’ Effective Field Goal Percentage (efg%) in league play is 38.2%, the lowest in BIG league play since at least 2009-10. Iowa led the BIG last year in league play with Opponents’ efg% of 47.3%. Quite the change in one season. UCLA and Oregon are 2nd and 3rd in BIG play this season with Opponents’ efg% of 43.4% and 44.8%. USC has the highest Block Percentage in BIG league play since at least 2009-10, and UCLA has the 10th highest Block Percentage in BIG history over the same time period. Guess they knew how to play defense in the PAC-12 (but not Washington). The BIG also features some historically bad defenses this season in conference play, but perhaps unbalanced schedules and small first-half sample size are to blame. Washington’s Opponents’ efg% is 55.5%, the highest in BIG league play since at least 2009-10. Purdue’s and Northwestern’s Opponents’ PPP is .98, the highest in BIG league play since at least 2009-10. It will be interesting to see if the first-half statistical changes hold up for the entire conference season, including the conference tournament. All stats are conference-game only stats per HerHoopStats, inclusive of conference tournament play. [/QUOTE]

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