The best defenses in men’s college basketball, 2019-20

I promised this post nearly two months ago and got lost in some other projects, namely my beloved Program Reviews project that’s going to take a break for a little bit after this week. However, I couldn’t ignore the other, arguably more important half of basketball. Having an excellent defense is just about a requirement for any team to win a championship, and it especially goes that way in basketball. While offense has been more important by a hair, no defense ranked outside of the top 40 nationally has won the Division I national championship in the KenPom era. Similar numbers are likely true for D-2, D-3, and NAIA.

The below 25 defenses were ranked as the top 25 in America by Synergy Sports. If you go to their site, it won’t appear that way, as Canada has North America in a stranglehold in terms of high-quality defense. (The US wins out with ease on the offensive side, obviously.) Teams without enough games on the database were also eliminated, though those were rarer cases. In the end, these 25 defenses are all worthy of strong respect, and coaches would do well to study the teams of their choice. I wrote about Randolph-Macon’s defense earlier this season, but will likely write about other teams later this offseason.

Anyway, here’s the best men’s college basketball defenses of the 2019-20 season.

25. Liberty Flames (Lynchburg, VA)

• Points Per Possession: 0.792
• Best Play Types (90th-percentile or higher): Post Up (97th), Spot-Up (95th)
• Percentage of Shots Attempted: 35.1% Rim (4 feet or closer to the rim), 25.6% Non-Rim Twos (5-20ish feet), 39.2% Threes
• Shots Made by Category: 55% Rim, 30.8% Non-Rim Twos, 29.3% 3PT
• eFG%: 45.6%
• OREB% allowed: 21.3%
• TO%: 19.4%
• Shot Volume: 101.9

24. Winston-Salem State Rams (Winston-Salem, NC)

• Points Per Possession: 0.792
• Best Play Types (90th-percentile or higher): P&R Ball Handler (97th-percentile), Post-Up (97th), Spot-Up (96th)
• Percentage of Shots Attempted: 38.9% Rim, 26.5% Non-Rim Twos, 34.6% Threes
• Shots Made by Category: 49.4% Rim, 32.7% Non-Rim Twos, 30.3% 3PT
• eFG%: 45.4%
• OREB% allowed: 28.5%
• TO%: 18.9%
• Shot Volume: 109.6

23. Roanoke Maroons (Roanoke, VA)

• Points Per Possession: 0.791
• Best Play Types (90th-percentile or higher): Spot-Up (98th), P&R Ball Handler (98th), Post-Up (90th)
• Percentage of Shots Attempted: 34.6% Rim, 25.7% Non-Rim Twos, 39.7% Threes
• Shots Made by Category: 49.7% Rim, 32.6% Non-Rim Twos, 30.5% 3PT
• eFG%: 44.5%
• OREB% allowed: 27.3%
• TO%: 20%
• Shot Volume: 107.3

22. Stanford Cardinal (Palo Alto, CA)

• Points Per Possession: 0.791
• Best Play Types (90th-percentile or higher): Post-Up (99th), Spot-Up (96th)
• Percentage of Shots Attempted: 36.6% Rim, 26% Non-Rim Twos, 37.4% Threes
• Shots Made by Category: 52.6% Rim, 37.4% Non-Rim Twos, 29.5% 3PT
• eFG%: 45.6%
• OREB% allowed: 27.8%
• TO%: 22.4%
• Shot Volume: 105.4

21. Virginia Wesleyan Marlins (Norfolk, VA)

• Points Per Possession: 0.791
• Best Play Types (90th-percentile or higher): Spot-Up (97th)
• Percentage of Shots Attempted: 48.2% Rim, 22.9% Non-Rim Twos, 28.9% Threes
• Shots Made by Category: 49.3% Rim, 32.3% Non-Rim Twos, 29.6% 3PT
• eFG%: 44.7%
• OREB% allowed: 26.7%
• TO%: 21.1%
• Shot Volume: 105.6

20. West Virginia Mountaineers (Morgantown, WV)

• Points Per Possession: 0.791
• Best Play Types (90th-percentile or higher): Transition (97th)
• Percentage of Shots Attempted: 36.3% Rim, 26.2% Non-Rim Twos, 37.5% Threes
• Shots Made by Category: 54% Rim, 33% Non-Rim Twos, 28.8% 3PT
• eFG%: 44.5%
• OREB% allowed: 27.7%
• TO%: 22.4%
• Shot Volume: 105.3

19. Brockport Golden Eagles (Brockport, NY)

• Points Per Possession: 0.789
• Best Play Types (90th-percentile or higher): Transition (99th), P&R Ball Handler (96th)
• Percentage of Shots Attempted: 43.3% Rim, 22.4% Non-Rim Twos, 34.3% Threes
• Shots Made by Category: 51.9% Rim, 36.5% Non-Rim Twos, 29.4% 3PT
• eFG%: 46.4%
• OREB% allowed: 29.1%
• TO%: 23.9%
• Shot Volume: 105.2

18. Hobart College Statesmen (Geneva, NY)

• Points Per Possession: 0.789
• Best Play Types (90th-percentile or higher): Transition (99th), Cuts (98th), Spot-Up (94th)
• Percentage of Shots Attempted: 34.7% Rim, 24.3% Non-Rim Twos, 41% Threes
• Shots Made by Category: 49.7% Rim, 32.6% Non-Rim Twos, 27.4% 3PT
• eFG%: 42.3%
• OREB% allowed: 22.4%
• TO%: 16%
• Shot Volume: 106.4

17. San Diego State Aztecs (San Diego, CA)

• Points Per Possession: 0.789
• Best Play Types (90th-percentile or higher): P&R Ball Handler (97th), Spot-Up (95th)
• Percentage of Shots Attempted: 25.6% Rim, 32.3% Non-Rim Twos, 42.1% Threes
• Shots Made by Category: 61.1% Rim, 32.5% Non-Rim Twos, 29.7% 3PT
• eFG%: 45.3%
• OREB% allowed: 25.4%
• TO%: 21.2%
• Shot Volume: 104.2

16. Maine Farmington Beavers (Farmington, ME)

• Points Per Possession: 0.786
• Best Play Types (90th-percentile or higher): Transition (100th), Cuts (100th)
• Percentage of Shots Attempted: 31.1% Rim, 25.5% Non-Rim Twos, 43.4% Threes
• Shots Made by Category: 54% Rim, 32.8% Non-Rim Twos, 33.8% 3PT
• eFG%: 48.5%
• OREB% allowed: 23.5%
• TO%: 23.5%
• Shot Volume: 100.0

15. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Engineers (Troy, NY)

• Points Per Possession: 0.785
• Best Play Types (90th-percentile or higher): Spot-Up (96th)
• Percentage of Shots Attempted: 35.8% Rim, 23.4% Non-Rim Twos, 40.8% Threes
• Shots Made by Category: 59.5% Rim, 34.3% Non-Rim Twos, 29.3% Threes
• eFG%: 47.6%
• OREB% allowed: 23%
• TO%: 23.7%
• Shot Volume: 99.3

14. Stevens Ducks (Hoboken, NJ)

• Points Per Possession: 0.784
• Best Play Types (90th-percentile or higher): Spot-Up (97th), Off Screen (96th)
• Percentage of Shots Attempted: 36.3% Rim, 23.6% Non-Rim Twos, 40.1% Threes
• Shots Made by Category: 51.8% Rim, 33.8% Non-Rim Twos, 29.8% 3PT
• eFG%: 45%
• OREB% allowed: 25.4%
• TO%: 22%
• Shot Volume: 103.4

13. Christopher Newport Captains (Newport News, VA)

• Points Per Possession: 0.783
• Best Play Types (90th-percentile or higher): Spot-Up (99th), Post Up (94th)
• Percentage of Shots Attempted: 36.9% Rim, 31.5% Non-Rim Twos, 31.6% Threes
• Shots Made by Category: 49.6% Rim, 36% Non-Rim Twos, 28.1% 3PT
• eFG%: 43.1%
• OREB% allowed: 26.4%
• TO%: 18.3%
• Shot Volume: 108.1

12. Park University Pirates (Parkville, MO)

• Points Per Possession: 0.783
• Best Play Types (90th-percentile or higher): Spot-Up (97th), Transition (95th), Cuts (93rd)
• Percentage of Shots Attempted: 42.4% Rim, 19.1% Non-Rim Twos, 38.5% Threes
• Shots Made by Category: 53% Rim, 33.7% Non-Rim Twos, 28.6% 3PT
• eFG%: 47.5%
• OREB% allowed: 24.8%
• TO%: 21.1%
• Shot Volume: 103.7

11. UMass Boston Beacons (Boston, MA)

• Points Per Possession: 0.783
• Best Play Types (90th-percentile or higher): P&R Ball Handler (98th), Cuts (96th), Transition (90th)
• Percentage of Shots Attempted: 41% Rim, 28.1% Non-Rim Twos, 30.9% Threes
• Shots Made by Category: 49.1% Rim, 35.2% Non-Rim Twos, 30.1% 3PT
• eFG%: 43.8%
• OREB% allowed: 30.1%
• TO%: 18.9%
• Shot Volume: 111.2

10. Lincoln Memorial Railsplitters (Harrogate, TN)

• Points Per Possession: 0.781
• Best Play Types (90th-percentile or higher): Transition (99th), P&R Ball Handler (95th), Post-Up (94th), Spot-Up (93rd)
• Percentage of Shots Attempted: 30.5% Rim, 29.4% Non-Rim Twos, 40.1% Threes
• Shots Made by Category: 49.8% Rim, 37.6% Non-Rim Twos, 30.2% 3PT
• eFG%: 42.7%
• OREB% allowed: 23.3%
• TO%: 18.7%
• Shot Volume: 104.6

9. Indiana (PA) Crimson Hawks (Indiana, PA)

• Points Per Possession: 0.78
• Best Play Types (90th-percentile or higher): Cuts (98th), P&R Ball Handler (97th), Spot-Up (95th), Transition (90th)
• Percentage of Shots Attempted: 39.4% Rim, 24.9% Non-Rim Twos, 35.7% Threes
• Shots Made by Category: 52.3% Rim, 30% Non-Rim Twos, 30% 3PT
• eFG%: 44.5%
• OREB% allowed: 31.1%
• TO%: 22.6%
• Shot Volume: 108.5

8. Baylor Bears (Waco, TX)

• Points Per Possession: 0.777
• Best Play Types (90th-percentile or higher): Isolation (95th), Transition (93rd)
• Percentage of Shots Attempted: 26.8% Rim, 38.2% Non-Rim Twos, 35% Threes
• Shots Made by Category: 60% Rim, 33.5% Non-Rim Twos, 31.1% 3PT
• eFG%: 45.2%
• OREB% allowed: 29.8%
• TO%: 22.7%
• Shot Volume: 107.1

7. Kansas Jayhawks (Lawrence, KS)

• Points Per Possession: 0.775
• Best Play Types (90th-percentile or higher): P&R Ball Handler (96th), Post-Up (95th)
• Percentage of Shots Attempted: 29.1% Rim, 29.5% Non-Rim Twos, 41.3% Threes
• Shots Made by Category: 52% Rim, 33.6% Non-Rim Twos, 30.5% 3PT
• eFG%: 43.7%
• OREB% allowed: 26.4%
• TO%: 18.6%
• Shot Volume: 107.8

6. Baruch Bearcats (New York, NY)

• Points Per Possession: 0.773
• Best Play Types (90th-percentile or higher): Spot-Up (99th), Post Up (94th)
• Percentage of Shots Attempted: 35.3% Rim, 25.1% Non-Rim Twos, 39.6% Threes
• Shots Made by Category: 52.9% Rim, 27.4% Non-Rim Twos, 30.9% 3PT
• eFG%: 43.6%
• OREB% allowed: 27.7%
• TO%: 22.1%
• Shot Volume: 105.6

5. Virginia Cavaliers (Charlottesville, VA)

• Points Per Possession: 0.763
• Best Play Types (90th-percentile or higher): Spot-Up (98th), Post Up (95th)
• Percentage of Shots Attempted: 30.5% Rim, 26.8% Non-Rim Twos, 42.7% Threes
• Shots Made by Category: 48.7% Rim, 35.6% Non-Rim Twos, 29.2% 3PT
• eFG%: 43.1%
• OREB% allowed: 23.3%
• TO%: 19.3%
• Shot Volume: 104.0

4. Miles Golden Bears (Fairfield, AL)

• Points Per Possession: 0.754
• Best Play Types (90th-percentile or higher): Spot-Up (100th), Transition (100th), Post-Up (93rd), P&R Ball Handler (90th)
• Percentage of Shots Attempted: 32.2% Rim, 35.5% Non-Rim Twos, 32.3% Threes
• Shots Made by Category: 52.6% Rim, 32.7% Non-Rim Twos, 26.6% 3PT
• eFG%: 42.3%
• OREB% allowed: 26.8%
• TO%: 18.9%
• Shot Volume: 107.9

3. Memphis Tigers (Memphis, TN)

• Points Per Possession: 0.752
• Best Play Types (90th-percentile or higher): Cuts (100th), Spot-Up (97th), Transition (97th)
• Percentage of Shots Attempted: 36.3% Rim, 27.2% Non-Rim Twos, 36.5% Threes
• Shots Made by Category: 45.3% Rim, 34.6% Non-Rim Twos, 28% 3PT
• eFG%: 41.2%
• OREB% allowed: 29.4%
• TO%: 20.2%
• Shot Volume: 109.2

2. Shawnee State Bears (Portsmouth, OH)

• Points Per Possession: 0.749
• Best Play Types (90th-percentile or higher): They were 85th-percentile or higher in all but one category (Hand-Off); 90th-percentile or higher in everything but Spot-Ups and Hand-Offs.
• Percentage of Shots Attempted: 32.9% Rim, 30.4% Non-Rim Twos, 36.7% Threes
• Shots Made by Category: 40.4% Rim, 30.7% Non-Rim Twos, 33.5% 3PT
• eFG%: 40.9%
• OREB% allowed: 25.2%
• TO%: 19.5%
• Shot Volume: 105.7

1. Randolph-Macon Yellow Jackets (Ashland, VA)

• Points Per Possession: 0.74
• Best Play Types (90th-percentile or higher): Spot-Up (99th), Transition (96th), P&R Ball Handler (95th), Cuts (92nd)
• Percentage of Shots Attempted: 33.3% Rim, 27% Non-Rim Twos, 39.7% Threes
• Shots Made by Category: 50.6% Rim, 31% Non-Rim Twos, 29.6% 3PT
• eFG%: 43.7%
• OREB% allowed: 26.3%
• TO%: 23.7%
• Shot Volume: 102.6