The best women’s college basketball offenses of 2020-21

This is a very simple post. It’s a list of the most efficient women’s college basketball offenses this season, and it’s a list I’ve made in years prior. This year, I cut the list from 25 down to 20 for one simple reason: COVID-19 and a lower number of games than normal.

There will be two calculations included here. The first, and the one I note in tweets, is from Synergy Sports, which accumulates stats from every single college basketball program in America. Their points per possession numbers will look smaller than most for one specific reason: Synergy notes offensive rebounds as separate possessions. Most others (i.e. KenPom, StatBroadcast, etc.) do not.

First up, Synergy. This one is pretty simple: it’s the 20 best offenses of the season, as determined by a minimum number of possessions (1100 or more). Normally, I don’t really have to filter out many teams, but there was a huge variety in how many games teams were able to play this season thanks to COVID-19. Hopefully, this is the only season we’ll ever have to filter out teams again.

20. Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs (Duluth, MN)

• Points Per Possession: 0.93
• Best Play Types (90th-percentile or higher): P&R Ball Handler (99th-percentile), Spot-Up (97th), Post-Up (93rd)
• Percentage of Shots Attempted: 39.5% Rim (0-4 feet from the rim), 28% Non-Rim Twos, 32.5% Threes
• Shots Made by Category: 55.9% Rim, 38.2% Non-Rim Twos, 36% 3PT
• Tempo: 66.03 possessions

19. Taylor University Trojans (Upland, IN)

• Points Per Possession: 0.932
• Best Play Types (90th-percentile or higher): Spot-Up (100th), Post-Up (94th), P&R Ball Handler (92nd)
• Percentage of Shots Attempted: 31.5% Rim, 14.8% Non-Rim Twos, 53.7% Threes
• Shots Made by Category: 61% Rim, 36.7% Non-Rim Twos, 37.1% 3PT
• Tempo: 72.39 possessions

18. Colorado State Rams (Fort Collins, CO)

• Points Per Possession: 0.933
• Best Play Types (90th-percentile or higher): Transition (99th), P&R Ball Handler (96th)
• Percentage of Shots Attempted: 31.5% Rim, 35.5% Non-Rim Twos, 33% Threes
• Shots Made by Category: 59.3% Rim, 37.7% Non-Rim Twos, 37.7% 3PT
• Tempo: 73.83 possessions

17. Central Michigan Chippewas (Mount Pleasant, MI)

• Points Per Possession: 0.934
• Best Play Types (90th-percentile or higher): Transition (100th), P&R Ball Handler (99th), Spot-Up (92nd)
• Percentage of Shots Attempted: 33.2% Rim, 21.1% Non-Rim Twos, 45.7% Threes
• Shots Made by Category: 62.4% Rim, 39.2% Non-Rim Twos, 35.1% 3PT
• Tempo: 72.55 possessions

16. Rutgers Scarlet Knights (New Brunswick, NJ)

• Points Per Possession: 0.936
• Best Play Types (90th-percentile or higher): Transition (99th), P&R Ball Handler (99th)
• Percentage of Shots Attempted: 37.2% Rim, 30.7% Non-Rim Twos, 32.1% Threes
• Shots Made by Category: 63.4% Rim, 37.2% Non-Rim Twos, 36.1% 3PT
• Tempo: 68.27 possessions

T-14. Stanford Cardinal (Palo Alto, CA)

• Points Per Possession: 0.937
• Best Play Types (90th-percentile or higher): Transition (97th), P&R Ball Handler (97th), Cut (94th), Spot-Up (91st)
• Percentage of Shots Attempted: 40.3% Rim, 23.7% Non-Rim Twos, 36% Threes
• Shots Made by Category: 57.6% Rim, 39.2% Non-Rim Twos, 37.6% 3PT
• Tempo: 69.81 possessions

T-14. New Mexico Lobos (Albuquerque, NM)

• Points Per Possession: 0.937
• Best Play Types (90th-percentile or higher): Off-Screen (99th), Cut (93rd), Spot-Up (90th)
• Percentage of Shots Attempted: 33.5% Rim, 20.8% Non-Rim Twos, 45.7% Threes
• Shots Made by Category: 61.5% Rim, 42.5% Non-Rim Twos, 32.9% 3PT
• Tempo: 76.06 possessions

13. Louisville Cardinals (Louisville, KY)

• Points Per Possession: 0.939
• Best Play Types (90th-percentile or higher): Transition (97th), P&R Ball Handler (97th)
• Percentage of Shots Attempted: 35.9% Rim, 30.4% Non-Rim Twos, 33.7% Threes
• Shots Made by Category: 61.6% Rim, 39.6% Non-Rim Twos, 34.7% 3PT
• Tempo: 70.16 possessions

12. Westminster College Lady Griffins (Salt Lake City, UT)

• Points Per Possession: 0.944
• Best Play Types (90th-percentile or higher): Post-Up (99th), Cut (99th), Spot-Up (95th), P&R Ball Handler (92nd)
• Percentage of Shots Attempted: 41.3% Rim, 26.3% Non-Rim Twos, 32.4% Threes
• Shots Made by Category: 58.8% Rim, 43% Non-Rim Twos, 36.4% 3PT
• Tempo: 66.31 possessions

11. North Carolina State Wolfpack (Raleigh, NC)

• Points Per Possession: 0.946
• Best Play Types (90th-percentile or higher): P&R Ball Handler (98th), Spot-Up (96th), Transition (94th)
• Percentage of Shots Attempted: 39.8% Rim, 28.3% Non-Rim Twos, 31.9% Threes
• Shots Made by Category: 61.4% Rim, 39.2% Non-Rim Twos, 36.3% 3PT
• Tempo: 71.61 possessions

10. Sterling College Warriors (Sterling, KS)

• Points Per Possession: 0.948
• Best Play Types (90th-percentile or higher): Transition (98th), P&R Ball Handler (97th)
• Percentage of Shots Attempted: 40.6% Rim, 35% Non-Rim Twos, 24.4% Threes
• Shots Made by Category: 57.5% Rim, 43.2% Non-Rim Twos, 39.2% 3PT
• Tempo: 78.23 possessions

9. Drury Panthers (Springfield, MO)

• Points Per Possession: 0.956
• Best Play Types (90th-percentile or higher): Transition (100th), Hand-Off (94th)
• Percentage of Shots Attempted: 36.8% Rim, 35.6% Non-Rim Twos, 27.6% Threes
• Shots Made by Category: 63.4% Rim, 41.7% Non-Rim Twos, 34.7% 3PT
• Tempo: 74.97 possessions

8. Lubbock Christian Chaps (Lubbock, TX)

• Points Per Possession: 0.963
• Best Play Types (90th-percentile or higher): Spot-Up (100th), Transition (97th), Post-Up (95th)
• Percentage of Shots Attempted: 41.9% Rim, 18.3% Non-Rim Twos, 39.8% Threes
• Shots Made by Category: 58.2% Rim, 40.7% Non-Rim Twos, 36.7% 3PT
• Tempo: 70.13 possessions

7. Bryan College Lions (Dayton, TN)

• Points Per Possession: 0.964
• Best Play Types (90th-percentile or higher): Transition (100th), Spot-Up (96th), P&R Ball Handler (94th), Cut (92nd)
• Percentage of Shots Attempted: 46.7% Rim, 13.1% Non-Rim Twos, 40.2% Threes
• Shots Made by Category: 56.9% Rim, 39.2% Non-Rim Twos, 37.2% 3PT
• Tempo: 79.71 possessions

6. Arkansas Razorbacks (Fayetteville, AR)

• Points Per Possession: 0.975
• Best Play Types (90th-percentile or higher): Spot-Up (100th), Hand-Off (96th), P&R Ball Handler (94th), Transition (91st)
• Percentage of Shots Attempted: 34.7% Rim, 26.5% Non-Rim Twos, 38.8% Threes
• Shots Made by Category: 57.5% Rim, 33.8% Non-Rim Twos, 38.4% 3PT
• Tempo: 76.64 possessions

5. Connecticut Huskies (Storrs, CT)

• Points Per Possession: 0.986
• Best Play Types (90th-percentile or higher): Transition (98th), Cut (97th), Post-Up (95th), P&R Ball Handler (95th), Spot-Up (90th)
• Percentage of Shots Attempted: 46.3% Rim, 22% Non-Rim Twos, 31.7% Threes
• Shots Made by Category: 67.3% Rim, 51.7% Non-Rim Twos, 35.4% 3PT
• Tempo: 71.4 possessions

4. Florida Gulf Coast Eagles (Fort Myers, FL)

• Points Per Possession: 0.988
• Best Play Types (90th-percentile or higher): P&R Ball Handler (100th), Off-Screen (97th), Cut (96th), Spot-Up (94th)
• Percentage of Shots Attempted: 37.3% Rim, 7.8% Non-Rim Twos, 54.9% Threes
• Shots Made by Category: 63.6% Rim, 49.3% Non-Rim Twos, 32.9% 3PT
• Tempo: 75.56 possessions

3. Cedarville Yellow Jackets (Cedarville, OH)

• Points Per Possession: 0.993
• Best Play Types (90th-percentile or higher): Spot-Up (100th), P&R Ball Handler (93rd), Hand-Off (93rd), Transition (90th)
• Percentage of Shots Attempted: 36.4% Rim, 20.8% Non-Rim Twos, 42.8% Threes
• Shots Made by Category: 57.4% Rim, 36.7% Non-Rim Twos, 38.8% 3PT
• Tempo: 75.7 possessions

2. Maryland Terrapins (College Park, MD)

• Points Per Possession: 1.023
• Best Play Types (90th-percentile or higher): Transition (99th), Spot-Up (98th), P&R Ball Handler (97th), Cut (97th)
• Percentage of Shots Attempted: 41.9% Rim, 28.2% Non-Rim Twos, 29.9% Threes
• Shots Made by Category: 61.4% Rim, 41.2% Non-Rim Twos, 40.2% 3PT
• Tempo: 74.25 possessions

1. Iowa Hawkeyes (Iowa City, IA)

• Points Per Possession: 1.034
• Best Play Types (90th-percentile or higher): Everything but Isolation, Hand-Off, and P&R Roll Man.
• Percentage of Shots Attempted: 38.1% Rim, 23.4% Non-Rim Twos, 38.5% Threes
• Shots Made by Category: 65.5% Rim, 45.5% Non-Rim Twos, 40.3% 3PT
• Tempo: 75.28 possessions

NEXT PAGE: Top 20 teams by traditional possession calculations