Northern Illinois made its first shot against Dayton. Some 17 excruciating minutes and 15 misses later the Huskies made their second, and last, basket of the first half.
“Coach’s nightmare,” coach Mark Montgomery said, recalling that miserable December night.
Fans’ nightmare, too.
Scoring and shooting percentages in Division I men’s basketball have been dropping for decades, though opinions vary on the reasons why so many clankfests are playing out across the country night after night.
Coaches point to a decline in talent with young stars leaving early to play professional ball. Some say the way the game is played has changed, with defenses more physical and offenses more perimeter-oriented because of a lack of great big men. In addition, the copious amount of scouting video helps coaches devise strategies to counter opponent strengths.
Teams were averaging 68 points per game at the start of this week, the same as last season, according to STATS LLC. That’s the lowest since the average was 67.6 in 1982, according to the NCAA, and about 10 points a game less than the record scoring era of the early 1970s when, interestingly, there was no shot clock. This season’s .433 field-goal percentage is the worst since the .431 in 1965.
Accuracy from beyond the arc is down to .339, lowest since the 3-pointer came into the college game in 1986-87.
What’s with all the bricks?
“Guys are more athletic and can get out and run,” BTN analyst and former Ohio State All-American Jim Jackson said, “but talent-wise, we’re missing a little something.”
That woeful first half for Northern Illinois against Dayton ended with five points, tied for fewest in a half by a Division I team since at least 1996. The Huskies haven’t been alone in their struggles.
Coppin State scored eight points in the first half against Florida Atlantic and lost 64-61. Overmatched Alabama State scored just nine in the first half against Florida on its way to an 84-35 loss.
Wait, there’s more: Clemson managed only 10 points in the first half against Duke two weeks ago in a 68-40 road loss. Minnesota led Northwestern 17-14 at the half in a 69-51 win, and Wisconsin and Nebraska scuffled to a 19-19 first half in the Badgers’ cringe-worthy 47-41 victory.
In another game that would win no beauty contests, Georgetown finished with its lowest point total since 1985 in a 37-36 victory over Tennessee.
The youth movement _ to the NBA _ gets some of the blame. The top three draft picks in 2012 had just completed their freshman seasons, and 12 of the first 15 were freshmen or sophomores. In all, 49 underclassmen left school early with hopes of going to the NBA.
Vanderbilt is a prime example of a team hurt by an early departure. The Commodores averaged 72.6 points last season with a veteran team that won 25 games and came within a win of the NCAA round of 16. They went into this weekend 6-9, averaging 59.1 points and shooting 40.5 percent.
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