Usually I step to my computer with opinions to share about the world of sports.
Randy Moss did this, Oregon did that, and so on.
But the other day one of our sports copy editors brought to my attention one of the oddest statistical anomalies I have ever seen in sports.
He showed me the University of Redlands men’s basketball team’s Web site and I
was amazed.
This team is averaging 141.4 points per game.
I had to look twice.
These guys had to be playing longer games or with each basket counting for 5 and 10 points, right?
Nope. Twenty minute halves by twos
and threes.
To put this in perspective, North Carolina leads the nation in scoring at the Division I level with 92.9 points per game. Same 20 minute halves, same scoring system.
And the more in depth I looked at this team, the more amazing it became.
They have hoisted 943 three-point attempts in 13 games, making 317 of them (an average of 24.4 per game). The Bulldogs have made more three-pointers than any other team in their conference — the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference — has attempted.
I became transfixed the more I read and researched. It was intoxicating looking at all the unordinary stats.
This team uses what its Web site calls a “frenzied” defense to press the whole game. It has 21 men on its roster and hardly any of the players play over 15 minutes per game, meaning fresh, well-rested players are coming into the game all the time.
The Bulldogs’ leading scorer is Amir Mazarei, who averages 23.9 points per game. Their second leading scorer is Carson Sofro, who in their 172-107 defeat of La Sierra, scored 34 points in 13 minutes of play. He made 10 of 18 three-pointers.
How do you shoot 18 three-pointers in
13 minutes?
In that same game, Redlands scored 93 points — in one half. La Sierra put up 53 points and was down by 40 at the half. Heck, Oregon only scored 55 points the entire game in its victory over Washington State on Saturday. What does the La Sierra coach say after a half like that?
“Well guys we put up good offensive numbers in the first half, but has everybody forgotten how to play defense?”
Redlands leads the conference in steals per game with an eye-popping 18.2.
Six Bulldogs are averaging double figures in points and eight players are averaging more than eight points a game.
The numbers go on and on.
Now you wonder if this team has even lost a game.
Oh yeah. Redlands is a 9-4 team. How do you lose four games when you average more than 140 points a game?
Easy. When you are giving up 129.3 points per game.
The team’s opponents’ combined field goal percentage is close to 62 percent.
Play some defense.
Just this past Saturday they scored 130 points … and lost.
The Bulldogs played Cal Lutheran and lost by a single point, 131-130. While Redlands pumped up 58 three-point shots and made 22 of them, Cal Lutheran made 57 of 69 shots for an 82.6 field-goal percentage.
Cal Lutheran’s Ryan Hodges went 29 of 31 from the field for 63 points.
I haven’t seen this team with my own eyes, but I imagine it’s
pretty crazy.
Redlands scored more than 150 points earlier this season and lost to Cal Baptist — by 28 — 181-153. Cal Baptist made 82 of 100 shots and only missed five shots in the second half.
So you would think the Bulldogs would be coached by some young guy who wants to pump up scores and play no defense, but they’re not.
They’re coached by Gary Smith, who is in his 34th year of coaching at the school. In the early 1990s, he switched to the philosophy of running and gunning, but it has never been like this. They’re on pace to destroy their school’s season record of 104.9 points per game.
But is this style of play good for the game of basketball?
Like I said before, I haven’t watched them play a game, but I can’t imagine they are real strong on fundamentals, so I would say no.
While it’s amazing the sheer number of points they put on the board and how fun it must be to play on this team, I don’t know how they can see themselves winning conference titles.
Especially after an 0-2 start.

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