NCAA Basketball is one of the more interesting and dynamic sports in the mainstream as there is a quick turnaround that can seriously affect how a program looks.

However, on the court, this is similar to the NBA as many of the rules are similar but have a slight twist. Each team in Division I Basketball is competing to make the NCAA Tournament (it is also dubbed March Madness) by winning their conference or obtaining an at-large bid.

Today, we are going to be diving into some of the more crucial stats that can help us determine whether a team is a top contender or a bottom feeder. 

One of the most simplistic things is scoring to add to your score. A field goal and three-point percentages typically will tell us the story of how a game will go.

Field goal percentage is the percentage that a basket was made on a shot attempt while the three-point percentage is the same, but at a distance behind the three-point line. If your team has a higher percentage, that means they are a better offensive team.

Rebounding stats also help as they will either extend possessions if you grab an offensive rebound or end a possession if you grab a defensive rebound.

Defensive rebound percentage is a critical state as it shows that your defense has the ability to not allow a basket and not allow second chances for the opponent.

To calculate this, the formula is (Defensive rebounds) / (defensive rebounds + opponent’s offensive rebounds). The better the formula, the better the rebounding team program is.

Rebounds are one of the most important stats as they can kill momentum if you are consistently grabbing defensive rebounds and not allowing a team to get a second look (which is typically an easier shot). 

In college basketball, there are typically a few numbers to keep an eye on to help you determine how a team is doing and those are rebounds and shooting percentage.

Everything else comes based on those fundamental things and makes understanding and betting on collegiate basketball a lot simpler.