In kenpom’s top 50 teams, there are 11 which are rated in the top 20 in either offensive or defensive efficiency (adjusted for quality of opposition) and outside the top 100 on the other end of the court, including 8 of the top 31 teams. They are, as follows:
St. Mary’s–3 offense, 118 defense, 18 overall
Duke–2 offense, 147 defense, 19 overall
SMU–5 offense, 106 defense, 21 overall
Valpo–137 offense, 2 defense, 23 overall
Florida–142 offense, 4 defense, 26 overall
Notre Dame–1 offense, 227 (!) defense, 28 overall
UConn–109 offense, 12 defense, 30 overall
Michigan–12 offense, 119 defense, 31 overall
Butler–20 offense, 121 defense, 37 overall
Providence–127 offense, 16 defense, 43 overall
Arkansas Little Rock–144 offense, 11 defense, 44 overall.
Apparently, we’re not the only good team in the country with a pronounced discrepancy in offense/defense numbers.
By the way, our old buddy Fish’s team, SDSU, checks in at 267 (!) offense and 3 defense, for 77th overall.
Thoughts?