All Badgers

Do the 2015 Wisconsin Badgers still have the best offense in recent history?

Eleven seasons after advancing to the national championship game, Wisconsin's 2015 offense still holds up.
Benjamin Worgull|
Apr 5, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Wisconsin Badgers forward Sam Dekker (15) and guard Josh Gasser (21) and forward Frank Kaminsky (44) and guard Bronson Koenig (24) react during the Wisconsin press conference at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Apr 5, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Wisconsin Badgers forward Sam Dekker (15) and guard Josh Gasser (21) and forward Frank Kaminsky (44) and guard Bronson Koenig (24) react during the Wisconsin press conference at Lucas Oil Stadium. | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

In this story:

Wisconsin Badgers

MADISON, Wis. - Averaging 131.0 points per 100 possessions, Illinois basketball is on pace to have the highest adjusted offensive efficiency since KenPom started tracking data more than 20 years ago.

There's a catch, however, which is where Wisconsin's 2014-15 team has a case for its place in the debate over college basketball's best offensive teams of all time.

According to CBB similarity, although averaging two efficiency points less at 129.0, the Badgers' 2014-15 offense still reigns supreme in college basketball when the efficiency numbers are adjusted for today's game.

Rule changes starting in the 2023-24 season modified the block/charge rule to benefit the offensive player, designed in part to reduce hard collisions but, in reality, promote more scoring. Rules to benefit the offense over the last three seasons include reducing perimeter holding and limiting hand checking, creating more space for driving and shooting.

The transfer portal, NIL, and influx of European players have also allowed teams to build stronger overall rosters.

The result, after the average adjusted offensive efficiency was between 100 and 105 every year from 1997 to 2023, the average efficiency has set a new record each of the last three seasons. The average efficiency this year across Division 1 is 108.7 points per 100 possessions.

Basically, if the national scoring average increases, so do all the national ratings.

Illinois is one of 13 teams averaging over 125.0 points per 100 offensive possessions. In 2015, only Wisconsin (129.0) and Notre Dame (125.4) exceeded that mark.

UW fans will remember how special that team was.

Led by consensus national player of the year Frank Kaminsky, NBA Draft pick Sam Dekker, veteran guards Josh Gasser and Traevon Jackson, and impact sophomores Nigel Hayes and Bronson Koenig, Wisconsin went 36-4 and swept the Big Ten titles, and knocked off unbeaten Kentucky in the Final Four semifinals.

With players who can shoot from the perimeter from all five positions (four of UW's starters shot at least 39 percent from three) to create a matchup problem against all defenses, Wisconsin's national runner-up team was ahead of its time, and plugging that offense in today's game would be fun to watch.

More Wisconsin Badgers News:

Published
Benjamin Worgull
BENJAMIN WORGULL

Benjamin Worgull has covered Wisconsin men's basketball since 2004, having previously written for Rivals, USA Today, 247sports, Fox Sports, the Associated Press, the Janesville Gazette, and the Wisconsin State Journal.

Share on XFollow TheBadgerNation
Home/Basketball