The Achilles' Heel for Every AP Top 10 College Basketball Team in 2015-16

J Pat Carter/Getty Images

Every team has flaws, especially this season, where no team seems capable of dominating the field.

Opponents try to identify and target a team's Achilles' heel, a shortcoming that could doom a team in a given game or throughout the season. The weakness could be an aspect of the game in which a team is deficient or a personnel situation that can be exploited by a foe.

Even the teams ranked in the top 10 of the current Associated Press poll have shortcomings. It becomes a matter of an opponent finding a team's Achilles' heel and devising a way to take advantage of it. Teams that can mask of their biggest weakness typically have the most success.

Statistics are valid through games of Jan. 20.

Richard Hamm/Associated Press

Achilles' heel: free-throw shooting

Texas A&M is not great at any one aspect of basketball but pretty good in all of them. The Aggies' best asset is their willingness to share the ball, which has helped them move to the top the Southeastern Conference standings.

The Aggies' one area of concern is the one in which their opponents have no influence: foul shooting. Texas A&M is hitting just 65.1 percent of its free throws, which ranks 293rd in the country.^[1]

The loss to Arizona State is the only game in which this shortcoming was costly. Texas A&M made only 10 of 21 free throws that day and lost by 13 points to an opponent it should have beaten.

A bigger concern is foul shooting at crunch time of a close game, which so far has not been a problem. The Aggies made most of their free throws down the stretch in tight victories over Mississippi State and Florida.

That may be because Jalen Jones, Danuel House and Alex Caruso, the three players most likely to handle the ball at the end of close games, are all pretty good foul shooters ^[2]. However, none is making better than 75 percent of his free throws, and teams would like to have the ball in the hands of a player hitting better than 80 percent from the line when trying to protect a slim lead in the closing minutes.

The player dragging the foul-shooting numbers down is 6'10" freshman Tyler Davis. He is a vital component of the team and leads the squad ^[3] in free-throw attempts. Unfortunately, he has made only 59.8 percent of them.

So far, the free-throw shooting woes have not had a major impact on the Aggies, but it only takes a few missed foul shots at the end of a close loss to bring attention to them.

Charlie Neibergall/Associated Press

Achilles' heel: close games

Iowa does not have many weaknesses, which is why the Hawkeyes are ranked No. 9 after being unranked in the preseason. What is particularly impressive is the number of blowout victories Iowa has produced, especially recently.

That penchant for winning by wide margins has concealed the Hawkeyes' one shortcoming: They have not been good at closing out close games.

Iowa did win an overtime game against Florida State and got by Purdue by six points. In the latter, however, the Hawkeyes were riding the momentum of a comeback from a 19-point first-half deficit.

In all three of their losses, Iowa failed to finish off winnable games.

A strong comeback gave Iowa a 75-71 lead over Dayton with 2:35 left, but the Hawkeyes went 0-of-3 from the field with a turnover over the remainder of the game and lost by five points.

Another second-half Iowa surge got the Hawkeyes within a point of Notre Dame with 3:57 left, but the Hawkeyes allowed Notre Dame to score on each of its next five possessions in the Irish's six-point win.

The Hawkeyes were the victim of a big comeback against Iowa State, which overcame a 20-point deficit to get within a point with 4:02 left. The Hakweyes seemed to weather the storm when they regained an eight-point lead with 2:39 to go. But they failed to score again, going 0-of-4 from the field with two turnovers the rest of the way in a one-point loss.

Iowa even had some shaky late-game moments in its victory against overmatched Drake, which is 5-14 overall and 0-7 in the Missouri Valley Conference. The Hawkeyes let a 10-point lead with 3:52 left dwindle to a two-point margin with less than two minutes remaining before surviving.

Finding a reason for the late-game struggles is difficult, because the Hawkeyes start four seniors and a junior, all of whom have considerable Big Ten experience. If Iowa continues to fall flat down the stretch of close games, it may become a mental issue.

Brandon Wade/Associated Press

Achilles' heel: depth

SMU's most serious hindrance is the sanctions that will prevent it from playing in in the NCAA tournament. On the court, however, the Mustangs' Achilles' heel is their lack of depth, an issue that seems destined to catch up to them at some point.

The Mustangs are down to seven scholarship players since Keith Frazier decided to transfer this month ^[4]. The scoring balance that Larry Brown relies on will be severely compromised if his team runs into foul trouble or another player gets hurt. As it is, his top players are logging more minutes, and the Mustangs may start wearing down late in the season. Their excellent shooting ^[5] overall (51.4 percent) and from three-point range (41.5 percent) may start to deteriorate.

Depth played an issue in the Mustangs' two close calls. In an early-season game against Yale, SMU ran into foul trouble, as one player fouled out and two others had four fouls. The Mustangs were fortunate to escape with a two-point victory over a team it should have steamrolled.

Depth became a bigger issue in SMU's Jan. 7 game against Cincinnati. Already playing without Frazier, SMU was down to six scholarship players when Sterling Brown was ejected in the first half. Even though SMU was at home, the Bearcats seemed to be the more energized team and held a seven-point lead with 3:40 left. But Cincinnati went 0-of-6 from the field the rest of the way, allowing SMU, buoyed by the home crowd, to rally for a two-point victory.

SMU guard Nic Moore played 39 minutes in that game, and Shake Milton played all 40. Nick Moore played 38 minutes against Houston, a game in which Ben Moore was limited to 26 minutes because of foul trouble. Ben Moore's absence for a significant period may be why the Mustangs struggled to beat Houston by four points despite playing at home.

All the starters have been on the court longer recently, which may have an effect down the road. More of a concern is the fact that officials are calling more fouls this season, a trend that could land the Mustangs in foul trouble. That is when the depth problem will be exposed.

Andy Manis/Associated Press

Achilles' heel: backcourt depth

Maryland's top six players are as good as any in the country, but the Terps have some concerns.

Turnovers have been a problem at times for Maryland. They committed 22 in the loss to North Carolina and gave the ball away 16 times against Wisconsin, a game the Terps won on a Melo Trimble bucket with 1.2 seconds remaining ^[6].

They had more turnovers than their opponents in each of their last five games but still won four of them.

Those giveaways may be the product of a bigger issue: a lack of backcourt depth. Trimble and Rasheed Sulaimon form a formidable starting guard tandem, but the Terps could use a guard off the bench who can be productive in times of need. Dion Wiley could have been that player, but he was lost for the season due to a knee injury ^[7] suffered in preseason.

Jared Nickens, a 6'7" sophomore, fills that third-guard role for Maryland at the moment and has not contributed much. He did have six points in the overtime victory over Northwestern, but in the other three conference games that were close (against Michigan, Wisconsin and Penn State), Nickens accumulated zero points on 0-of-10 shooting with no assists.

Trimble and Sulaimon are logging a lot of court time. Trimble put in 42 minutes against Northwestern, and Sulaimon had 41. In the four conference games that were not blowouts, Trimble averaged 34.7 minutes per game, and Sulaimon 37.0. There is no indication their workload is going to decline anytime soon, which could affect their play late in the season.

Furthermore, if Trimble or Sulaimon has an off night, there is no guard off the bench who can pick up the slack. That was evident in the loss to Michigan,^[8] as Sulaimon went 3-of-10 from the field for eight points in 37 minutes and Trimble went 1-of-7 for two points with four turnovers in 30 minutes. Nickens' contributions in that game amounted to zero points on 0-of-4 shooting, no rebounds, no assists, no steals, no blocks and one foul in 17 minutes.

Justin K. Aller/Getty Images

Achilles' heel: shooting

It makes no sense that a team ranked No. 6 could be deficient in something as basic as shooting, but such is the case for West Virginia.

The Mountaineers have made 46.0 percent ^[9] of their shots from the field, and that mediocre number is enhanced because they get so many transition baskets off turnovers from their press. More telling is their shooting on three-pointers and foul shots. They are making just 30.2 percent of their long-range shots, which ranks 319th in the country,^[10] and no one on the team is hitting better than 38 percent from distance. West Virginia is making just 64.7 percent of its free throws, which ranks 300th nationally.

West Virginia relies on its full-court pressure to create its offense, and no team does it better. The Mountaineers rank first in the nation in steals at 10.9 per game, and the 22 turnovers they forced against Kansas enabled West Virginia to upset the Jayhawks. Kansas converted more field goals than West Virginia in that game, but a rare good night at the foul line carried the Mountaineers, who outscored Kansas by 20 at the foul line.

If an opponent can handle West Virginia's press with a moderate degree of success, the Mountaineers are in trouble. West Virginia forced Virginia into 19 turnovers, but because the Mountaineers made only two of their 14 three-point shots and just 12 of 21 free throws, they lost by 16 points.

West Virginia was forced to two overtimes to get past Kansas State, which is 1-5 in conference play, primarily because the Mountaineers made just three of 20 three-point shots and 20 of 31 free throws.

West Virginia forced Oklahoma into 18 turnovers but still lost because it was 5-of-16 from long range and 13-of-22 from the line.

The best example came in Wednesday's game against Texas. The Longhorns handled the West Virginia press well, committing just eight turnovers. West Virginia was left with limited means of scoring, and its shooting was embarrassing (3-for-21 on three-pointers and 8-for-23 on free throws). The Mountaineers managed just 49 points and lost by seven points ^[11] at home to a Texas team that shot just 39 percent from the field and was outrebounded 24-6 on the offensive end.

Morry Gash/Associated Press

Achilles' heel: perimeter defense

Xavier may be the season's biggest surprise. Unranked in preseason, the Musketeers have moved all the way to No. 5. But as they rise in the rankings, observers take a more critical look at their makeup.

A close look indicates that rebounding is Xavier's biggest asset and perimeter defense is its most noticeable shortcoming. The latter is only slightly evident statistically, as the Musketeers are allowing opponents to shoot just 32.0 percent from beyond the three-point line, which ranks 77th in the country ^[12].

However, consecutive games against Villanova and Butler tell you all you need to know about Xavier's Achilles' heel.

On Dec. 31, against a Villanova team that is loaded with talented guards and relies heavily on its perimeter offense, Xavier were blown out by 31 points ^[13], as Villanova's backcourt players combined for 67 points.

Three days later, against a nationally ranked Butler squad that has only one guard among its top five scorers, Xavier rolled to a 19-point victory.^[14] Butler's starting backcourt combined for just 16 points, and that includes 14 by Roosevelt Jones, who is often considered a forward and is not a perimeter scoring threat.

The problem was evident again in Tuesday's loss to Georgetown. Starting Georgetown guards D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera and Tre Campbell, along with L.J. Peak, the Hoyas' first guard off the bench, combined for 54 of Georgetown's 81 points in the Hoyas' nine-point victory at Xavier ^[15]. That's 23 points more than the combined scoring average of those three guards.

Mitchell Leff/Getty Images

Achilles' heel: interior offense

Like last season's Villanova squad, which finished the regular season ranked No. 2, this season's Wildcats are built around their talented guards and their perimeter skills. But as noted by Bob Ford of the Philadelphia Inquirer^[16], last season's Wildcats were doomed in the postseason when their lack of an inside offense was exposed.

The same could happen this season. About 45 percent of Villanova's field-goal attempts come from beyond the three-point line. More worrisome is that the Wildcats' 32.0 percent shooting ^[17] from long range is not very good and considerably worse than their 38.9 percent three-point shooting last season.

Because they don't produce much interior offense, the Wildcats don't get to the foul line as often as most teams, ranking 271st nationally in free-throw attempts per game ^[18]. They also don't get opponents in foul trouble.

The presence of Kris Jenkins, Josh Hart, Ryan Arcidiacono and Jalen Brunson gives Villanova a lot of perimeter weapons, and rarely will all of them shoot poorly in the same game. If several are hot, Villanova is an explosive team.

However, if the Wildcats' perimeter shots are not falling or an opponent has the athleticism to neutralize their perimeter game, Villanova does not have the size and depth to fall back on an interior game. North Carolina State showed that last March.

Charlie Riedel/Associated Press

Achilles' heel: low-post offense

Kansas is a balanced team with no major flaws. The Jayhawks were the preseason pick to win the Big 12 title for the 12th consecutive season, and programs don't become that consistent if they have glaring weaknesses.

Obviously, turnovers were the culprit in the loss to West Virginia, as the Jayhawks gave the ball away 22 times, an astonishing number even against the Mountaineers' intimidating full-court pressure. Certainly, Kansas' 11.9 turnovers per game ^[19] might be a few more than Bill Self would like, especially since he is using a three-guard offense this season.

But turnovers have not been the Jayhawks' biggest problem. They committed just six turnovers in the early-season loss to Michigan State. The three-guard alignment has led to another shortcoming that Self had to see coming.

With Wayne Selden Jr., a guard, occupying a small forward spot this season, the Jayhawks have more ball-handling and perimeter offense available. But they sacrifice inside muscle as a result. More specifically, Kansas lacks the kind of low-post presence that breeds consistency. A player who can consistently score from the block not only produces high-percentage field-goal attempts but leads to more free throws for Kansas and more foul trouble for its opponents.

Perry Ellis is a capable low-post player but is more effective facing the basket, taking his defender off the dribble or launching a three-pointer. Self would like to get the ball inside to Ellis more often, as indicated by Gary Bedore of the Lawrence Journal World^[20].

But Ellis plays more like a small forward/power forward hybrid and is not the elite back-to-the-basket player Self has had in previous seasons. Self's past Kansas teams could simply toss the ball inside to Thomas Robinson or the Morris twins or Darrell Arthur or Cole Aldrich or Jeff Withey or Joel Embiid and expect favorable results.

That's not the case this season.

Gerry Broome/Associated Press

Achilles' heel: three-pointers

If this North Carolina team were assembled in the early 1980s, before the three-point shot was part of college basketball, the Tar Heels would be virtually unbeatable. The frontcourt power of Brice Johnson and Kennedy Meeks with the backcourt stability provided by Marcus Paige would be enough to steamroll nearly any opponent.

However, this is the era of the three-point shot, which has become a major part of a team's success or failure. Just ask Oklahoma.

The Tar Heels' problem is that they struggle outside the three-point arc at both ends of the court. Not only does North Carolina not convert many three-point shots on offense, but it has trouble preventing three-point shots by its opponents.

The Tar Heels' 31.9 percent long-range shooting ranks 279th in the country,^[21] and their 5.5 made threes per game rank 300th. Paige and Joel Berry II, the two players who attempt the most three-pointers, are both hitting less than 40 percent ^[22].

Just as troubling is the fact that North Carolina's opponents are hitting 37.1 percent from beyond the arc, which ranks 300th in the country ^[23].

It is not surprising that Roy Williams wants to push the ball inside to Johnson and Meeks, because they can do a lot of damage. But teams that find a way to control North Carolina's inside game make the Tar Heels play a game they do not want to play.

North Carolina's best game of the season was its victory over Maryland, and it is no coincidence that the Tar Heels had their best shooting game, hitting nine of 13 three-pointers.

However, games against Northern Iowa, Texas, Georgia Tech and Kansas State exposed the weakness.

Paige was not available when North Carolina went 5-of-18 from long range in the loss to Northern Iowa. Texas, typically a lousy three-point shooting team, made 12 of 24 long-range shots in its victory over the Tar Heels. Georgia Tech led North Carolina with six minutes left largely because the Tar Heels made only two of 12 three-points shots that day.

With 4:24 left against Kansas State, the Tar Heels had made just four of their 18 three-point shots, while the Wildcats had hit eight of 14, helping Kansas State to an eight-point lead at that point. North Carolina survived because it made its two remaining three-point attempts, while Kansas State missed its last two long-range shots.

The Tar Heels also allowed UCLA to hang around in a neutral-court game, as North Carolina led by just three points with 9:20 left after making two of its first 17 three-point shots. The Tar Heels made their only two attempts from distance after that and won by 13.

J Pat Carter/Getty Images

Achilles heel: turnovers

Oklahoma is probably the best shooting team in the country. The Sooners lead the nation with 45.7 percent three-point shooting, and the two Oklahoma players who attempt the most treys (Buddy Hield and Jordan Woodard) are both hitting better than 51 percent.^[24]^[25]

However, the Sooners have two shortcomings that may plague them the rest of the season, and the two are interrelated: depth and turnovers. Four players get the bulk of the playing time, with three others filling in when needed with limited production. If Oklahoma's long-distance shots start falling short in late February or early March, fatigue may be the reason.

Fatigue may be responsible for the more noticeable problem, turnovers. The Sooners average 13.4 turnovers per game, and 209 Division I schools average fewer than that.^[26] More telling is the fact that the Sooners have a negative turnover margin ^[27] of minus-1.8. It is almost unthinkable that the No. 1 team in the country could be committing more turnovers than its defense creates.

Oklahoma committed just nine turnovers in the loss to Iowa State, but two came in the final 3:09 after Oklahoma had taken a two-point lead. Was fatigue the culprit?

The Sooners committed 18 turnovers at home against West Virginia, which nearly cost the Sooners the game. Every team will struggle against the Mountaineers' ferocious pressure, but the Sooners did not seem ready for it. Again, Oklahoma struggled down the stretch, letting a seven-point lead with 4:32 left disappear. A turnover and four missed jump shots over the remainder of the game suggested the Sooners were weary, and they were saved when Khadeem Lattin tipped in the last miss for the game-winning shot.

Oklahoma State is just 10-8, including 2-4 in the Big 12, but the Cowboys nearly upset Oklahoma because the Sooners committed 19 turnovers. Again, late-game problems arose as the Sooners nearly blew an eight-point lead with 50 seconds left. Two Oklahoma turnovers in the remaining seconds helped the Cowboys close the gap to two points, and Oklahoma State missed a three-point shot at the buzzer that would have won the game.