NC State Men’s Basketball Head Coach Candidate: A Statistical Look at Ryan Odom’s Resume

NC State is on the hunt for a new Head Men’s Basketball Coach, after news broke on Sunday that Kevin Keatts will not be returning to the role for the 2025-26 season. Previously, we analyzed the resume of VCU Head Coach Ryan Odom, focusing on the records, postseason success, and accomplishments of his teams at VCU, Utah State, and UMBC.

In this piece, we provide a statistical breakdown of these teams during Odom’s tenure.

This season, the Rams have emerged as one of the more balanced teams in college basketball. They rank 41st in Adjusted Offensive Efficiency (up from 121st the previous year) and 26th in Adjusted Defensive Efficiency (an improvement from 40th last year). VCU excels in offensive rebounding, currently ranking 12th nationally in Offensive Rebounding Percentage, a significant jump from 219th last year. Although they shoot only 33.9% from beyond the arc, ranking 196th nationally, their volume places them 38th in the nation for threes made per game (9.6). Defensively, VCU is formidable, ranking 6th in defensive effective field goal percentage and 25th in turnover percentage. They also stand 6th in defensive 2-point field goal percentage, 34th in 3-point defense, and 9th in block percentage.

Under Odom’s leadership, Utah State was among the top offensive teams in the nation in 2022-23, ranking 16th in adjusted offensive efficiency. They excelled in shooting efficiency, placing 8th in effective field goal percentage and 29th in 2-point field goal percentage. They were also 15th in 3-point field goal percentage and 31st in free throw percentage. Their defensive prowess was notable too, ranking 70th in adjusted defensive efficiency, 69th in defensive effective field goal percentage, 26th in OR% (keeping the opponent off the offensive glass) and 31st in 2-point field goal percentage defense.

In his first year with the Aggies, the team was extremely balanced, ranking 55th in adjusted offensive efficiency and 68th in adjusted defensive efficiency. On the offensive side, Utah State was ranked 24th in effective field goal percentage and 8th in 2-point field goal percentage. Additionally, the team excelled in boxing out, securing the 17th position nationally in offensive rebound percentage (OR%).

During his five years at UMBC, the Retrievers’ performance was not as dominant nationally, but Odom’s final squad in 2020-21 was an excellent defensive team. They ranked 30th in effective field goal percentage defense, 41st in offensive rebound percentage, 42nd in defensive free throw rate, and 11th in 2-point field goal percentage defense.