When IU Indianapolis opened its season with a 118–102 loss to Ohio State, it wasn’t just a box score anomaly, it was a signal. Under new head coach Ben Howlett, the Jaguars are embracing a philosophy that’s nearly extinct in Division I basketball: relentless tempo, unyielding pace, and the singular goal of overwhelming opponents with offensive volume.
]The question that emerges from that chaotic, high-scoring debut: Could IU Indy become the first team in 19 years to average 100 points per game? Only the 2nd this century or in more than 30 years. For the record before this score I would have said no, and that’s as someone who is a believer and has already written them up as a sleeper team. I expected more in the 95 points per game range, but how well they played vs Ohio State and how aggressive and how much they went for it I think 100 is probably realistic.
The Challenge: Why 100 Points Per Game Is Almost Mythical
To appreciate the magnitude of that number, it helps to understand its rarity. Even as basketball has seen it’s two most efficient seasons every the last two years, only one Division I team this century — the 2006–07 VMI Keydets, has averaged 100 points per game, finishing at 100.9 ppg. Before them, the feat hadn’t been accomplished since the late 1980s and early 1990s, when Paul Westhead’s Loyola Marymount (LMU) redefined offensive basketball records.
LMU’s 1989–90 team averaged 122.4 points per game, the highest mark in NCAA history — and a figure that would rank top 10 all-time in NBA scoring even with 8 less minutes a game. They did this in an era with a 35-second shot clock and less modern spacing advantages, which makes it even more incomprehensible today.
That LMU team wasn’t just fast, it was loaded. Bo Kimble, Hank Gathers, and Corey Gaines were all legitimate NBA-level talents, and they played with manic discipline under Westhead’s “The System.” Their 122.4-point average still stands as the all-time record for the highest scoring college basketball team ever.
Why It’s So Hard to Replicate
The modern college game is far more efficiency-driven. Coaches obsess over points per possession, not total points. Fatigue, depth, and shot selection analytics all discourage the relentless pace necessary to reach 100 ppg.
As your original analysis pointed out, maintaining that tempo requires:
Unusual stamina (LMU’s top players averaged over 34 minutes at warp speed)
A deep bench (since the 9th and 10th men must log real minutes)
Tremendous skill density (to offset quick shots and frequent turnovers)
Even coaches who once embraced “The System” — like Don Maestri at Troy — eventually abandoned it after realizing it wasn’t conducive to sustained success. Maestri entered Division I averaging 98 ppg in his first season, then reverted to traditional tempo and achieved more consistent winning seasons.
It’s no coincidence that even the pioneers, from Westhead at George Mason to Maestri at Troy, eventually slowed down. Efficiency simply outpaced aesthetics.
The Modern Precedent: VMI’s 2007 Outlier
When Duggar Baucom’s VMI hit 100.9 ppg in 2006–07, it was seen as a nostalgic throwback, but also a cautionary tale. The Keydets went just 14–19 while ranking 237th. Despite the fireworks, they couldn’t translate pace into victories.
That team had a future NBA player and was loaded with upperclassmen who understood the demands of “The System.” Yet, even with the stars aligned, no other D1 team since has reached that mark. It’s a rare blend of talent, freedom, and chaos that almost no coach has been willing, or able, to replicate or disciplined enough to stick with it the other team put up big numbers.
Enter Ben Howlett: West Liberty’s Offensive Machine
If anyone can break that drought, Ben Howlett might be the man. At West Liberty University, Howlett’s West Liberty regularly ranked No. 1 in the nation in scoring, often surpassing 100 points per game across multiple seasons. The Hilltoppers were a juggernaut in Division II, leading the nation in assists, pace, and field goal efficiency while averaging over 105.2 points per game in their peak seasons, and many of Howlett’s eight seasons 98+ppg and into the 100’s.
Their system was an extension of the Jim Crutchfield “The System” Howlett’s teams didn’t just score, they dominated. They finished among the top three nationally in offensive efficiency in almost every metric that exists for D2 basketball, while maintaining a win percentage near .86%.
That same playbook is now being imported to IU Indy, and the core of his West Liberty team joined him poised to hit the ground running with various other D2 all stars added around them.
Why IU Indy Might Actually Do It
The 118–102 game against Ohio State wasn’t a fluke it was a preview. IU Indy attempted 76 shots, including 38 threes, pressed defensively, and showed no interest in slowing down against a high-major opponent. They scored 102 vs one of the most talented teams in the nation in our model and it wasn’t even on fluky three point shooting or getting to the line. They didn’t even shoot amazing from three just 31.6% and only got to the line 20 times.
For a program coming off years of offensive futility, the difference was staggering. If they can produce 100+ points on the road against a Big Ten team, what happens when they face the Horizon or most of their mid-major defenses?
In an era where offensive efficiency is reaching historic highs — both in the NBA and NCAA — IU Indy’s approach may be the most logical extreme yet to push the raw scoring total over 100 on average per game. I think this would be a good move for Howlett to go for it early. It will get the program noticed and make it an easier sell to recruits who want to play fast and average a lot of points.
The Verdict: 2025’s Great Experiment
For nearly two decades, the dream of a Division I team averaging 100 points per game has been little more than a nostalgic curiosity. But IU Indy might just have the blueprint and belief system to resurrect it and Jim Crutchfield himself would be proud to see his protege go for it.
If they succeed, it would mark the first such occurrence since VMI in 2007, and the first by a program with a legitimate coaching lineage from one of the most explosive scoring systems in college basketball history.
West Liberty proved it could be done at a lower level. Now, Ben Howlett and IU Indy are poised to test whether that same offensive gospel can hold up under Division I constraints.
For the first time in 19 years, the 100-point dream doesn’t seem impossible. It seems inevitable if they are going to go for it like this in game one vs a team as talented as Ohio State. That was fearless.
