Do you understand how difficult it is to get a triple double? No, like really… do you?
A look at Sabrina Ionescu's NCAA record 13th career triple-double. #GoDucks pic.twitter.com/K2zezfZYAB
— Oregon Women’s Basketball (@OregonWBB) December 20, 2018
What Oregon's Sabrina Ionescu is doing right now is almost disrespectful to just how difficult it is to obtain one. She's tallying them up like any other dominant player collects double-doubles…and she's doing it with ease.
Just five days before Christmas, Sabrina Ionescu broke the NCAA record for career triple doubles with 13, a record she previously shared with Kyle Collinsworth of BYU.
Ionescu finished with 17 points, 11 rebounds and 13 assists in a 82-39 win over Air Force. A day later, Ionescu added her 14th triple double in a 115-69 win over UC Irvine, finishing with 13 points, 10 rebounds and 14 assists.
The All-American junior has appeared in 83 games in her career. This season alone, Ionescu has four triple doubles and has a legitimate chance to break the single-season record of six which she tied last year.
She broke the NCAA women's triple double record with eight nearly a year ago on December 31, 2017 against Washington.
Oregon is undefeated at 14-0 when she has a triple double. She's gotten them in every possible way and on nearly every stage with nine at home, four on the road and one on a neutral site. Seven have come against power five opponents, two of them in the top 25 (#18 Texas A&M and #15 UCLA)
In 83 games, Ionescu has 14 total triple doubles. On average for her career, she has a 17-percent shot of getting one each game. But check this trend out…
2016-17: 4 triple doubles in 33 games = 12-percent
2017-18: 6 triple doubles in 38 games= 15-percent
2018-19: 4 triple doubles in 12 games so far= 33-percent
If she were to continue on this pace, Ionescu would have approximately 11 total triple doubles this season if they were to play just 35 games. If they were to play 37/38 games she would have 12. Now, that might appear to be absurd to think she could continue at that pace… but who knows!
And if she decides to return for her senior year…look out. Bottom line is, what Sabrina Ionescu is doing is beyond incredible. NCAA basketball has never seen someone quite like her. And we need to soak it in and enjoy every moment of it.
