How similar are Tulsa’s James Woodard and Stanford’s Chasson Randle?

Tulsa’s best player is unquestionably sophomore guard James Woodard, an All-Conference USA second-team selection who leads the team in scoring and rebounding.

Unsurprisingly, head coach Steve Alford pointed out Woodard as the main focus of the scouting report for UCLA’s Friday tipoff against the Golden Hurricane. Alford and Bruin guard Norman Powell compared Woodard to Stanford junior Chasson Randle, who combined for 51 points on 16-of-40 shooting in his three games against the Bruins.

Here’s how their stats measure up heading into the NCAA tournament:
Woodard, 6-3, 183 | 15.7 ppg, 44.2 FG%, 38.9 3P%, 78.2 FT%, 1.8 apg, 5.8 rpg, 1.0 spg
Randle, 6-2, 185 | 18.7 ppg, 48.5 FG%, 39.7 3P%, 76.5 FT%, 2.2 apg, 3.5 rpg, 0.9 spg

For fans of advanced stats (per Ken Pomeroy):
JW | 118.1 ORtg, 22.4 %Poss, 58.4 TS%, 12.0 ARate, 10.7 TORate, 48.3 FTRate
CR | 114.5 ORtg, 25.5 %Poss, 60.7 TS%, 13.7 ARate, 14.9 TORate, 49.5 FTRate

Sure, Randle gets some points for going up against stiffer in-conference competition, but Woodard did play against Wichita State and Creighton. The differences really become more pronounced when looking at shot selection (per hoop-math).

Woodard attempts 45 percent of his field goals from beyond the arc, compared to Randle’s 37.9. Both shoot equally well from long range.

Randle is a better mid-range shooter, however, converting 46.9 percent of his 2-point jumpers to Woodard’s pedestrian 35.2. More astounding is how much the Cardinal point guard loves taking that shot off the dribble: Of his 53 jumpers made this season, only one was assisted.

Woodard is more efficient at the rim (64.4 percent), but only takes a quarter of his shots there. Randle takes over a third, converting 59.4 percent.