Caitlin Clark averages more points per game than 10 Big Ten football teams

Today is fun with numbers, intended to make learning more enjoyable for you kids.

First lesson: The 25-point-per-game standard in college football is only hard to reach if you’re in the Big Ten.

You know, you know, you know. Iowa slapped a 25-point-per-game mandate on offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz this season and it won’t be met. But here’s a fun wrinkle:

Eight other Big Ten teams are under 25 points per game, including the entire Big Ten West.

Wisconsin, 23.6 points per game. Minnesota, 21.7. Illinois, 21.1. Purdue, 20.9. Northwestern, 20.1, Nebraska, 19.9. Indiana, 18.8. Iowa, 18.4. Michigan State, 18.2.

Rutgers, Iowa’s opponent Saturday, averages 26.8. If the Scarlet Knights are held under nine points at Kinnick Stadium, they’ll be under 25 per game, too.

Here’s a fun wrinkle: Of the 133 FBS teams, 82 average at least 25 points. Thus, 64.3 percent of all Big Ten teams don’t average 25 points, and 61.3 percent of the rest of the FBS does.

Here’s another fun wrinkle: Michigan running back Blake Corum is averaging 10.7 points per game by himself. Yes, he has blockers and sign-stealers, but it’s still impressive.

Second lesson: The first night of college basketball isn’t to be taken too seriously most places, and the numbers back it up.

Most — not all — of these openers are for Division I teams to be at home and not break out into cold sweats. If such a game wasn’t in the opener, it’s just around the corner.

Over 180 men’s openers were played on campus sites Monday. Fourteen were won by road teams. Included was a true jolt, James Madison triumphing in overtime at Michigan State.

But this is a fun with numbers, so here are some fun scores:

San Francisco 128, Bethesda 59; Jacksonville 113, Johnson 46; St. Mary’s 107, Stanislaus State 28; Utah State 101, South Dakota Mines 48; William & Mary 84, Regent 29; Liberty 103, Mid-Atlantic Christian 43; UTEP 120, McMurray 71.

Fun wrinkle: There are 362 Division I programs, yet all of those aforementioned scores had a D-I team beating a team that isn’t D-I. Over 60 of Monday’s openers had D-I teams not playing one of their own, and those games count.

Some of the opposition for the D-I teams Monday included Mount Olive, Vassar, Sarah Lawrence, Midway, Lourdes, Life and Blue Mountain.

Maybe Michigan State should have opened with Mount Olive or Midway.

Fun with numbers is an equal-opportunity employer, so let’s look at Monday’s Division I women’s scores.

Florida International 113, Florida National 30; College of Charleston 117, Pfeiffer 30. And what’s this? It can’t be a real score. Except that is:

Fairfield 101, Lehman 14.

At least Iowa’s 102-46 win over Fairleigh Dickinson Monday was over a D-I foe, one that went 24-8 last season.

Fairfield hopped to a 31-1 lead after one quarter against Lehman, and it was 50-3 at halftime. The Lehman College Lightning, located in the Bronx, shot 8.8 percent from the field and committed 35 turnovers.

A fun wrinkle: Somehow, Lehman shot eight more free throws than Fairfield.

Third lesson: Iowa’s Caitlin Clark needs to step it up.

After Monday’s games, Clark merely was tied for 14th in the nation at 28.0 points per game, seven points behind Tulsa’s Delanie Crawford. Clark was second nationally (27.8) last season and first as a freshman and sophomore.

Also, Clark’s 10.0 assists per game left her only tied for first in the nation with two other players after she led the country by herself the last two seasons.

Also, she led the nation in made 3-pointers the last two seasons. But after Monday’s games, her four was tied for 23rd, half as many as leader Nya Robertson of George Washington.

If you haven’t detected any facetiousness in the previous four paragraphs, you’re not having the proper fun with numbers.

Fourth lesson: If you spend enough time in Las Vegas, you’ll inevitably lose.

The defending national-champion and No. 1-ranked LSU women’s basketball team fell to Colorado in its season-opener Monday, 92-78 in Las Vegas.

That has to be fun with numbers for some Iowa fans.

Comments: (319) 398-8440; mike.hlas@thegazette.com