Someone who played ball, please tell us how well you shot FT’s and how much you worked on it. Our guys may feel a little game pressure, but there is only 1 gym in conference where I would think crowd noise would have an affect. UTEP. At least in years past. Is a 15 foot uncontested shot really that tough?
We are at 66.3% this yearEven though free throw shooting percentages vary from player to player, the average free throw shooting percentage in the NCAA has hovered at around 68 percent for both men and women for more than 30 years.
Very athletic group too. So athletic, in fact, that it seems like they cheat on some of the fundamentals because they think they can. I’d like to see more patient “passing” instead of just launching it from the parking lot every trip down.
It’s almost like our guys are trying to drive a Ferrari, but don’t know how to drive it yet. I thought their play on Saturday was much sloppier than it should have been.
Oh, I played ball....but it was Baptist RA's...I never got fouled because they never threw me the ball and I was too afraid to get after the opposing player with the ball. That being said, I once had a PE class at Tech (Robert Brunet and I were paired up in drills because our names were together) and I hit 9 out of 10 once. Does that count?
How about shooting for free tickets to the Final Four? Said competition I won in Houston, 2011, and scored tix for the FF, baby! In 4 rounds, out of 20, I hit 14, 18, 18, and then 17 but won it anyway. In the first round, with about 40 contestants, I wasn't concentrating and hit only 14/20, not very good, but it did advance me to the next round, much to my surprise. I entered the contest just for fun. But, after that I buckled down and shot better. Still disappointed by the final round's total but my opponent hit only 16/20.
I went to the semis, Saturday, but had to be back at work Monday. So! that night I was back at the festival with Monday's tix in my pocket (4 of 'em). There was a dad with his sons enjoying the activities and I overheard one of the boys ask if they could go to the game Monday night. The dad said the tix are kind of expensive, and besides, it is probably sold out. It gave me great pleasure to give those tix to them. They were shocked! I got more joy out of seeing the looks on those boys' faces than I did attending the games. Oh, that was the Duke-Butler classic, which I watched on TV.
I don't know what to believe is the cause for our mediocre free throw shooting. I wonder if the full-court pressure defense we often play makes our guys tired and thus free throws more challenging for some. Maybe for others it is real game pressure. Maybe they just don't put any focus on it in practice. Could be all of the above. Regardless, to be a very good team it will have to be improved. Personally, I find it more difficult and stressful to make a layup than to make a free throw.
Missing FTs is like committing a turnover. You get fouled and then go to the line, and then miss!? Might as well had thrown the ball into the cheap seats on that trip. Let's say you don't get fouled and get to shoot a FG. Most teams shoot 40%+ from the floor. Hopefully closer to 48-50% and 30% from the arc. So, let's say in 10 trips, a team shoots 7 shots from close and 3 from the arc, that is potentially 11 points, on an average night of shooting. Getting fouled denies a team a chance to shoot a FG, so you sure as heck better cash in at the line.
Note: even with missing FTs there is still a benefit of getting fouled, might get one or more of their starters in foul trouble.
DaQuan Bracey is already 0-3 from the free throw line tonight. Dawgs trail early, 21-8.