Missed Free Throws

[mivid12]

14-28...tree 3-11....this issue will cost this team sometime when they need it the most

[odhgibo]

14-28...tree 3-11....this issue will cost this team sometime when they need it the most

Unfortunately, the misses have gotten in his head at this point. He has no fear in taking the same shot in the flow of the offense, but he has the yips when everyone is lined up along the lane lines. A drastic adjustment (ball flip, anyone?) is needed.

[GP1]

It normally isn't one thing that costs any team a game. My guess is the following items will cost the team, or any team, more than free throws:

1. Missed shots from less than three feet away.

2. Turnovers

3. Poor communication on defense that allows the other team easy scores.

4. Poor defensive rebounding that allows the other team easy second chances.

Free throws are important. Executing on the four items above puts a team in a position where they have the lead late in a game and the ball is controlled by players with better FT percentage than Tree. Zeke gets a lot of dunks, Rico is good with the ball, our defense is sound and Zeke dominates the middle...so, I'm confident free throws won't be much of a factor.

[Dave in Green]

I remember in the past watching the Zips get crushed by other teams full of athletic players who couldn't hit half of their free throws, but dominated the Zips in other aspects of the game. The Zips current team free throw shooting percentage is about 66%, which is in the lower third of all D-I teams. If they shot the same percentage as a top 10 free throw shooting team, they'd average 2 more points per game based on the average of 20 free throw attempts per team per game. There are many phases of the offense the Zips could be working on to raise their scoring average by 2 points or on defense where they could lower their opponents' scoring average by 2 points. As much as I'd like to see the Zips hit more of their free throws, I'll take whatever combination of performance in all areas it takes to win games.

[akronzips71]

Or to look at it another way, the T on Zeke was BS. Take back two points, make just 5 more free throws and we really won by 22.

[MDZip]

I remember in the past watching the Zips get crushed by other teams full of athletic players who couldn't hit half of their free throws, but dominated the Zips in other aspects of the game. The Zips current team free throw shooting percentage is about 66%, which is in the lower third of all D-I teams. If they shot the same percentage as a top 10 free throw shooting team, they'd average 2 more points per game based on the average of 20 free throw attempts per team per game. There are many phases of the offense the Zips could be working on to raise their scoring average by 2 points or on defense where they could lower their opponents' scoring average by 2 points. As much as I'd like to see the Zips hit more of their free throws, I'll take whatever combination of performance in all areas it takes to win games.

While that is all true, its ignoring the strategic impact of free throws. Late in games when teams are down, they intentionally foul hoping to get a 1 (or 0) point scoring attempt before getting the ball back. Its there that could exist the Zips Achilles heel.The rest of the game free throw percentage doesn't mean as much, because there are plenty of other ways to make up for it, but at the end of the game when you are being fouled, its of critical importance. Much as you want Tree out on the floor at the end of a close game, there might come a time when he needs to be removed just because of that.

[RowdyZip]

While that is all true, its ignoring the strategic impact of free throws. Late in games when teams are down, they intentionally foul hoping to get a 1 (or 0) point scoring attempt before getting the ball back. Its there that could exist the Zips Achilles heel.The rest of the game free throw percentage doesn't mean as much, because there are plenty of other ways to make up for it, but at the end of the game when you are being fouled, its of critical importance. Much as you want Tree out on the floor at the end of a close game, there might come a time when he needs to be removed just because of that.

Additionally, stranger than all of the above is the fact that we seem to nail a much higher percentage when teams are trying to extend the game. Goes to show, it's 90% mental.

[mivid12]

I'm stating the obvious here, but free throws are the easiest way to score, and you have to be better than 14-28. Mark my words, and i hope i'm wrong, but this issue will bite this team in the kaboose

[UAZip0510]

It was terrible last night, but they're 4th in the MAC in team FT%...

[Dave in Green]

The Zips are better than a 14-28 free throw shooting team. They average about 2 of every 3, not 1 of every 2. Some games are better and some are worse. If you only look at the worst game you think they're awful. If you only look at the best game you think they're great. They had a bad free throw shooting night. It happens. They've had bad field goal shooting nights, bad rebounding nights, etc. They've also had good ones. It's all about averages and doing enough in enough areas to win. They've won 18 in a row.

Every team has good and bad free throw shooters. The bad ones compensate by their performance in other areas. In a close game where you have a small lead and the other team is fouling, you typically want to have your best clutch free throw shooters in the game and try to keep the ball mostly in their hands.