FanPost

Louisville: The Average Free-Throw Shooting Team That Is Rarely Average

We are a good free throw shooting team. We are a bad free throw shooting team. We actually are both. With a season FT% of just over 68%, it would appear we're a very average free throw shooting team. But, we're really not average. Or, at least, we're very rarely average at the foul line.

Through 26 games, we've shot 75% or better from the "charity stripe" 9 times. Adversely, we've shot 65% or worse 12 times. Thus, we've only had 5 games in the 65-75% range. In other words, we've been "average" in roughly 1 of every 5 games this season. Pretty rare.

It's no surprise that in 5 of our 6 losses, we've been below 65%. In most cases, well below. In the other loss - UK - we shot 66.7%, which is still below our season average.

The common critique of the Syracuse game is that we "lost it" by going 12-21 at the foul line. If true, we can say the opposite about the WVU game by having gone 13-15 to "win it." The most frustrating things about those two thoughts is that A) the games were 2 days apart and B) we shot far better in a hostile environment. And, in case you're wondering, we're shooting .07% better for the season on the road than at home. I don't like that stat.

It's just really seems that our free throw accuracy is contagious, whether good or bad. And, it's usually one or the other. Plenty of theories as to why that is, but I don't want to hear them. I just want the good free throw shooting team to show up every game.