Is this the worst free throw shooting team that UC has had in recent years or does it only seem like it?

Haven't been able to catch most of the games since I'm out of town, but just wondering.

Overall, I have to say I like this team and what Mick has done with it. I am starting to feel like basketball will be back on track for years to come again. I also think that with the slightly less dominant Big East, UC should be a Big East title contender year in and out.

Seems to be the Mick Cronin teams do a whole lot of things right and FT shooting is definitely not one of them.

Seems like a lot of teams are struggling. I watched yesterday as a 92% FT shooter missed 2 with the game on the line. Can't recall the game for some reason. FT shooting numbers seem to keep declining, especially in the clutch. I'm sure it is not for a lack of practicing them as I know how many we had to shoot in high school and I've heard rumors of 100s a day at the college level.

Need to relax and step it up in the tourney. Get a head doctor for Dixon and Parker so they don't let Saturday's misses haunt them into the tourney.

I'm hesitant to say that FTs cost us the game on Saturday because we blew so many other possessions. I guess simple math says the team missed six, and lost by six, but that reasoning only holds water when we expect to make 100% all the time.

Maybe those big head posters are really that effective?

Bearcats seem particularly awful late in games, or in high pressure situations. Honestly I was rooting for Gates to shoot free throws late against Syracuse, because I actually feel like he thrives with a bit more pressure on him (that said he's not a good foul shooter, so that is how desperate I was). Other than the Oklahoma game where UC was brilliant down the stretch from the foul line, I feel like UC has killed themselves with their late game free throw shooting. Hell almost blew huge late leads against Syracuse and UConn as a result.

(03-12-2012 12:27 PM)bearcatfan Wrote:  Maybe those big head posters are really that effective?

They can't hurt. Some of them are hilarious.

Frustrating when its your shooting guards missing the free throws. Our pure shooters just aren't that pure.

FT shooting has been pretty awful across the country.

Last week in the Pac 12 tournament Tony Wroten of Washington bricked 4 straight in the final seconds with his team only down a point. Along with Oregon State the two teams combined to go 29-58 in that game. That's pathetic.

I just don't know what happened to Dixon at the line. Last year he was the guy that would ice the game in the final minutes. Cash was also a much better FT shooter last year. It seems like our guys always miss short in the clutch.

This crew has certainly had it's struggles, but it's not as bad as it used to be watching Michael Horton going to the line and tossing bricks.

(03-12-2012 10:57 AM)BearcatDave Wrote:  Is this the worst free throw shooting team that UC has had in recent years or does it only seem like it?

Haven't been able to catch most of the games since I'm out of town, but just wondering.

Overall, I have to say I like this team and what Mick has done with it. I am starting to feel like basketball will be back on track for years to come again. I also think that with the slightly less dominant Big East, UC should be a Big East title contender year in and out.

As a team I don't think were are any worse than the last few years. The difference is we don't have that one guy you know will always step to the line and drain them. As much as Deonta frustrated me, I always wanted the ball in his hands when other teams were in a situation where they had to foul. Rashad was that type of guy from the line too.

Sadly, I want Yancy at the line in crunch time.

(03-12-2012 12:08 PM)BJUnklFkr Wrote:  I'm hesitant to say that FTs cost us the game on Saturday because we blew so many other possessions. I guess simple math says the team missed six, and lost by six, but that reasoning only holds water when we expect to make 100% all the time.

Louisville 11-12, expected points on 12 FT's - 12 * .686 = 8.2
Cincinnati 1-7, expected points on 7 FT's - 7 * .641 = 4.487,

Everything else holds true, the expect out come with them getting 12 and us getting 7, is us with a .287 Expected advantage. Lots of things we did well, but all else holds true, we lost at the line.

(03-12-2012 01:38 PM)ucbrownsfan Wrote:  

(03-12-2012 12:08 PM)BJUnklFkr Wrote:  I'm hesitant to say that FTs cost us the game on Saturday because we blew so many other possessions. I guess simple math says the team missed six, and lost by six, but that reasoning only holds water when we expect to make 100% all the time.

Louisville 11-12, expected points on 12 FT's - 12 * .686 = 8.2
Cincinnati 1-7, expected points on 7 FT's - 7 * .641 = 4.487,

Everything else holds true, the expect out come with them getting 12 and us getting 7, is us with a .287 Expected advantage. Lots of things we did well, but all else holds true, we lost at the line.

Sir, you just blew my mind.

The chip game was the worst ever this season. No reason a guard dominated team should shoot so poorly at the line. Late in games I think its definitely between the ears, although i think the kids were tired the other night too. Wish Mick would let glawn and davis play a little more in the first half of these games

(03-12-2012 12:27 PM)bearcatfan Wrote:  Maybe those big head posters are really that effective?

I wonder if they will let me take one into the game on Friday?

I really think it is an overall drop off around basketball. Hell, a 70+% shooter is now considered a good FT shooter. Seems to me that every team used to have a guy who was over 85%.

(03-12-2012 03:23 PM)BeerCat Wrote:  

(03-12-2012 12:27 PM)bearcatfan Wrote:  Maybe those big head posters are really that effective?

I wonder if they will let me take one into the game on Friday?

I really think it is an overall drop off around basketball. Hell, a 70+% shooter is now considered a good FT shooter. Seems to me that every team used to have a guy who was over 85%.

They don't emphasize FT shooting on ESPN. Only dunks and flashy passing. No fundamentals, period.

Eh Free Throw shooting on the aggregate has not changed much over the years. In college it's between 67% and 70% every season. http://basketball.about.com/b/2009/03/05...-years.htm

(03-12-2012 03:36 PM)bearcatmark Wrote:  Eh Free Throw shooting on the aggregate has not changed much over the years. In college it's between 67% and 70% every season. http://basketball.about.com/b/2009/03/05...-years.htm

Very interesting, I could have lost some serious coin on that bet.

(03-12-2012 03:36 PM)bearcatmark Wrote:  Eh Free Throw shooting on the aggregate has not changed much over the years. In college it's between 67% and 70% every season. http://basketball.about.com/b/2009/03/05...-years.htm

1st reply to that column:

Quote:Comments

April 25, 2009 at 12:49 am
(1) ed palubinskas says: :

Your comments are pretty intuitive when you blame the coaches for the mediocrity. Its their fault not the players. How can you teach what you dont know. lets reward calipari with a trillion bucks. He doesnt know or care about shooting excellence. So lets pay him big. I dont get it.
What do I know . I shoot 99% from the line and have done so for 28 years. Have missed 3 free throws in competition in 21 years.
Am president of National basketball shooters association http://www.nbsahoops.com.
I can take a 65-70% team and in 7 days have them shooting 90% from the line. Do it all the time. We can at least improve them 20% in that time. No big deal. Just change mental comprehension and abide by scientific principles and natural laws.read some of my articles on my site to get better insight as to my methodology.
great free throw shooters are great shooters as well. so lets make great free throw shooters out of our players and hoopsbecomes more exciting.

Best swishes
shooting surgeon general.
ed Palubinskas
world record holder

And yet guard-oriented teams like Villanova and Xavier and Vanderbilt and Wisconsin shoot free throws consistently well year after year. It goes to the kind of players you recruit.