Indiana Must Improve its Free Throw Shooting
If Indiana wants to win more statement games, hang tougher in the grueling BIG 10, and finish out games against ranked opponents, then IU must solve its free-throw shooting woes from the last three seasons.
IU has struggled with free throws at many different points in the game; missing free points early, closing out first halves, and finishing out/winning games in the second half. Indiana has seen themselves not be able to finish out close games due to their inability to get free points from the stripe.
Getting to the line hasn’t been as much of an issue for Indiana. Indy got to the free-throw line the 5th-most times in the Big 10 last year, they actually led the Conference in free throw attempts with 716 in 2019, and they finished 4th in FT attempts in 2018.
The issue has not been the lack of getting to the line. It’s been about failing to capitalize on top-5 free throw attempt numbers in the Big 10 three years in a row and finishing #12 in free throw percentage all three years in a row. For Indiana to not even be in the top 10 with free-throw shooting in the Big 10 is an unacceptable issue that must change immediately under Mike Woodson.
The Hoosiers shot 66.5% from the line this year in 2020, they shot marginally better in 2019 at 67.9%, and their lowest mark was 66.1% in 2018. Indiana must be able to shoot over 70% from the line and edge closer to that 72%-75% range. That’s where the conference’s top-5 teams have landed three years in a row. Free throws are too important of an element in today’s game of college basketball to consistently struggle at such an easy and fundamental part of basketball.
Indiana has lost several conference games, ranked matchups, and unacceptable defeats in non-Big 10 competitions that became the norm for IU basketball under Archie Miller. Watching the Hoosiers struggle at the line this season was particularly frustrating, as it became common ground to watch 1 and 1 opportunities disappear along with the inability to hit back-to-back free throws in any situation. Any player at the line often split their two free shots with a miss and a make and cost IU half a scoring possession each time it happened.
Indiana ranked 301st in the nation in free throw percentage. It’s an unacceptable number for a school that is always expected to be in the Top-25 national discussion. IU can’t be looking down on inferior basketball schools such as Manhattan, LIU, and Grambling State. If Indiana expects to win more games this season, it will start with making unguarded shots at the free-throw line.