The first two rounds of the men’s NCAA basketball tournament are in the books, and free throw shooting once again proved to be the difference in quite a few games.
N.C. State blew a 16-point lead with eight minutes to go against Saint Louis in the second round on Thursday. The Wolfpack made just 20 of 37 free throws for 54.1 percent. They went 9 of 21 in those fateful final eight minutes.
Talk about March Madness.
“I don’t know that I’ve ever seen anything quite like this,” said veteran broadcaster Dan Bonner, who was the analyst for the game.
The missed free throws allowed Saint Louis to storm back and force the game into overtime where the Billikens eventually prevailed, 83-80. Saint Louis didn’t fare well at the line either, converting just 12 of 26 (46.2 percent). The combined 31 free throws were the most missed in an NCAA tournament game since 1976.
Virginia Commonwealth University held a 4-point lead with 10.2 seconds to go against Stephen F. Austin on Friday evening. Redshirt freshman Jordan Burgess stepped to the line with an opportunity to win it for the Rams.
He missed both attempts that kept it a one-possession game. The Lumberjacks’ Desmond Haymon’s miracle four-point play forced the game into overtime. SFA had all the momentum and beat VCU, 77-75.
George Washington shot just 14 of 24 in its 5-point loss to Memphis. New Mexico was 11 of 19 in its 5-point loss to Stanford while New Mexico State converted 12 of 20 free throws in its 4-point defeat to San Diego State.
Coach Billy Donovan, who won two national championships at Florida, explained to the New York Times that midrange shots, which he says are essentially the definition of a free throw, “are really a lost art in college basketball.”
“You’re either taking a 3 or taking a layup or a post move,” Donovan said in the New York Times. Donovan said he tries to improve his team’s free throw shooting by making his players shoot 100 free throws a day. But Florida, the No. 1 overall seed, was shooting 66 percent through Thursday, 281st in the country.
There were free throw success stories, however. Mercer defeated Duke by sinking 23 of 28 free throws and 7 of 8 in the final 36 seconds as most of the nation watched and held its breath. Off the strength of their clutch free throw shooting, the Bears won 78-71.
North Dakota State made 20 of 22 free throws (90.9 percent) that helped Bison defeat Oklahoma, 80-75.
Baylor struggled shooting from the field against Nebraska, converting just 17 of 42 shots and 2 of 13 from behind the three-point line. However, the Bears prevailed because they nailed 38 of 48 free throws (79 percent), including 10 of 12 in the last 2 minutes.
Saint Louis Coach Jim Crews said in the New York Times that the missed free throws were just a mental thing. “Players are thinking about the magnitude of it and, on a national stage that can get to you,” he said.
One of his players, Rob Loe, called it inexplicable: “I don’t really know why we can’t shoot free throws. It’s just easy to mess them up,” he said in the New York Times.
Louisville’s Rick Pitino, a Hall of Fame coach who won two national championships and who has coached two NBA teams, said just this season, he made his players practice free throws when they were tired. He had never done that before.
“After 39 years of coaching, I just figured it out,” he said in the New York Times.
Even with the new free throw shooting regiment, the defending national champions are ranked just 282 nationally in free throw shooting percentage through Thursday.
It’s heartbreaking to watch teams lose their season from the free throw line. It’s a little surprising more schools don’t use the Noah Shooting System with so much at stake.
Noah Basketball offers the only basketball shooting aid that can correctly measure the arc and depth of every shot taken while giving instant feedback to the shooter. The instant feedback allows immediate adaptability and correction to the shot, building muscle memory to shoot the optimal 45 degree arch. The Noah Shooting System is also proven to build confidence within the shooter.
Having a Noah Shooting System will not affect the way you currently practice and can be used with multiple teams. It is not just another basketball shooting aid but a shooting coach that builds shooting improvements in both teams and individuals. Continue below to find the perfect Noah Basketball Shooting Aid for you and your team.