Deja Vu..... with a revenge chaser.

[brandx]

You'd always rather make them than miss them, and individual free throws can be incredibly important to the outcome of a game that is decided by one or two points. The reason the percentage is meaningless isn't because of individual outcomes, but rather because of statistical significance.

If FT percentage over the course of the game mattered, Marquette should have won handily with a 10% edge in free throws. Hell, if we played to form, we shoot 20% better on the year than SHU from the stripe, so it shouldn't be even close.

Where free throws matter is how frequently you get to the line. Whether you're a great free throw shooting team like we are or terrible like SHU, getting to the line is still offensively efficient. When MU gets two free throws in a trip, they average 1.618 ppp, which is great. When SHU gets two free throws, they average 1.222 ppp. Even though SHU is terrible at the line, if they were averaging 1.222 ppp this season, they would have a top-5 offense.

So free throw percentage, not so important. Getting to the line, however, is important. It's a big part of why they stayed with us last night, holding a 24-12 edge in free throw attempts until the final minute of regulation. Doesn't matter that we outshot them percentage wise at the line, their raw number of attempts overwhelmed us. In a similar fashion, their offensive rebounds gave them 8 more shot attempts than we had, so even though we killed them in eFG%, their sheer volume of attempts kept it close.

At the end of the game, when you're tied, or leading by 1-3 points at the line, can a single free throw swing the balance? Absolutely. However of far more importance is what happened to get to that point, and team FT% over the course of a season or game has virtually no impact on those snapshot moments (as evidenced by 82.7% FT shooter Haanif Cheatham going 3/6 at the stripe in the final minute).

Sounds like you guys are all trying to argue with me - but I am not arguing your points.

My point was that making or missing free throws late decides a lot of games. Missing 2 free throws is not the same when it happens at the end of the game as opposed to happening in the 1st half of a game - even though, statistically, it all goes into the same bag.

Stats don't tell the entire story.

[brewcity77]

Sounds like you guys are all trying to argue with me - but I am not arguing your points.

My point was that making or missing free throws late decides a lot of games. Missing 2 free throws is not the same when it happens at the end of the game as opposed to happening in the 1st half of a game - even though, statistically, it all goes into the same bag.

Stats don't tell the entire story.

Actually, I wasn't talking to you at all there, that was specifically addressed to 82, and also wasn't meant to be argumentative.

However you specifically said this:

But, FT% factors in very highly in end of game situations - it is quite often why a team wins or loses a game.

That's patently false. If FT% decided games, Cheatham would've gone 5/6 and we win in regulation. He didn't. And as mentioned by others, those one point shot misses are less impactful on the outcome than the 40 or so empty possessions we had in the rest of the game from turnovers and missed field goals.

I would suggest you read the entirety of the post you quoted. Particularly the last paragraph. I really don't think I'm arguing with you at all, however I do think you're guilty of some poor word choices that undermine your argument.

[TSmith34, Inc.]

The improvement is impressive.  I will point out however is that Haani changed positions from last year where he played PG in a major conference, a position he never played in his life. These others played the same position year to year.  While the usage % is comparable, the context isn't.

Agreed, it certainly is to his benefit to have two bona fide PGs to bring the ball up the court and not be tasked as much with starting the offense