SWC75
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A poster suggested that free throw problems have been chronic through Jim Boeheim’s coaching career. I decided to look at the numbers.
Here are the season free throw percentages for Syracuse, it’s opponents and NCAA Division 1 for the last 30 years prior to this season. The sources are the SU media Guide, (the numbers are also on the website) and the 2012-2013 NCAA Men’s Basketball Record Book.
YEAR SYRACUSE OPPONENT NCAA
1982-83 .712 .704 .685
1983-84 .751 .683 .689
1984-85 .715 .697 .689
1985-86 .686 .701 .691
1986-87 .650 .694 .691
1987-88 .600 .671 .689
1988-89 .611 .680 .691
1989-90 .647 .739 .689
1990-91 .645 .661 .686
1991-92 .685 .675 .681
1992-93 .686 .675 .677
1993-94 .715 .657 .671
1994-95 .662 .701 .676
1995-96 .705 .627 .674
1996-97 .642 .688 .674
1997-98 .676 .652 .675
1998-99 .663 .694 .678
1999-00 .705 .669 .681
2000-01 .715 .654 .685
2001-02 .650 .682 .690
2002-03 .694 .652 .694
2003-04 .643 .701 .691
2004-05 .667 .677 .687
2005-06 .643 .701 .691
2006-07 .695 .630 .690
2007-08 .668 .696 .691
2008-09 .645 .630 .690
2009-10 .677 .627 .689
2010-11 .665 .667 .693
2011-12 .698 .676 .691
Average .674 .674 .686
(I averaged the percentages. I didn’t add up the attempts and makes over 30 years and re-compute the percentage.)
For all our angst over free throw shooting over the years, there is no net difference between our free throw percentage over the years and that of our opponents. I didn’t compute it over the conference season because this is one stat that should not be affected by the strength of the opponent. Alcorn State should be able to hit free throws as well as Louisville. It’s interesting that both SU and the opponents are significantly behind the NCAA average for the same period. I’ve heard that the Carrier Dome background is not conducive to three point shooting. The same may be true for free throws.
But the idea that free throw shooting has chronically plagued SU over the years and Jim Boeheim doesn’t know how to teach it is not supported by the historical record. We all can remember when missed free throws might have cost us games, (you don’t have to think back very far) but we don’t remember the times it cost the other team. A big factor from year to year is who is getting fouled. It helps to have a big man, (like Hakim Warrick) who can make them pay or a point guard who is nearly automatic, (Gerry McNamara). Stationary jump shooters like Matt Roe might be great at shooting fouls but it barely matters because they don’t get to the line. If you’ve got a guy who gets fouled and can’t make them like Arinze Onuaku or Stevie Thompson, it can be painful to watch.
So far this season we are hitting .629 and the opposition is hitting .674, their historical average. I don’t see anybody on this team with bad form or a psychological block. I just think the team hasn’t been concentrating enough. Hopefully, we’ll pull out of this slump and get the percentage back up to where it should be.
Here are the season free throw percentages for Syracuse, it’s opponents and NCAA Division 1 for the last 30 years prior to this season. The sources are the SU media Guide, (the numbers are also on the website) and the 2012-2013 NCAA Men’s Basketball Record Book.
YEAR SYRACUSE OPPONENT NCAA
1982-83 .712 .704 .685
1983-84 .751 .683 .689
1984-85 .715 .697 .689
1985-86 .686 .701 .691
1986-87 .650 .694 .691
1987-88 .600 .671 .689
1988-89 .611 .680 .691
1989-90 .647 .739 .689
1990-91 .645 .661 .686
1991-92 .685 .675 .681
1992-93 .686 .675 .677
1993-94 .715 .657 .671
1994-95 .662 .701 .676
1995-96 .705 .627 .674
1996-97 .642 .688 .674
1997-98 .676 .652 .675
1998-99 .663 .694 .678
1999-00 .705 .669 .681
2000-01 .715 .654 .685
2001-02 .650 .682 .690
2002-03 .694 .652 .694
2003-04 .643 .701 .691
2004-05 .667 .677 .687
2005-06 .643 .701 .691
2006-07 .695 .630 .690
2007-08 .668 .696 .691
2008-09 .645 .630 .690
2009-10 .677 .627 .689
2010-11 .665 .667 .693
2011-12 .698 .676 .691
Average .674 .674 .686
(I averaged the percentages. I didn’t add up the attempts and makes over 30 years and re-compute the percentage.)
For all our angst over free throw shooting over the years, there is no net difference between our free throw percentage over the years and that of our opponents. I didn’t compute it over the conference season because this is one stat that should not be affected by the strength of the opponent. Alcorn State should be able to hit free throws as well as Louisville. It’s interesting that both SU and the opponents are significantly behind the NCAA average for the same period. I’ve heard that the Carrier Dome background is not conducive to three point shooting. The same may be true for free throws.
But the idea that free throw shooting has chronically plagued SU over the years and Jim Boeheim doesn’t know how to teach it is not supported by the historical record. We all can remember when missed free throws might have cost us games, (you don’t have to think back very far) but we don’t remember the times it cost the other team. A big factor from year to year is who is getting fouled. It helps to have a big man, (like Hakim Warrick) who can make them pay or a point guard who is nearly automatic, (Gerry McNamara). Stationary jump shooters like Matt Roe might be great at shooting fouls but it barely matters because they don’t get to the line. If you’ve got a guy who gets fouled and can’t make them like Arinze Onuaku or Stevie Thompson, it can be painful to watch.
So far this season we are hitting .629 and the opposition is hitting .674, their historical average. I don’t see anybody on this team with bad form or a psychological block. I just think the team hasn’t been concentrating enough. Hopefully, we’ll pull out of this slump and get the percentage back up to where it should be.