It sucks to be Central Arkansas:
http://content.usatoday.com/sportsdata/basketball/ncaab/stats/team-FT-Pct
The NCAA keeps track of statistical trends:
http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/m_basketball_RB/Reports/All-time Statistical Trends chart.pdf
The Media Guide has team numbers from the 1949-50 season
SU vs. the average free throw percentage:
1949-50 SU: .611 Nation: .618 Difference: -.007
1950-51 SU: .642 Nation: .628 Difference: +.014
1951-52 SU: .687 Nation: .626 Difference: +061
1952-53 SU: .644 Nation: .640 Difference: +.004
1953-54 SU: .634 Nation: .652 Difference: -.018
1954-55 SU: .642 Nation: .665 Difference: -.023
1955-56 SU: .607 Nation: .668 Difference: -.061
1956-57 SU: .671 Nation: .673 Difference: -.002
1957-58 SU: .647 Nation: .664 Difference: -.017
1958-59 SU: .681 Nation: .671 Difference: +.010
1959-60 SU: .700 Nation: .674 Difference: +.026
1960-61 SU: .673 Nation: .682 Difference: -.009
1961-62 SU: .680 Nation: .679 Difference: +.001
1962-63 SU: .650 Nation: .682 Difference: -.032
1963-64 SU: .700 Nation: .683 Difference: +.017
1964-65 SU: .704 Nation: .690 Difference: +.014
1965-66 SU: .712 Nation: .692 Difference: +.020
1966-67 SU: .723 Nation: .690 Difference: +.033
1967-68 SU: .747 Nation: .691 Difference: +.056
1968-69 SU: .694 Nation: .684 Difference: +.010
1969-70 SU: .659 Nation: .687 Difference: -.028
1970-71 SU: .686 Nation: .681 Difference: +.005
1971-72 SU: .747 Nation: .686 Difference: +.061
1972-73 SU: .699 Nation: .684 Difference: +.015
1973-74 SU: .638 Nation: .684 Difference: -.046
1974-75 SU: .671 Nation: .690 Difference: -.019
1975-76 SU: .635 Nation: .692 Difference: -.057
1976-77 SU: .675 Nation: .694 Difference: -.019
1977-78 SU: .675 Nation: .692 Difference: -.017
1978-79 SU: .712 Nation: .697 Difference: +.015
1979-80 SU: .719 Nation: .696 Difference: +.023
1980-81 SU: .749 Nation: .689 Difference: +.060
1981-82 SU: .711 Nation: .686 Difference: +.015
1982-83 SU: .713 Nation: .685 Difference: +.028
1983-84 SU: .751 Nation: .689 Difference: +.062
1984-85 SU: .715 Nation: .689 Difference: +.026
1985-86 SU: .686 Nation: .691 Difference: -.005
1986-87 SU: .650 Nation: .691 Difference: -.041
1987-88 SU: .600 Nation: .689 Difference: -.089
1988-89 SU: .612 Nation: .691 Difference: -.079
1989-90 SU: .647 Nation: .689 Difference: -.042
1990-91 SU: .645 Nation: .686 Difference: -.041
1991-92 SU: .685 Nation: .681 Difference: +.004
1992-93 SU: .686 Nation: .677 Difference: +.009
1993-94 SU: .715 Nation: .671 Difference: +.044
1994-95 SU: .622 Nation: .676 Difference: -.054
1995-96 SU: .705 Nation: .674 Difference: +.031
1996-97 SU: .642 Nation: .674 Difference: -.032
1997-98 SU: .676 Nation: .675 Difference: +.001
1998-99 SU: .663 Nation: .678 Difference: -.015
1999-2000 SU: .705 Nation: .681 Difference: +.024
2000-01 SU: .715 Nation: .685 Difference: +.030
2001-02 SU: .650 Nation: .690 Difference: -.040
2002-03 SU: .694 Nation: .694 Difference: none
2003-04 SU: .643 Nation: .688 Difference: -.045
2004-05 SU: .667 Nation: .687 Difference: -.020
2005-06 SU: .643 Nation: .691 Difference: -.048
2006-07 SU: .695 Nation: .690 Difference: +.005
2007-08 SU: .668 Nation: .691 Difference: -.023
2008-09 SU: .645 Nation: .690 Difference: -.045
2009-10 SU: .677 Nation: .689 Difference: -.012
2010-11 SU: .665 Nation: .693 Difference: -.028
It's hard to detect a strong trend there, although we have been behind the national average for most of the last decade. The average number of free throws taken per game is about 20. 70% is 14 made free throws. 13 made is 65%. 12 made is 60% so each made free throw moves you up by +.050. We were better or worse than the national average by signicantly more than that only in 1987-88 and 1988-89. People remember particular teams that were bad or games where we had some big misses but the overall record isn't that bad. I also thing that people over-estimate the "normal" free throw percentate, which has never reached 70.0%. The big thing if that if you have a guy who gets to the line alot, you want him to make a good percentage and if you've got a guy who is automatic, you want to get him the ball in the final minute.