Nebraska Basketball: Free throws are becoming a glaring issue
Nebraska basketball has struggled in this area.
As Nebraska basketball has into Monday night’s contest against Minnesota, there is something that they need to work on desperately. Free throws have been Achilles’ heel for the program this entire season. Against the Golden Gophers, they need to stop the bleeding.
Nebraska ranks in the bottom of the Big Ten in free throw percentage. They have a .643 percentage from the line, which is second-to-last in the conference. By comparison, Michigan has the best mark in the conference. They are shooting at a .768 clip.
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The performance at the line in Saturday’s game against Michigan State did not help their cause numerically either. They struggled, going 11-of-24 from the charity stripe. Yvan Ouedraogo had trouble in particular, missing all three shots he attempted from the line.
This is been a real issue for Nebraska basketball the entire season. They just not have been able to convert opportunities from the free throw line. It is very troublesome, especially when you consider the play style of some of the players. Trey McGowens and Teddy Allen for instance like to drive to the basket. That affords them plenty of opportunities to get to the line.
McGowens his 39-of-60 at the line, while Teddy Allen is 39-of-58. Allen’s conversion rate is slightly above that of McGowens. McGowens is shooting at a .650 clip from the line, while Allen is shooting at a .672 mark. Those numbers are actually some of the better numbers on the team.
The leader for the Nebraska basketball program in this category is Shamiel Stephenson. He has made 26-of-36 free throws on the year. That is good enough for a .722 free-throw percentage. He is far and away the best free-throw shooter on the team.
The bottom line is, Nebraska basketball needs to do a better job of converting when they get to the line. I would like to see them do a better job against Minnesota. They have the ability to draw contact and make plays. They just cannot convert their opportunities when it comes to shooting from the line. They have been extremely close in the last couple of games they have played in. That is certainly a good thing. However, they can’t afford to squander points.
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They still have time to stop this concerning trend before it’s too late. As the Big Ten tournament gets closer and closer, this is a skill that if they can master it right now, will come in handy by tournament time.