Of all that’s plagued Indiana men’s basketball this season, free-throw shooting has been the most prominent issue.
The Hoosiers are shooting 66 percent at the foul line this year with six games remaining in the regular season. That’s the 29th-worst mark in the country.
IU shot a bit better from the stripe in Mike Woodson’s first two years as head coach — 71.1 percent in 2022-23, and 70 percent in 2021-22. Indiana hasn’t posted a free-throw percentage this low since it finished at 65.5 percent in 2018-19, which was 26th-worst in the nation.
But it’s not a regular occurrence for Indiana men’s basketball to perform this poorly at the free-throw line. Only nine IU teams since 1949-50 have finished below this season’s mark of 66 percent.
“I’ve never seen anything like it in my career,” Woodson said during a press conference on Zoom on Monday. “They’re free. When they give you an opportunity to go score a free bucket or a point, two points, you’ve got to take advantage of it.”
That’s the kicker: the Hoosiers are getting plenty of opportunities. They’ve attempted 22.6 free throws per game, which ranks 40th in the nation and third in the Big Ten. So they’re getting to the line. Kel’el Ware, Malik Reneau, and Xavier Johnson have each averaged more than four free-throw attempts per game.
But IU just wastes so many of those chances. Only three players — Johnson, Mackenzie Mgbako, and Anthony Walker — are shooting above 70 percent from the foul line this season. Trey Galloway, who leads the team in minutes per game, is shooting 54.8 percent at the stripe, the third-worst mark on the team.
Woodson said his players are taking free throws seriously and putting in the practice reps they need to succeed there. He points to his team’s mentality at the line.
“You can’t be scared to step up there. That’s a part of basketball. It’s been that way from the beginning of the time,” Woodson said. “All I can do is keep preaching. If their shots were tore up, then that’s different. Then you’ve got to work on the mechanics and do a lot of different things in that area. But they don’t have bad shots. It’s between the ears to me.”
Indiana’s missed free throws accounted for its margin of defeat in four of its 11 losses this season. This team’s issues run deeper than just free-throw shooting.
But the foul line troubles have impacted more than just losses. It was responsible for some of Indiana’s close non-conference buy games that are bogging down its résumé just as much as the losses are. IU missed 10 or more free throws in wins over Florida Gulf Coast, Wright State, Morehead State, and Kennesaw State.
This late in the season, the Hoosiers are who they are. They’ve shot under 60 percent on free throws in seven games, and they’ve shot over 80 percent in just three games. It’s fair to wonder how much a team can really improve at free-throw shooting during a season, or if it’s more about building a roster with better shooters.
Either way, Woodson can only do so much at this point. But he knows Indiana needs to get it together at the foul line.
“We’ve just got to keep working. That’s all I can say. In terms of shooting them and getting these guys comfortable,” Woodson said. “Because tomorrow they’re going to be in that same position, they’re going to get fouled, and they’ve got to just step up and make them.”
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