The Wisconsin Badgers basketball team dropped a close one to the Northwestern Wildcats on Monday night. This snapped a 7-game win streak over Northwestern and left many questioning how good this Badgers team can be. While they have dealt with injuries to key players, the team simply isn’t playing well enough to win. One big reason is their abysmal free throw shooting.
#Badgers now shooting 66.0 percent from the free throw line this season.
— Evan Flood (@Evan_Flood) January 24, 2023
Wisconsin Badgers Basketball: Free Throwing Shooting
The Badgers are shooting 66% from the free throw line this season. For a team that has found itself in a lot of close games, this isn’t good enough. Teams can overcome one or two players that have subpar percentages but when as a team you are below 70%, it is simply too much to overcome. Getting to the line should be an opportunity to score an easy two points. Obviously, no one is perfect but the best teams in the NCAA are all around 80%. Their percentage puts them 11th in the Big Ten.
Short Turnaround
The Badgers don’t have much time to think about this loss. They travel to Maryland on Wednesday for a game. This is not the time to be in a losing skid. The Badgers need to find their groove and get back to their winning ways quickly. Basketball is a sport that can have ebbs and flows during a season but at some point, it all has to come together.
For me, it all starts with free throw shooting. If the team cannot get that percentage up, they are going nowhere. Close games are won and lost at the free throw line. If the Badgers start to go on a winning streak, it will most likely be because they have started to hit their free throws.
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