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Free Throw Shooting

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  • Free Throw Shooting

    Wisconsin is chasing an NCAA team free-throw shooting record held by Harvard. So far this season we're shooting about 82.6% at the line coming into today's game against Northwestern. I say "about" because we shot 16-20 today.

    What's interesting is that we're ranked (I believe) 341st out of 345 D1 teams in opponent FT shooting with our opponents averaging 74.4% at the line.

    Seems to suggest that in the face of good competition provided by UW at the charity stripe, others step up their game as well.

    Thought this was interesting as you only really compete against yourself when shooting free-throws.
    "This aggression will not stand, man!" Jeff Lebowski
    "The only true currency in this bankrupt world is what you share with someone else when you're uncool." Lester Bangs

  • #2
    I...I don't even know what kind of sport you are talking about.

    Comment


    • #3
      Tarek Morgen Reply

      "I...I don't even know what kind of sport you are talking about."

      Ever heard, seen or read of Dirk Nowitski, Detlef Schrempf and Christian Welp?
      "This aggression will not stand, man!" Jeff Lebowski
      "The only true currency in this bankrupt world is what you share with someone else when you're uncool." Lester Bangs

      Comment


      • #4
        Not really, but at least google told me that this seems to be basketball. A sport that would be interesting if not for two problems:

        Due the basket a player's height seems more important than actual skill. Sure being tall is not everything, but imho it is far too important

        Secondly, and far more important..as soon as you even touch the other guy it is a foul. The game would need to be a lot more rough.

        ..and after you change those things (rougher gameplay, goals insteads of baskets) it is no longer basketball, but handball:

        Comment


        • #5
          Tarek Morgen Reply

          Well, let's address those two issues.

          First, how height matters. While it can be valuable, because the court is both long and wide, speed, quickness (burst) and ball-handling are very valuable assets. Typically, those (especially quickness and ball-handling or dribbling) favor the shorter player.

          Secondly, God didn't make us equal. Here is my favorite little man. Slam Dunk competitions were once very much in vogue. Frankly, I've little interest in seeing big men dunk basketballs. Little guys who can dunk, however, interest me greatly-

          Anthony "Spud" Webb-



          "Spud" Webb stood 5 ft. 6 inches tall.

          Secondly, because referees are human and identifying fouls is a subjective skill, many basketball games are very, very physical. Ask any of the American fans here and they'll tell you that top-flight playoff games can be quite physically intense. Not all fouls are the same either. If you are going to be called for making a foul on a player, many believe that you might as well get your money's worth by making the hardest foul legally possible.

          We do enjoy the game here and there are many elements about it not easily explained quickly.
          "This aggression will not stand, man!" Jeff Lebowski
          "The only true currency in this bankrupt world is what you share with someone else when you're uncool." Lester Bangs

          Comment


          • #6
            I am not trying to talk Basketball down, I can see why people like to watch or play the game (in contrast to let's say Baseball). The issues I mention are the reason why I can't really get that excited about it and always hated it when we had to play it in school (Basketball war a large part of my school curriculum and weighted heavy into the final sports grade) .

            Player-heights:
            I am sure that there are plenty of “short” players in Basketball, but the game itself is just tailored too much in favour of larger players. When teams are picked at school for basketball you can be pretty sure that the tall ones are the first one's chosen

            Fouls:
            I am sure that that there is still plenty of (hurtful) contact in Basketball, but my problem is that (from someone who played Handball for ten years) the approach to it is complete different. In Handball if the opponent is in front of you and has the ball..you just get him and don't let go until the ref tells you to. That is not even a foul but “normal defense”. Using the same approach in Basketball gets you in trouble. (I was horrible at Basketball..simply because I played and “fouled” like in Handball). That does not mean that I want the game to turn into a brawl (one thing that annoys me about ice-hockey for example are the constant fights.)

            Comment


            • #7
              Tarek Morgen Reply

              "...the game itself is just tailored too much in favour of larger players."

              It may seem so at first glance but too many larger, taller players lack the coordination, particularly hand/eye and feet to be effective.
              "This aggression will not stand, man!" Jeff Lebowski
              "The only true currency in this bankrupt world is what you share with someone else when you're uncool." Lester Bangs

              Comment


              • #8
                Sir,

                What caught my eye was that Harvard held any record for a sport that doesn't involve longevity of doing something.
                Everybody sing this song, DooDah, DooDah

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