Zags Wednesday: We talking bout practice… your free throws
Teresa Powe
|
In the first two games of the NCAA tournament, the Gonzaga Bulldogs missed 20 free throws. In many games, that could be the difference between winning and losing. So let’s take a look at who is missing free throws.
I have sat on the edge of my seat during Gonzaga Bulldogs games, chewing off my nails, every time a Bulldog was at the free-throw line. Why? Because they miss!
vs. Georgia State – First round of the tournament
Drew Timme was the savior for the Gonzaga Bulldogs against Georgia State. The Zags would have been bounced in the first round if it weren’t for him. And Timme is the leader of the Zags. But, of course, every good leader should always lead by example, so it is incumbent upon Timme to practice his free throws!
The Zags missed 14 free throws in this game, and Timme missed seven. So imagine, instead of 32 points, Drew would have had 39, a definite career-high, and something the scouts would raise an eyebrow to, in a good way. But, instead, he missed seven, so the eyebrow was raised in a “hmmm” way.
Drew Timme is built for March Madness ?⁰⁰25 PTS
14 REB⁰4 ASTNo. 1 Gonzaga on to the Sweet 16 pic.twitter.com/PMhDZ37d36
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) March 20, 2022
Only Rasir Bolton and Andrew Nembhard made all their free throws. Julian Strawther, Hunter Sallis, and Martynas Arlauskas each missed two of their free throws, Chet Holmgren missed three of five from the free line, and Anton Watson missed two of four.
Before you start armchair coaching me, I know they won the game by 21 points, but they could have won it by 35. All they had to do was practice their free throws.
vs. Memphis – Second round of the tournament
Andrew Nembhard was the savior of this game. In the second half of the game, the Memphis Tigers played “hack a Zag.” Unfortunately for them, in the game’s final seconds, Nembhard always had the ball, so they could only foul him, and Nembhard was a perfect four of four from the line. So was Bolton.
Timme again missed the most from the line. Timme must practice his free throws because he is always in the paint. The other teams don’t care because they know Drew will miss at least half of his shots. If he has two shots, he will make one. He was four of eight from the line this game.
Even Holmgren, the Unicorn, must practice his free throws. He scored nine points in this game. It could have been 11 if he hadn’t gone one of three from the line.
And Strawther, he is just not himself. Our three-point sniper is missing free throws (0 for two). And he didn’t make one of his three-point daggers (0 for six).
The Zags won this game by four points. They could have, should have won by ten. Shoddy free throws will not make it to the end. This is the NCAA tournament.
I believe only Timme and Nembhard for the starters have NCAA tournament experience. There is so much pressure in a one-and-done situation. It’s why I think practice is so important.
The Arkansas Razorbacks are not a team to overlook. As I stated before, every team in this tournament, now in this Sweet Sixteen, wants to win it all. The Gonzaga Bulldogs are the number one overall team. Gonzaga had four days to practice free throws before the Sweet Sixteen. So let’s hope they do it. It could mean the difference between winning and losing.