Stats that stood out against Wichita State
Mizzou has been sound at the free throw line this season, sinking 76.6% of its foul shots this year. The team ranks 50th in the NCAA, shooting well above the national average of 70.2%.
The Tigers took care of business at the stripe against Wichita State on Tuesday, connecting on 15 of their 21 free throw attempts. But their number of trips to the line was just as significant as the number of makes. The Shockers went 6-14 on foul shots — it was the first time Missouri had more attempts at the line than their opponent since the second game of the season against Penn on Nov. 11.
The team’s number of attempts had declined sharply over the past five games. The Tigers' free throw rate, which calculates how often a team gets to the line by dividing free throws attempted by field goals attempted, is 22.4% after Tuesday's game, the 332nd-lowest mark in the country according to KenPom. Mizzou isn’t surrendering an alarming number of trips to the stripe, with opponents posting a free throw rate of 33.6%, but it’s still concerning that the number is higher than the Tigers’ own free throw rate.
Wichita State, though, had been one of the best teams at keeping opponents away from the line, with a defensive free throw rate of 20.1%, which made it even more impressive Missouri came away with more foul shots. Senior guard Sean East II led the way against the Shockers, hitting 5-6 of his free throws, but senior guards DeAndre Gholston and Nick Honor and senior forward Noah Carter all had multiple trips to the stripe as well.
The Tigers’ number of attempts was boosted a bit by Wichita State being forced to foul while trailing late in overtime. But it was still an overall better night than in previous games for Mizzou. Head coach Dennis Gates thought it was a big reason his team came away with the 88-84 win.
“We were able to get to that foul line, which I thought was key pregame,” Gates said. “To shoot over 20 free throws is a plus. This is the first game I thought we won the free throw battle and we were able to execute on the line.”
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