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Indiana Basketball: 5 keys for a successful 2018-19 season

By Lukas Harkins

BLOOMINGTON, IN - NOVEMBER 29: Head coach Archie Miller of the Indiana Hoosiers reacts in the first half of a game against the Duke Blue Devils at Assembly Hall on November 29, 2017 in Bloomington, Indiana. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
BLOOMINGTON, IN - NOVEMBER 29: Head coach Archie Miller of the Indiana Hoosiers reacts in the first half of a game against the Duke Blue Devils at Assembly Hall on November 29, 2017 in Bloomington, Indiana. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /
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BLOOMINGTON, IN – NOVEMBER 29: Indiana Hoosiers players react. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
BLOOMINGTON, IN – NOVEMBER 29: Indiana Hoosiers players react. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /

Quality free throw shooting

Free throw shooting is absolutely crucial when it comes to winning close games in college basketball. Yet, over the course of this past season, the Hoosiers struggled to consistently knock down these shots. Even though the team did a solid job drawing contact and getting to the line with 644 total free throw attempts (176th nationally), they were unable to capitalize on these opportunities to maximum potential.

In fact, IU’s overall free throw percentage of 65.7% landed them in the bottom-tenth of the country at 330th overall (out of 351). Quite simply, this percentage will need to improve heading into this season if the Hoosiers are to hit their ceiling. While there are strong teams every single year that struggle from the foul line (Michigan this past season, for instance), it is still very important to have at least a couple of high-quality shooters for late-game situations.

In terms of roster construction, though, there are not a whole lot of great foul shooting options on the team. Of the returning rotation members, there is not a single player who shot over 72% from the free throw line last season. Considering this, the Hoosiers might need a freshman to step in right away as a quality free throw shooter.

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