Virginia Basketball: Takeaways from thrilling Final Four win over Auburn

Free throw woes need to stop.

Kyle Guy might have won the game at the free throw line for Virginia but that should not forgive the earlier charity stripe struggles by the team. Prior to those three free throws with 0.6 seconds left on the clock, the Cavaliers were just 3-for-9 (33.3%) from the stripe and that cannot continue into the national title game. Converting at the free throw line is one of the many ingredients necessary to win in March and, to be honest, Virginia is lucky to have escaped this matchup considering how poorly they shot from the line.

Thankfully, though, this will likely turn out to just be an anomaly. Prior to this matchup, the Cavaliers had shot 74.4% from the line on the season and that mark ranked 50th in the nation. With almost the entire rotation shooting better than 70% from the stripe, it is reasonable to think that their struggles will not continue into their final game of the year. The team has to be incredibly thankful, though, that it was their best free throw shooter (Kyle Guy) at the line with the game…well…on the line. Of course, that is why he is the one with the ball in his hands after all.

With all of this said, though, the poor free throw shooting by the team should not be overlooked just because three of those uncontested 15-footers gave them the victory. In order for Virginia to cut down the final nets in Minneapolis, they will need to find their rhythm from the line. This is a better free throw shooting team than they showed in their Final Four contest and they will hopefully back that statement up in the title game.