Big East Basketball: Analyzing Creighton, UConn and Villanova by the numbers

Free throw rate

Villanova: Despite averaging the fewest two-point attempts in Big East play, the Wildcats attempt the fourth-most free-throws per game and they make76 percent of them. This adds up to the Wildcats making .236 free-throws for every field goal attempted. Point guard Collin Gillespie leads the team by making 36 of his 42 attempts, which becomes more impressive when one knows he has only attempted 49 two-point field goals.

Granted the break-down of “and 1’s” and fouls beyond the three-point line is not distinguished, it is impressive.  As expected, since the WIldcats allow the least amount of field goal attempts and turnover their opponents almost 19 percent of the time their discipline on defense would result in their opponents making just .165 free-throws per field goal attempts. Overall the Wildcats sit in the top 30 in the nation.

Creighton: Creighton is less successful on both ends of the floor. The Bluejays do attempt more two-pointers and more field-goals altogether, but they average three fewer free-throws than the Wildcats. On top of that, the Bluejays make just 62 percent of their free-throws and are successful on .158 per field-goal attempt.

This dependency of making shots from beyond the arc could be the reason for their back-to-back losses to Butler and Providence, the latter not included in the calculation. To exacerbate this shortcoming, the Bluejays allow .189 made free-throws per field goal attempt. In their eight Big East game, they have made more free throws than their opponents just twice.

Connecticut: The Huskies get to the free-throw line more so than any other team in the Big East but have just the seventh-best free-throw percentage. At under seventy percent, the Huskies’  .224 made free throws per field goals attempted is impressive. This is a source of points the Huskies are not capitalizing on and could facilitate victories if it were to improve.

On defense, they have been fortunate as their opponents have only connected on 64 percent of their free-throws which gives them a .164. Much like the Huskies on offense, their opponents have been leaving potential points vacant. The bottom line, however, it is the best among the teams on top of the Big East Power Rankings.

Team FT rate: UCONN beats Creighton / ‘Nova beats Creighton / Nova beats UCONN

Opp. FT rate: UCONN beats Crighton / ‘Nova beats Creighton /  UCONN beats ‘Nova