Texas Tech at LSU: 2020-21 storylines for Big 12/SEC Challenge matchup

Getting versus hitting at the free-throw line

At first glance, Texas Tech has the advantage of doing what needs to be done to have a happy ending to this particular storyline. For, as LSU needs to raise their in-game free throw percentage, if box scores are to be taken into consideration Texas Tech simply needs to get there.

The reason, Texas Tech already has a pretty good success rate at the free-throw line, their struggle is in getting to the line. At 77 percent, the Red Raiders are the best free-throw shooting team in the Big 12, and their 22 attempts per game are the second-highest average in the Big 12. Stats that make their combined 20 for 26 from the free-throw line over their two losses stand out all the more.

The last two games have doubled the number of games in which the Red Raiders were unable to draw at least twenty fouls on their opponent. As your opponents accumulate fouls, it benefits the team in more ways than just in free-throw attempts, the free-throw total will be a peek into who is controlling the game.

The Fighting Tigers have a more difficult task in that their trips to the charity stripe need to bear fruit, and if they are to be successful on Saturday they need to return to their non-conference game form. As one goes through the LSU schedule, the shooting gets worse.

In non-conference play the Fightin Tigers connected on 77 percent of their free-throws, during conference play they have been shooting at 74 percent and during their two-game skid, they have shot just 66 percent. The Fightin tigers need to get to the line and in a perfect world, it would be 88 percent shooter Thomas taking those shots, which are way smarter than threes.