Texas vs Texas Tech: 5 key storylines for Chris Beard’s return to Lubbock

All aspects of the free-throw line

There may be no more important stat when it comes to deciding close basketball games than the ones that are accumulated at the free-throw line. Whether a team is attempting to close the gap on the scoreboard or ice a game away in the final seconds, the free-throw line is the source of plenty of drama. When it comes to free-throw shooting, the Red Raiders attempt a lot and miss a lot, the Longhorns do not attempt many, but they connect on the ones they do earn.

On the season the Longhorns average just under 17 free-throw attempts per game and are undefeated when attempting 13 or fewer. In their five losses, the Longhorns attempted 16 twice, 17, 19, and lost to Oklahoma despite being successful on 70 percent of their 23 attempts. The Longhorns’ 77 percent has them ranked at No.19 in the nation while their attempts have them at No.215. Point guard Marcus Carr may average 3.4 assists per game, but the fact that he averages more assists than free-throw attempts is an indication that Texas needs him to get to the line more.

The amount of attempts the Red Raiders get in a game is not a direct result of the outcome. Coach Aadam’s squad has lost the two games when they attempted the most free throws and lost the two games in which they attempted the least. The issue that the Red Raiders need to overcome is the 67 percent success rate, which becomes more important when you are ranked in the top 30 in attempts.

The defacto advantage the Longhorns have in this category is, not getting free throws is better than getting free throws and missing.  When it comes to crunch time, it will be difficult for the Longhorns to get points with the clock stopped, but their comeback effort will not be lost if the Red Raiders are unable to ice away the game due to empty possessions thanks to missed free throws.