If there seems like one major problem that has plagued the Pitt Panthers throughout the Jamie Dixon era, it likely has been poor free-throw shooting.
On more than one occasion the Panthers inability to knock down big free throws during crunch time has cost them in a major way.
That’s not the case any longer.
One of this Pitt teams biggest strengths is being able to go to the line and knock down free throws. It hasn’t just been one guy either as the entire roster is built with very good free-throw shooters, which is something that has the potential of turning this Panthers team from a good one to a very good one.
After a very impressive 29-of-33 performance Wednesday night that directly led to a win over Western Carolina, the Panthers lead the nation in free-throw percentage at 80.2 percent.
That’s an outstanding turn around for a team that was 175th in the nation last season at 69 percent.
“It changed a couple of years ago when I started recruiting good shooters,” Dixon joked after Wednesday’s win.
Make no mistake about it, free-throw shooting won them Wednesday’s game as the Panthers stepped to the line and knocked down 12 consecutive from the stripe late in the game. Pitt teams of the past wouldn’t have done that and they likely would have been upset by the Catamounts.
James Robinson scored nine of his 11 points from the line. Jamel Artis, who led Pitt with 29 points was a perfect 8-for-8 and Michael Young, who Western Carolina was determined to not allow him to beat them from the floor, made an impact by knocking down all six of his free throws.
Robinson, a senior, has been on some bad free-throw shooting teams in the past and notices the change.
“It was good to see a bunch of guys step up the last minutes of the game and knock down clutch free throws,” said Robinson. “It won the game for us tonight and we are going to need everyone to keep knocking down free throws as we head into conference play.”
I can’t think of many people in the country right now that I would want on the line in a tight game rather than Robinson, who become an excellent free-throw shooter, knocking down 80 percent (24-of-30) of his attempts on the season. When the game is on the line Robinson comes through from the charity stripe.
But it’s not just Robinson and the guards who have been excelling from the line. The Pitt big men can knock them down as well.
Young is shooting at a .864 clip, while Artis, who used to be a liability from the line is shooting at an 85 percent rate.
The guys who come off the bench like Sheldon Jeter (.889) and Cam Johnson (.900) Dixon also has confidence in making big free throws in big situations.
“When your big men can make free throws you are going to be a pretty good team,” Dixon said. “If Sheldon (Jeter) and Ryan (Luther) make free-throws, and if Mike (Young) can make free-throws, we’re going to be a good team.”
It’s just not the making of the free throws that has been impressive, but the volume that the Panthers have been getting to the line. The Panthers are averaging 24 free-throw attempts per game, which is up from the 18.5 attempts they averaged a season ago.
On the nights where their shots aren’t falling, the simple ability to not only get to the line a bunch, but convert as well will turn a couple potential close losses into wins throughout the course of a season.
That alone should come as a relief to Dixon.
“We went into this season thinking we were going to have better free-throw shooting, and we’ve been remarkable,” said Dixon.
If Pitt can keep converting from the line at this rate, you can add free-throw shooting as just another weapon to what is already a deep and talented offensive team.
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