Make Your FTs to beat FSU
March 26th, 2021 at 11:57 AM ^
Score more points?
That plan is just crazy enough that it might work :)
March 26th, 2021 at 12:00 PM ^
Once again, a Clemson connection is involved.
Yes, when the conspiracy-minded start to see these connections everywhere, what on earth are we to think!
March 26th, 2021 at 12:00 PM ^
The more preview content I digest, the more confident I feel. Our defense is a good matchup vs their offense. Seems like if the team can get over the mental edge of knowing their shot could get sent to the crowd because of the trees, we can win this game. Lots of people betting FSU +3, but I'm not buying it. Onto the Elite 8!
March 26th, 2021 at 12:24 PM ^
Well at least now I know who to blame if we lose
Happy to come back here and say good analysis instead of damning you to hell!
It’s very strange line movement. Obviously, the spread moving from 3 to 2 in some books would indicate money increasing on FSU but, according to Westgate, as of this morning, 59% of the tickets and 64% of the money is on M.
March 26th, 2021 at 12:03 PM ^
Seems like the more apt point is to attack the basket and get to the FT line
Very productive way to shoot the three. Gain points and put their players in the bench.
That and get their key players in foul trouble and limit their minutes.
March 26th, 2021 at 12:14 PM ^
Seems okay... Smith, Wagner, and Johns are foul magnets with their driving ability. And everyone on the team is plenty capable of hitting free throws at a high clip.
March 26th, 2021 at 12:18 PM ^
Every time Johns receives a pass in the post I expect a foul.
March 26th, 2021 at 12:15 PM ^
My god those are a lot of free throws in each of those games. Michigan has averaged 17 FTs a game this year. In their two tourney games, they've gotten 26 free throws against TSU and then 25 against LSU
I understand FSU fouls a lot of Michigan has been relatively decent with FTs this year, but at the same time I don't want this to be a game where teams are getting to the stripe 27+ times each.
March 26th, 2021 at 12:20 PM ^
Nothing is uglier than a ref-fest
March 26th, 2021 at 12:22 PM ^
Maybe FSU gets some of those "you're a big person and he's small" phantom fouls that Hunter and Austin were eating vs Texas Southern. If you're bigger, refs have shown they'll throw out random fouls just because things look bad
March 26th, 2021 at 12:24 PM ^
The Notre Dame game was shocking. They shot 34 free throws.
March 26th, 2021 at 12:21 PM ^
Seems like the take away is to get to the FT line. We shoot FTs well enough that if we're at the line 25+ times, we should be making most of those. Maybe the key is lots of Hunter and then Johns and Franz drawing lots of fouls
March 26th, 2021 at 12:27 PM ^
But what can I do?
March 26th, 2021 at 12:30 PM ^
Making free throws is always key. And having a large enough volume of attempted free throws, and then making them at a high percentage, is even more key.
Also, Florida State won two games this season where the opponent made 19+ free throws.
IU 21-28
Clemson 22-26
Also, also, there was a game they won against Wake Forest where the Demon Deacons shot 18-25 from the FT line and the margin of victory was not 1 point...
I'm just not sure that you absolutely MUST make 19+ FTs to beat Florida State.
Yes. Also, all of those games were 5-12 point losses. 7 of those made GaTech FTs were in the last 1:02 of the game. Correlation does not equal causation, OP.
I will say I think a big key to Michigan winning the game is by having a lead of 6+ points with a minute to go so FSU has to foul.
March 26th, 2021 at 12:40 PM ^
The last few weeks of watching more high-leverage/rivalry games, I've found myself getting more and more triggered by 1-and-1's when we take them. Although it's obviously not ALWAYS the case, it feels like we are preordained to miss the front end of them at potential inflection points of us making a comeback or closing out a game and I find myself screaming internally to ban the 1-and-1 because they're stupid and pointless.
But then last week I was watching *that* Kansas game, and their guy missing the front end of a 1-and-1 made it possible for Trey to tie the game with The Shot.
Throw strikes strikes and miss bats. Shit's easy.
Score the points. Win the game.
No...Just hit the front end of the 1 & 1's. Seems simple but these are huge.