Free throw shooting has been a major disappointment through 14 games of the 2023-24 season as the Gators are shooting 65.1% as a team, which ranks 328th in college basketball and is well under the Division 1 average of 71%.
Oddly enough, poor free throw shooting had not cost the Gators a game this season until their 87-85 loss to Kentucky on Saturday afternoon. In Florida’s three losses prior, the Gators posted numbers of 73.3%, 77.8%, and 78.9% from the charity stripe, out shooting two of the three teams from the line in those contests.
This was not the case against the Wildcats as Florida shot just 62.1% from the free throw line, leaving 11 points at the charity stripe in a two-point loss to Kentucky.
Sophomore center Micah Handlogten has struggled from the line this season, connecting on just 3-12 attempts (25%). The 7’1 center was a 54.3% free throw shooter is his one year at Marshall.
“It’s a massive thing after every practice I’m shooting, at least 200, bare minimum, I’m trying to make like 80 percent of them out of 50 and if I don’t do it, I re-start, until I get it,” Handlogten said on how he is working to improve his free throw shooting. “I’m doing the same thing before practice, too, and so a lot of it has to do with repetitions and if I can get as many of those up, like, going 0 for 6 on my last six free throws is unacceptable and I’m aware of that and it’s something I’m going to improve on.”
Handlogten claims most of his struggles from the charity stripe are mental.
“I get in my own head a lot so I think that just being in my head, just trying to just slow myself down and shoot the ball,” Handlogten said.
The Gators are one of the best teams in the country at getting to the free throw line, ranking 33rd in college basketball in FTA/FGA. Even with the team struggles from the line, Florida scores 19.6% of the points from the charity stripe, which ranks 158th in college basketball.
“Yeah I mean we pride ourselves in being the most physical team out there, as far as the bigs go, we think that, if we can beat them down low, it’s just going to give us like a chance to get it out to open shooters, stuff like that, so it’s just how we want to play, inside out, that’s what we’re trying to do,” Handlogten said on the team’s priority to get to the line.
The Florida Gators will look to correct their struggles from the free throw line on the road at Ole Miss (13-1) Wednesday at 9:00 PM EST.