wants<\/a> his players to take. Those include layups and dunks, catch-and-shoot threes, what he calls mastery shots \u2014 think junior center Aday Mara\u2019s baby hook shot \u2014 and finally shots at the line.<\/p>\nShots at the line, as May describes, are typically the highest points-per-possession shot. They also move the other team\u2019s players into foul trouble while bringing your own team closer to the bonus. All in all, besides perhaps an uncontested jam, a trip to the charity stripe is a possession perfectly executed in May\u2019s eyes.<\/p>\n
The third-ranked Wolverines have been getting to the line, averaging the second most attempts per game in the Big Ten at 25.6. However, they haven\u2019t been as consistent as they can be, ranking 15th in free throw percentage.<\/p>\n
While a team issue, some players are more to blame than others. Out of anybody who receives consistent minutes, Mara\u2019s 46.7% average from the line lies far near the bottom for not just Michigan but also the Big Ten as a whole. At 7-foot-3 with an offensive bag, smaller teams like McNeese and Oregon have relied on shooting fouls to limit his offensive production, to varying degrees of success. With a fundamental shooting motion, Mara\u2019s difficulties from the line are more mental than mechanical.<\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/aside>\n\u201cThe pressure free throws, live play free throws, they all look great,\u201d May said Jan. 5. \u201cIt\u2019s 100% he\u2019s overthinking it. He\u2019s got a beautiful stroke. He\u2019s going to make them. He\u2019s got to figure out a way to separate all the distracting information.\u201d<\/p>\n
Though not optimal, Mara has recently demonstrated the ability to capitalize on his free throws, going 6-for-9 against the Ducks and 5-for-7 against Ohio State. As Michigan continues to dive into conference play, Mara\u2019s ability at the line has the potential to define games. Against No. 7 Michigan State \u2014 yet another smaller team \u2014 \u2018hack-a-Shaq\u2019 strategies on Mara may be utilized into place at the tail end of matches if he continues to struggle from the stripe.<\/p>\n
Though a bit disappointing, Mara is still an abnormally tall center. Struggling percentages aren\u2019t completely expected for players like him, but they are accepted. Sophomore guard LJ Cason and junior guard Elliot Cadeau on the other hand, don\u2019t have quite the same positional luxury.<\/p>\n
Coming in, Cadeau was never adept from the line. Shooting 67% from the line last season at North Carolina and now only a touch higher at 67.9%, Cadeau\u2019s continual subpar shooting from the line has been a bit surprising considering how he\u2019s improved from three with the Wolverines. The shooting prowess is obviously there, but Cadeau simply hasn\u2019t corralled it within the arc.<\/p>\n
A successful free throw shooter his first year, Cason hit a sophomore slump. Nailing over 80% last year, Cason is now hitting just over 60%. Much the same as Cadeau, Cason has drastically improved his 3-point shot, but it hasn\u2019t translated to the line. Especially as a player who garners a large portion of his points by driving into the lane and looking for contact, this middling figure from Cason removes the option to capitalize on every tough drive downhill.<\/p>\n