Column: Fine at the line

Every sport has a moment that puts an athlete on his own island.

A putt for birdie, the field goal to tie it and that crucial 3-2 pitch to record the save.

In basketball, it’s the foul shot — a 15-foot gift that gave IU 35 points Thursday in a 84-71 victory against Illinois.

I’m hesitant to write a column on the Ben Stein of college basketball plays, but consistency at the charity stripe has been one of the keys to IU victories all season.

Thursday was no exception.

Entering IU’s contest against Illinois, the Hoosiers had made 430-of-579 foul shots this season, both of which are the highest totals in the Big Ten. Their 74.3 foul shot percentage ranks as second in the conference to only Nebraska, who has attempted 211 less shots from the line.

IU’s 35-of-42 attempts from the foul line against Illinois communicate three things: The Hoosiers played aggressively, the student section had several chances to narrate the final steps of a fouled-out opponent and IU was probably playing at home.
“Left! Right! Left! Right! Left! Right!”

It was repeated for three different Illini players, as llinois Coach Bruce Weber’s squad racked up 30 personal fouls to IU’s 16. This translated to the Hoosiers attempting 27 more free throws than the Fighting Illini, whose defense was limited in the second half due to numerous players in foul trouble.

The Hoosiers were able to take advantage of Illinois’ defensive restrictions in the second half. IU Coach Tom Crean’s squad limited the Illini to 35 points in the second half compared to 36 in the first, but the difference was made in points scored. While the defense gave up nearly the same amount of points, the Hoosiers outscored Illinois by 11 in the final 20 minutes.

In IU’s last loss, at Michigan, the Hoosiers converted  nine of just 13 attempts from the charity stripe. In their loss before that, at Wisconsin, it was a similar story with IU shooting 5-of-10 from the free-throw line.

However, in the Hoosiers’ last two victories, the difference has been clear. Prior to Thursday’s free-throw shooting clinic, IU went 29-of-35 from the line at Purdue.

That makes a combined 14-of-23 in the last two defeats and 64-of-77 in the past two victories.

But it’s not just the ability to make it to the line with inside play from sophomore guard Victor Oladipo and freshman forward Cody Zeller, who took 12 and 14 foul shots, respectively. It’s the ability to convert once on the island.

On Thursday, an Indiana player did not miss more than two free-throw shots. Zeller’s 12 made foul shots accounted for more than half of his scoring total and equaled the amount of free throws Illinois made.

It may not be sexy, but the foul shot has quietly helped the Hoosiers tremendously in their victories this season.

The Hoosiers don’t mind being on their own island with just the line, ball and backdrop of fans.

That’s where they win.

­— azaleon@indiana.edu