Much has been made of Notre Dame’s low turnover numbers this season. The Irish are number three in the nation in offensive turnover percentage at 13.8%, trailing only Iowa State and Central Michigan. Rex Pflueger even went over 200 minutes without committing a turnover (he now has six on the season).

But the Irish’s free throw percentage has been arguably just as impressive. The team makes 84% of their free throws, number one in the country and significantly ahead of number two Marquette at 81.9%. The Irish boast three of the top 50 free throw shooters in the nation: Steve Vasturia (6th, 93.3%), Matt Farrell (33rd, 90.2%), and Bonzie Colson (41st, 89.6%).

The Notre Dame men’s BB team currently leads the country in FT shooting % at .841–the all-time NCAA men’s record is .822 by Harvard in 1984 — John Heisler (@NDHeisler) January 7, 2017

Having good free throw shooting is really valuable. Even though the three-pointer increasingly reigns supreme in modern basketball, a trip to the free throw line still tends to represent the most efficient outcome of a possession. Even if a player only makes a relatively mediocre 67% of their free throws, this still equates to an expected 1.33 points per possession (.67×2) every trip to the line (given two attempts). A three-point shot with a 44% chance of going in is a great percentage, but even this would only represent 1.32 points per possession (.44×3).

If a team makes 84% of its free throws, like the Irish, every trip to the line essentially represents an absurd 1.68 points per possession. Getting more free throws, therefore, seems like a good idea, but Notre Dame doesn’t get to the line very much. Per KenPom.com, the Irish get to the line at a rate which ranks 329th in the nation among 351 teams.

This is not to say that the Irish need to do something to change an offense that ranks 9th overall in efficiency. But there are times, particularly when the team gets into the bonus toward the end of competitive games, where finding ways to get to the line will be in the Irish’s best interest.

This situation presented itself in the Irish’s victory over Louisville, and Notre Dame had some success taking advantage of their stellar free throw shooting.

With 6:47 remaining in the contest Louisville committed its sixth foul of the half, meaning the Irish would receive a trip to the line upon drawing one more foul. Vasturia was fouled in the act of shooting here and made both free throws.

About a minute later, Vasturia used a jab step and then drew a non-shooting foul. With the Irish in the bonus, he sank both free throws again.

Vasturia isn’t that great of a playmaker in terms of creating for others, but he has proven to be a very effective straight-line driver to the basket. He can get by guys and tends to finish pretty well in the paint. After Matt Farrell, Vasturia is probably the second-best driver on the roster, and the Irish should run him off more “curl screens” (like in the first video) to provide him space to make these drives.

With around 4:30 to go, Farrell found Colson, who drew a foul and made both free throws. Louisville had essentially switched every pick-and-roll thus far, but rightfully didn’t feel comfortable switching 6-0 Ryan McMahon (No. 30) on to Colson. McMahon was in the game to provide a shooting boost for a Cardinals team that shot 7-27 from three. Anyway, two defenders went to Farrell, and Louisville didn’t account for Colson.

With under two minutes remaining, Farrell attacked the P&R switch with a great drive and dish to Colson, who drew a foul and made 1-2 from the line.

The Irish may attempt over 40% of their shots from three-point range (40.9%), but with a post threat in Colson and strong drivers in Farrell and Vasturia, the Irish definitely have the ability to get into the paint and draw fouls. Especially, when the team has off-shooting games, utilizing these skills will be important.

Fun Offensive Set

Although it didn’t lead to anything more than a drawn foul (which helped Irish get into the bonus), I really enjoyed one particular offensive set the Irish ran against Louisville.

Vasturia runs through a variation of “elevator doors,” an offensive set arguably most popularized by the Golden State Warriors of recent years. Geben and Colson both look to set a sort of screen on the defender as Vasturia navigates between them. Louisville’s Donovan Mitchell defends this really well and doesn’t chase Vasturia through the “doors.” If he had, Vasturia probably would have had a good look at three.

But although Vasturia isn’t open, the set isn’t over. Both Geben and Colson move over to set a double screen for the ball handler. Double screens like this can often confuse defenses, but the Cardinals again play it well. If the defense slips up, either Geben or Colson might be wide open on rolls to the basket.

I hope to see this set again in the future, and I’ll be sure to evaluate its success if/when it happens again.