Free Throws and Turnovers Win in March Madness, These Teams are the Best
“Just make your free throws!” How many times have you begged for a team to knock down a shot from the charity stripe in the final minutes of an NCAA Tournament game and they just can’t do it? Even though they are free, it’s never a given in March Madness.
There’s a popular saying in the sport of football, “Ball security is job security.” That also applies during March Madness. It’s simple math. If you eliminate an opponent’s possessions and value you the ball, you will have more scoring opportunities.
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I’m sure most readers have already logged their NCAA Tournament picks, but there are plenty of wagers to be won. Most of those spreads will be decided by late-game turnovers and free throws. These are the teams in the NCAA Tournament who value possession of the basketball and knock down their free throws.
Best Free Throw Shooting Teams in the NCAA Tournament
| Team | Free Throw Shooting% | NCAA Tournament Rank | NCAA Rank |
| Wisconsin | 82.8 | 1 | 1 |
| Gonzaga | 80.1 | 2 | 5 |
| Lipscomb | 79.6 | 3 | 7 |
| Oklahoma | 79.4 | 4 | 8 |
| Connecticut | 79.1 | 5 | 10 |
| Xavier | 79 | 6 | 11 |
| Duke | 78.4 | 7 | 17 |
| Arizona | 78.4 | 8 | 18 |
| Michigan State | 78.1 | 9 | 20 |
| Colorado State | 77.5 | 10 | 28 |
NCAA Tournament Teams Who Take Care of the Basketball
| Team | Off. Turnover Rate | NCAA Tournament Rank | NCAA Rank |
| Ole Miss | 12.8 | 1 | 2 |
| Alabama State | 13.1 | 2 | 4 |
| Gonzaga | 13.2 | 3 | 5 |
| Auburn | 13.4 | 4 | 6 |
| UC San Diego | 13.4 | 5 | 7 |
| Marquette | 13.5 | 6 | 8 |
| Wisconsin | 14.1 | 7 | 17 |
| Yale | 14.4 | 8 | 19 |
| Duke | 14.4 | t-8 | t-19 |
| Lipscomb | 14.4 | t-8 | t-19 |
Teams Who Create Turnovers
| Team | Turnover Rate | NCAA Tournament Rank | NCAA Rank |
| UC San Diego | 23.3 | 1 | 2 |
| UCLA | 22.8 | 2 | 7 |
| Drake | 22.1 | 3 | 10 |
| St. John’s | 21.9 | 4 | 13 |
| Iowa State | 21.8 | 5 | 14 |
| Houston | 21.7 | 6 | 16 |
| McNeese | 21.6 | 7 | 18 |
| Marquette | 21.5 | 8 | 20 |
| Grand Canyon | 20.6 | 9 | t-27 |
| VCU | 20.6 | 10 | t-27 |
Most Turnover-Prone Teams
The team at the top of this list is intriguing. Kentucky needs to turn all of those turnovers into points to secure an opening-round win.
| Team | Turnover Rate | NCAAT Rank | NCAA Rank |
| Troy | 19.9 | 67 | 334 |
| Michigan | 19.8 | 66 | 328 |
| Memphis | 19.2 | 65 | 306 |
| Georgia | 18.9 | 64 | 293 |
| Drake | 18.6 | 63 | 280 |
| Robert Morris | 18.5 | 62 | 271 |
| Grand Canyon | 18.4 | 61 | 207 |
| Norfolk State | 18.3 | 60 | 258 |
| Texas A&M | 18.2 | 59 | 250 |
| Creighton | 18.1 | 58 | 246 |
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