Free Throws and Turnovers Win in March Madness, These Teams are the Best

Bracketology: ESPN predicts 68-team field for March Madness on Selection Sunday Eve — Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

“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

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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