Missed free throws? Keep practicing

MADISON – Greg Gard doesn’t need to be reminded that the two players who take the bulk of Wisconsin’s free throws have struggled to hit a high percentage of their attempts.

“Two guys that get there the most have a hard time being consistent,” Gard said after UW’s victory over Maryland on Sunday, referring to senior Nigel Hayes and redshirt sophomore Ethan Happ. “They know it. I don’t need to browbeat them about it. They work on it.

“They spend more time than anybody else at it.

“It’s not like it is a secret. I can’t yell them into doing it better.”

UW, which dropped five spots Monday to No. 15 in the coaches top 25 poll, entered the week 13th in the Big Ten in free-throw shooting in league play at 65.2%.

Purdue leads the Big Ten at 80.9% and Rutgers is last at 54.6%.

The struggles of Happ and Hayes have combined to bring UW’s overall number down.

Happ is at 52.4% in league play (44 of 84) and Hayes is at 63.6% (56 of 88). They have combined to take 172 of UW’s 290 attempts in league play. The rest of the team has made 89 of 118 attempts (75.4%).

Hayes opened Big Ten play by hitting 10 of 10 attempts in a victory over Rutgers.

He made just 15 of 32 attempts (46.9%) over the next six games but has been on the rise over the last seven games by hitting 31 of 46 attempts (67.4%).

Happ has been hovering near the 50% for most of the season. However, since missing all three attempts at Illinois, Happ has made 17 of his last 30 attempts (56.7%).

“We work on some technique things, try to be consistent with your delivery,” Gard explained. “Sometimes in the heat of the moment you forget about that element. Heart is pounding – 17,000 are screaming.

“I don’t want to try to make it a bigger deal than it needs to be. They’ll keep working at it. They’re committed to trying to get better.”

Gard hasn’t lost his sense of humor on the topic.

After UW made 21 of 37 attempts in the victory over Maryland, including a combined 15 of 25 by Hayes and Happ, Gard was asked if he was worried.

“Do I lose sleep?” he asked. “No. They practice them. We practice them. They know it.

"Pretty soon we’re going to end up like the locker room from (the movie) Major League. We’ll have the candles and the oils and garlic around our neck.

“Hey, just step to the line and make our free throws.”