By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
The line often called charity stripe can be the difference between a win and loss. Making the most out of the opportunities for free points in the highly anticipated Basketball Champions League playoffs with Final 8 berths awaiting can go a long way for all 16 participating teams. Eurohoops attempts a look at what it took in the Regular Season for the advancing sides.
Lenovo Tenerife packs a league-leading 86.3%. The Spanish club, a BCL regular, went for 76.4% last season, 76.3% in 2018-19, 77.6% in 2017-18, and 76.7% in 2016-17. A fast view marks a large improvement in the current squad, while a closer look displays Tenerife the second-best free throw team of the 2016-17 season which played its part in landing the inaugural title. Txus Vidorreta’s side is certainly looking to return to the top and sinking free throws at this rate can prove a key for success.
The largest contribution up to this point comes from Giorgi Shermadini and his 19/20 free throws. Sasu Salin sank 11, Fran Guerra and Tyler Cavanaugh ten each.
| TEAM | FT % |
| Lenovo Tenerife | 86.3 |
| Happy Casa Brindisi | 84.3 |
| Dinamo Sassari | 78.7 |
| Hapoel Unet-Credit Holon | 77.5 |
| Tofas Bursa | 76.5 |
Happy Casa Brindisi ranks second in the percentage table but holds first place in foul shots made with 118. Below, the five progressed teams with the most successful free throws in the Regular Season.
| TEAM | FT |
| Happy Casa Brindisi | 118/140 |
| ERA Nymburk | 106/146 |
| Hapoel Unet-Credit Holon | 100/129 |
| Igokea | 97/133 |
| Dinamo Sassari | 96/122 |
Similar to the first group stage, a six-game round-robin schedule is up instead of the traditional playoffs. Action resuming in March will eventually generate the Final 8 field featuring the top two teams of each playoffs group. The format was adjusted to provide the best conditions for the 16 teams looking to further extend their run in FIBA’s premier club continental competition.
Group-by-group free throw list
Diving in the free throw theme by ranking the teams of the playoffs groups according to their efforts from 4.6 meters. It’s early for predictions regarding the Final 8 participants but pundits may argue that the free throws lists can ultimately largely correspond to the final standings planned to best set on April 7.
Group I
Happy Casa Brindisi and Hapoel Unet-Credit Holon rise over Tofas Bursa and Pinar Karsiyaka. Both Turkish teams exiting is a bold prediction but the Italian and Israeli outlets will take that bet.
| TEAM | FT | FT% |
| Happy Casa Brindisi | 118/140 | 84.3 |
| Hapoel Unet-Credit Holon | 100/129 | 77.5 |
| Tofas Bursa | 78/102 | 76.5 |
| Pinar Karsiyaka | 70/94 | 74.5 |
Group J
Lenovo Tenerife and Hereda San Pablo Burgos are considered favorites and also top VEF Riga and Igokea in the free throw percentage so far. Free throws made bumps Igokea on top. The Bosnian side will need to up its game overall in order to sneak in the final stage of the 2020-21 campaign.
| TEAM | FT | FT% |
| Lenovo Tenerife | 82/95 | 86.3 |
| Hereda San Pablo Burgos | 77/103 | 74.8 |
| VEF Riga | 74/101 | 73.3 |
| Igokea | 97/133 | 72.9 |
Group K
On paper, AEK and Turk Telekom look stronger than SIG Strasbourg and Nizhny Novgorod. Foul shots in the Regular Season illustrate the same exact picture.
| TEAM | FT | FT% |
| AEK | 94/129 | 72.9 |
| Turk Telekom | 83/118 | 70.3 |
| SIG Strasbourg | 59/92 | 64.1 |
| Nizhny Novgorod | 42/66 | 63.6 |
Group L
Dinamo Sassari and Brose Bamberg lead in free throw percentage, while ERA Nymburk replaces the German club as focus shifts to the free shots sank. Despite missing out on both views, Casademont Zaragoza undoubtedly will make a strong case to qualify.
| TEAM | FT | FT% |
| Dinamo Sassari | 96/122 | 78.7 |
| Brose Bamberg | 76/101 | 75.2 |
| ERA Nymburk | 106/146 | 72.6 |
| Casademont Zaragoza | 81/122 | 66.4 |
Photo Credit: Basketball Champions League