Virginia’s inability to get to the free throw line shocked veteran broadcaster Dan Bonner

By Jerry Ratcliffe

There is a valid reason why Tony Bennett has challenged his basketball team to be more aggressive offensively and to attack the basket.

Free throws.

Virginia ranks No. 3 nationally in free throw percentage at 80.30. Problem is that the Cavaliers rank No. 318 (out of 340 Division I teams) in free throw attempts with a mere 255.

We’ve had our eye on that statistic for quite some time this season and so has Dan Bonner, the 40-year veteran TV basketball analyst who resides in Staunton, who has worked for Raycom, ESPN, CBS and the ACC Network.

“I think Tony Bennett is 100 percent accurate,” Bonner said during a recent appearance on the “Jerry Ratcliffe Show” (WINA Radio and ESPN-Charlottesville). Bonner was referencing Bennett’s appeal to his team to play with a tougher mental and physical capacity.

“The last time Tony made up a word, it was ‘finessey,” Bonner said of Bennett’s criticism of his team after a loss at Virginia Tech. “This time he didn’t beat around the bush.”

Bennett’s latest challenge to the Cavaliers came after their only home loss of the season to NC State last week.

Bonner has been keeping his own statistical analysis of teams for about the last 15 years and when he covered UVA’s first game against NC State (a win several weeks ago in Raleigh), the veteran sportscaster came upon a number that shocked him.

His analysis is broken down about where teams score and helps him figure out how a team is performing. He examines how many points a team is getting from beyond the arc, inside the arc and from the free throw line. The latter of those three is what raised Bonner’s eyebrows.

“At the time (Feb. 3), I had never seen a number like I saw with Virginia, and the number of points they were scoring in ACC play from the free throw line,” Bonner said. “It was 8 percent. They made 20 free throws against NC State, so that’s obviously changed, but I had never seen a number like 8 percent.

“That tells me Virginia is not getting to the free throw line and if you’re not getting to the free throw line, it’s because you don’t attack the basket.”

Precisely Bennett’s point to his team.

“To put that in perspective, an average team gets 18 or 19 percent of their scoring from the free throw line, and teams that get up over 20 percent are teams that really look to drive the basketball,” Bonner said. “I’ve never seen a number like 8 percent, ever.”

Doing our own update math, Virginia is getting 13.6 percent of its points from the free throw line (that includes all games, not just ACC), which is still well below what average teams post.

“Is that a question of toughness or guys that just stand around outside the 3-point line? I don’t know the answer to that question,” Bonner said. “Teams have figured out that they don’t need to worry about Sam Hauser posting up on the inside. He may be 6-9, but if he’s going to be out around the 3-point line all the time, we can guard him with a 6-foot guy like Georgia Tech did with Jose Alvardo.

“Jay Huff can score inside but I’ve watched him a couple of times on tape and a much smaller guy is able to push him away from the basket. He’s just not a powerhouse guy on the inside. He’s very skilled but he’s not a power guy. If your team is relying completely on finesse, you’re going to have problems from time to time and that’s what Virginia is experiencing.”

Bonner said that yes, opponents have figured out how to defend Virginia but believes Bennett and his staff are very good at figuring out answers to problems.

It will be interesting to see what happens at Louisville on Saturday in the regular season finale.