ESPN Men's Basketball

What did we learn from the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament? Free throws matter, rules have consequences, parity is questionable and plenty more.

Free Throw Shooting: If one thing stuck out in the first weekend as being the difference maker, it was free-throw shooting. There were too many games that were decided by free throws as the main difference between the two teams. If Louisville hits free throws, the Cardinals are advancing to the second weekend. If Xavier hits free throws, the Musketeers are advancing to the second weekend. If Notre Dame hits free throws, the Irish are playing Oregon in the second round. If Maryland hits free throws, the Terps beat Butler. If Georgia Tech makes free throws, the Jackets probably would have beaten UNLV. If Illinois hits free throws, the Illini beat Virginia Tech and move on to play Southern Illinois.

Those are a lot of "ifs," and clearly the opposing team can trot out some "ifs" of its own, but it is equally clear that knocking down free throws was and can be the difference in winning and losing. That has been proven in the NCAA Tournament and beyond.

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