Free Throw Shooting: The Ultimate Downfall Of The Siena Saints?

The Siena Saints, tabbed as the team to beat in the MAAC Preseason Coaches Poll, have struggled to open the season with a last place finish at the Old Spice Classic in Orlando, Florida.  Prior to this season the Saints were poised to crash the Big Dance this upcoming March, but with inconsistent play early in the season it looks like the road to get there could be difficult.

Don't get me wrong this team is by far the most talented in its conference and will most likely punch a ticket to the NCAA Tournament, but unless Siena sharpens up on the offensive side of the ball it could be a long and bumpy ride to get there.

Before the season began there was a lot of chatter up in Albany regarding the Saints upcoming year and how special of a team they might have.  Much of that talk was generated by coach Fran McCaffery and his players after they upset Vanderbilt in the first round of the NCAA Tournament last season.

During an interview with ESPN's Andy Katz in September, McCaffery exclaimed his Saints were amongst the best in the nation.  "I consider ourselves, while we're in a mid-major conference, I think we're one of the top teams in the country right now."

Senior guard and MAAC Preseason Player of the Year Kenny Hasbrouck stated, "I think we should win a MAAC championship and get back to the second round at least, but I'm not supposed to think about that during the season."

Their confidence was reaffirmed as Hasbrouck, Alex Franklin, and Edwin Ubiles were all named to the Preseason All-MAAC First Team and Sports Illustrated ranked Siena 29th in their preseason poll.

While they had reason to be confident going into the season, playing poorly in a tournament with a chock full of top programs does not resonate their beliefs.  Not only did Siena struggle throughout the entirety of the that tournament, but they have opened up conference play with two sub-par games against Loyola and Marist.

The reason for their poor play has been their offense, which was supposed to be their strength.  Mainly, they have struggled with knocking down points from the charity stripe.  Thus far this season the Saints are shooting an abysmal 59% from the foul line, which is the aspect of their game that needs the most work. 

Hasbrouck is the only starter who is at 70 percent from the line, while the rest of the team is shooting between fifty and sixty percent.  Siena might be able to get away with that against the bottom feeders in the conference such as Marist, but not against other teams at the top of the conference like Fairfield and Niagra.

McCaffery and his players do not seem to be talking that much now that they have been humbled by Tennessee, Witchita State, and Oklahoma State in Orlando.  With upcoming non-conference games scheduled against Pitt, Kansas, and St. Joseph's the Saints need to redeem themselves and show that they belong in the chatter amongst the top programs in the country.

The rest of the MAAC must be gaining confidence as Siena has shown how vulnerable they can be this early in the season.  With the conference slate just starting to heat up, we will see if the Saints can fix their problems and dominate the conference just like they thought they would.

To succeed like they are expected, Hasbrouck, Franklin, Ubiles, and Ronald Moore need to step up and play like they are capable of.  And, yes that includes hitting their free throws.