A Great Stat If You Can Get It

Jan 4, 2023; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils center Kyle Filipowski (30) shoots a free throw during the second half against North Carolina State Wolfpack at PNC Arena.The equation, though seemingly simple, is actually uncommon, bordering on rare.

Make more free throws than your opponents attempt, and a team is apt to enjoy a pronounced advantage on the scoreboard. That’s true in a game and across a season and appears to be a likely mark of team superiority.

Since the early 2000s 21 ACC squads, about one per season, enjoyed such an edge.

Between them UNC and Duke, the league’s perennial powers, gained a notable margin in free throws a dozen times in this century, on average…