Near the end of each practice, the members of the Syracuse men’s basketball team line up to attempt free throws. If the player makes the shot, the rest of his teammates applaud with a resounding clap-clap.

But a miss results in the entire team sprinting to one end of the court and back.

For most of this season, if that drill had been applied in games, the Orange would have been doing a lot of extra running.

At least until Saturday, when suddenly what had been a weakness turned into a strength. SU – a team that shot just 64 percent from the line entering Saturday’s game against the Mountaineers – shot 89 percent for the game, missing just twice, finishing 16-of-18. Syracuse hit its first 13 attempts in its 72-64 victory.

Hakim Warrick, a 62 percent free-throw shooter, sank seven of eight attempts. Terrence Roberts, who normally fires at 59 percent, went 4-for-4. Sure, SU got to the line just 18 times. But for a team that’s struggled from behind the line as mightily as the Orange, making 16 of those free throws sounds pretty good.

SU head coach Jim Boeheim maintained the Orange has done nothing different in practice. So why the sudden success?

Roberts said its just greater concentration.

Gerry McNamara – SU’s king of foul shooting who had Syracuse’s first miss Saturday – said players have begun to take foul shooting more seriously. The 82-percent foul shooter said his success is all mental.

‘We could be undefeated,’ McNamara said. ‘Guys are taking it more seriously.’

McNamara was referring to the Orange’s 74-60 loss to Oklahoma State on Dec. 7. While the final score sounds like a blowout loss, SU shot itself out of the game from behind the line. In that game, the Orange shot 32 percent and Warrick was the major culprit, shooting 5-for-13.

But since then, Syracuse has had several close calls. In a 70-61 win at Notre Dame on Jan. 10, the Orange shot 42 percent. Warrick again struggled, shooting 2-for-10.

And Warrick’s foul shooting may be most important. He gets the most touches in the post. In a one-on-one situation down low, Warrick’s virtually impossible to guard. If he can’t become a consistent free-throw shooter, Warrick could become a target for a Hack-a-Hak approach.

‘I really took my time a lot more,’ Warrick said of his performance Saturday. ‘I just allowed myself to concentrate.’

Whatever the case, the success of SU and Warrick was a small step in the right direction. A step that the Orange must continue to improve on if it hopes to go deep into March.

When SU won the National Championship in 2003, it shot a slightly improved 69 percent. But its two main threats, McNamara and Carmelo Anthony, shot at 91 and 71 percent, respectively.

Of last year’s Final Four participants, just one team shot less than 65 percent from the foul line. And that team, Connecticut, had three players who shot more than 70 percent. This season, the Orange has just one.

While SU’s free-throw shooting hasn’t cost it since the Oklahoma State game, it likely will again this season. While 89 percent can’t be expected each night, SU must do better than 64 percent, and just 59 percent in Big East play.

The Orange has the talent to carry it to the Sweet 16. But beyond that, close games against equal competition often come down to foul shooting.

‘When it comes down to it, we make them,’ Roberts said.

Come March, Syracuse better. Remember the sound the Orange want to hear.

Clap-clap.