If you tune in to catch 2-seed Tennessee's matchup against 15-seed Wofford in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, be sure not to adjust your television set. His name is Kyler Filewich, he plays center for the Terriers, and yes, he really does shoot his free throws granny-style.
Wofford’s Kyler Filewich with the underhand free throw shots!! pic.twitter.com/2jRvGn33u4
— Mid-Major Basketball (@midmajorball) March 11, 2025
Filewich debuted the old-school stroke midway through this season, and became a viral sensation during Wofford's run to the SoCon Tournament title earlier this month. Now he has the chance to bring granny-style to the Big Dance, in hopes that it'll help the Terriers pull off a monumental upset — and maybe earn some converts along the way.
Here's everything to know about one of the strangest stories of March Madness.
Who is Kyler Filewich? Why the Wofford center shoots granny-style free throws
The fifth-year senior has blossomed into a force in the frontcourt for Wofford this season, averaging 11.9 points and 9.4 rebounds per game for a Terriers team that shocked the SoCon with a miracle run to the conference tourney title and an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. But that run may never have been possible were it not for a very humbling conversation Filewich had with his coaches earlier in the year, and a willingness to do what most players aren't for the good of his game and his team.
“There’s been a lot of media attention, but that’s definitely not why I did it,” Filewich told The Athletic. “I was struggling so bad, and I made a change to help our team. I’m just doing whatever it takes to win.”
Struggling is right. Filewich had established himself as one of the conference's better big men, but his free throws had become an Achilles heel: At the end of January, he was shooting just 30.4 percent from the stripe. After missing all eight of his attempts in a loss to VMI on Jan. 29, Wofford coach Dwight Perry suggested a very big change.
“In any sport, even great players have those mental blocks,” Perry said. “Sometimes there’s a psychological aspect to it that you can’t quite figure out. At the end of the day, Kyler is a really good player. … But him missing free throws was really impacting his overall confidence.”
At first, Filewich was skeptical of the idea, as any college kid might have been. But Perry's staff sweetened the deal: What if he could learn the tricks of the granny-style shot from the godfather himself, Basketball Hall of Famer Rick Barry?
Barry rode his granny-style shot to an 89-percent mark from the line in 10 NBA seasons, which stood as a league record until it was eventually surpassed by Steph Curry. You could hardly ask for a better teacher.
“This is scientifically proven to be the best method!" Barry said. "It’s such a soft shot. When they called, my first question was, is (Kyler) serious? Because I’m not going to waste my time.”
It turned out, Filewich was, and it took him less than a week to pick up the form and institute the changes in a game. While improvement has been hard to come by, he's making some strides, and he's delivered in biggest moments already this month.
Kyler Filewich free-throw percentage: Granny-style shot still needs some work
Again, Filewich still isn't a great free-throw shooter. Since making the switch on Feb. 5, he’s gone 18-of-51, just 35.3 percent. But that's still an improvement over where he was, and he hit three of seven attempts in the SoCon Tournament final against Furman — including a pair of makes with his team up by three with just over five minutes to play.
“I’m not afraid to go shoot free throws now," Filewich said. "And even when I’m not making them, not being afraid helps me score around the basket.”
He and the Terriers are going to need that confidence as they go up against a Tennessee squad that boasts once of the fiercest defenses in all of college basketball.