Here are 12 words I never thought I'd write: Tulane forward Josh Davis has become Mr. Automatic at the foul line.

Davis, who is having an outstanding start to his junior year, sank his first four free throws against short-handed Nicholls State and five of six overall in the Green Wave's 65-48 win on Tuesday night at Devlin Fieldhouse. That effort raised his percentage to 74.6, a remarkable improvement from his previous two seasons.

Davis wasn't just a bad free throw shooter as a freshman at North Carolina State and a sophomore at Tulane after transferring. His form was foul, too. He had a hitch in his delivery and little arc, sinking 47.1 percent in his freshman year and 54.3 percent last season.

So what happened? Well, just a lot of hard work.

"Every day, after practice and before practice, I just focus," he said. "It is really just an every-day thing. Now I can just stay aggressive because that's where my points will come from."

The ball comes out of his hand smoothly and has more altitude now. If he keeps up his current pace, he will surpass his total number of made free throws from last year (75) on Dec. 22 when Tulane (7-2) plays Hofstra. He has averaged almost six, hitting 53 in nine games.



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