With a light night on tap Thursday night, and no major surprises in the game results, we have a moment to think about something that did happen on the evening. The three-point shot has become a big part of the game, and not just in college, and there’s a change with that this season. What will it mean?
If the early going is anything, not much. But that shouldn’t be surprising.
The increasing emphasis on analytics has furthered the idea that the three-point shot should be an essential part of the game for teams, though perhaps more so for some than others. Now, long two-point shots are frowned upon more than ever, viewed as bad shots because of their low percentage and lower reward. It’s been talked about with certain players and their development at the professional level, perhaps none more notable than Jayson Tatum, who has been urged to take more three-pointers and fewer long two-point shots.
The college three-point line used to be the same as high school at 19 feet nine inches. It had moved back before this season’s jump to the international distance, and while recent articles have tracked percentages and concluded, rightly, that this probably won’t change much in terms of how the game is played, we can expect a minor change at first.
Early numbers are probably not easy to find, but all we have to do is look at how a number of early games have either been decided on or sealed by a three-point shot or two. Tyrese Maxey sealed Kentucky’s opening night win with a three as the shot clock was running down. One night later, Illinois State was clearly not bothered by the longer shot in the second half as they went 9-13 from deep to come back and beat Belmont. Last night, Winthrop pulled away from host Hartford 67-57 with a couple of later three-pointers helping them pull away from being up by three, and UAB edged Troy 76-75 as Mahktar Gueye hit a three-pointer in the final seconds to pull out a road win.
For good measure, Drake tied a school record with 17 three-pointers in their 86-55 romp over Kennesaw State. They took 29 shots from deep, almost half their shots for the entire game, but given the clip at which they hit them, can you blame the Bulldogs?
The three-point shot isn’t going to go away despite the longer distance. Percentages may go down, but not that of how often the shot is taken. It’s become too big a part of the game and is still a great equalizer for teams that aren’t as long and athletic but have the skill to pass, cut and move without the ball to get shots. Early games have reinforced this.
In the end, the game is still fun to watch and little will change in terms of how it is played.
Side Dishes
UConn suspended freshman guard James Bouknight for three games as a result of allegations stemming from a car crash in September. Bouknight crashed a car near the school’s campus on September 27, then left the scene but turned himself in later. He is expected to be an impact player for the Huskies once he begins playing, so long as he can keep his life together off the court.
Count Jim Boeheim as one person who is not a fan of the ACC opening games. Syracuse is known for not leaving the state of New York often during non-conference and also playing an overall light schedule, which has changed from being in the ACC with the ACC/Big Ten Challenge and still playing old rivals like Georgetown. But hosting defending national champion Virginia on opening night? “You never want to play these league games early,” said the long-time Syracuse mentor, noting that his comments would be perceived differently if they had won. “It’s stupid. It’s a money grab. They scheduled games for TV, for the TV contracts so you’ve got to play games early. And then somebody had the brilliant idea of open up the first game with a league game. I just don’t think it’s good. I don’t think it’s smart. You want to build up to the league. The league’s the most important thing, so why would you play the first game of the year in the league? Makes no sense to me.” According to CBS Sports, this is not likely to happen again, largely because the ACC Network launches only one time and that was a few months ago.
Tonight’s Menu
It’s a busy night of action as we head into the first weekend of the season, with some in-season events coming into play.
- In the Sunshine Slam in Kissimmee, Florida, Oakland takes on Delaware (5 p.m.), then UTSA takes on Southern Illinois (7:30 p.m.)
- The Veterans Classic in Annapolis has Auburn taking on Davidson (6 p.m.) and East Carolina taking on Navy (8:30 p.m.)
- A couple of in-state matchups feature Eastern Kentucky visiting Kentucky and UNCW hosting North Carolina (7 p.m.)
- Xavier hosts Siena and St. Bonaventure hosts Vermont in a couple of good matchups to watch early in the evening (7 p.m.)
- A trio of SEC teams get a challenge as MAC contender Bowling Green comes to LSU, Southland contender Sam Houston State visits Mississippi State and Horizon League stalwart Northern Kentucky visits Missouri (8 p.m.)
- Kansas also gets another early test as Southern Conference contender UNCG comes to Lawrence (9 p.m.)
- Utah State also gets a test as Big Sky contender Weber State comes to town, while Illinois goes on the road to take on Grand Canyon (9 p.m.)
- In Anchorage, Alaska, Washington takes on Baylor in the Armed Forces Classic (9:30 p.m.)
- The Outrigger Hotels Rainbow Classic has a late doubleheader in Honolulu with South Dakota and Pacific (10:30 p.m.) followed by Florida A&M and Hawaii (1 a.m.) battling.
- In Shanghai, Pac-12 rivals meet as Arizona State takes on Colorado (10:30 p.m.)
