NCAA All-Time 3-Point Percentage Leaders: An In-Depth Look
The three-point shot has revolutionized college basketball. Like the forward pass in football, the addition of the three-point line was once considered a gimmick. It wasn't until the start of the 1986-87 season that it was nationally adopted, but an ability to shoot three-pointers has become one of the most important aspects of college basketball. This article delves into the NCAA all-time leaders in 3-point percentage, examining not only the players with the highest accuracy but also the context of their careers and the impact they had on their teams.
The Significance of the Three-Point Shot
The three-point shot is the great equalizer in college basketball. A successful attempt is worth three points, in contrast to the two points awarded for shots made inside the three-point line. The statistic was first recognized in the 1986-87 season when 3-point field goals were officially instituted by the NCAA. From the 1986-87 season through the 2007-08 season, the three-point perimeter was marked at 19 ft 9 in (6.02 m) for both men's and women's college basketball. On May 3, 2007, the NCAA men's basketball rules committee passed a measure to extend the distance of the men's three-point line back to 20 ft 9 in (6.32 m); the women's line remained at the original distance until it was moved to match the then-current men's distance effective in 2011-12. On June 5, 2019, the NCAA men's rules committee voted to extend the men's three-point line to the FIBA distance of 6.75 meters (22 ft 2 in), effective in 2019-20 in Division I and 2020-21 in lower NCAA divisions.
The Pinnacle of Accuracy: Tony Bennett
It's kind of bizarre that Tony Bennett's teams have come to be renowned for excellent defense, because he was the deadliest three-point shooter of all-time during his playing days with Green Bay. Tony Bennett of Virginia stands alone at the top with an astounding 49.7% career three-point percentage. Not only does Bennett have the highest career three-point percentage in college basketball history, but the gap between him and second place (46.9 percent) is wider than the gap between second place and 26th place (44.6 percent). While he may not have the volume of makes as others on this list (290 three-pointers made), his efficiency is unparalleled. Bennett didn't make nearly as many three-pointers as everyone else on this list, but the game was a lot different back then.
The Elite Sharpshooters: A Closer Look
Here is a look at some of the other top players in terms of 3-point percentage and volume:
Kyle Korver (Creighton): Korver is the only player in college basketball history to make at least 370 three-pointers while shooting at least 44.0 percent from long range. Unlike a number of the names on the list, Korver didn't play a metric ton of minutes. J.J. Redick logged 4,732 career minutes. Travis Bader was right behind him at 4,702. But Korver played just 3,540 minutes in his four seasons with Creighton. There's no way to know if Korver would have maintained his efficiency with tired legs, but extrapolating his per-minute numbers to 4,700 minutes results in 493 career three-pointers. In his four seasons, Creighton made the NCAA tournament in all four of his years there, winning a grand total of one game. In those five contests, he shot just 34.8 percent from three-point range.
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Steve Novak (Marquette): Novak played just 15.9 MPG as a freshman and finished his four-year career averaging 27.0 minutes per contest. It wasn't until his senior season that he averaged better than 30 MPG. But Novak made the most of what time he did have on the floor by shooting 46.1 percent from three-point range and 93.1 percent from the free-throw line. Allowing him to take an open shot was pretty much a death sentence. When it was finally Novak's time to shine, he made 46.7 percent of his 259 three-point attempts as a senior, averaging 17.5 PPG in Marquette's first season in the Big East.
Jaycee Carroll (Utah State): There probably aren't very many people who recognize his name, but Jaycee Carroll was one of the most efficient scorers of the past decade. While playing for a Utah State team that annually plays at one of the slowest paces in the country, Carroll finished his career with 2,522 points and averaged 1.47 points per field-goal attempt. According to KenPom.com (subscription required), Carroll had the highest O-rating in the country among players used on at least 24 percent of possessions during the 2007-08 season. Over the last 17 seasons, only Northern Arizona's Stephen Sir finished his collegiate career with a higher three-point percentage-and Sir scored less than half as many career points as Carroll.
Ryan Wittman (Cornell): Before Ryan Wittman arrived at Cornell in the fall of 2006, the Big Red had a losing record in nine consecutive seasons, posting an overall record of 88-154. They had not been to the NCAA tournament since 1988. That all changed in a hurry thanks to one of the best three-point shooters to grace the college courts. Wittman shot better than 41.5 percent from three-point range in each of his four seasons at Cornell. He averaged at least 15.0 PPG each year, leading the team to three NCAA tournaments and an overall record of 88-33. His senior year was Cornell's best ever. The Big Red went 29-5 and knocked off No. 5 seed Temple and No. 4 seed Wisconsin to reach the Sweet 16.
Mark Alberts (Akron): Mark Alberts finished his playing career at Akron more than two decades ago, meaning that photos of him in action are pretty much impossible to find. Alberts' spot on the list of career three-pointers made is pretty remarkable for several reasons. First and foremost, Alberts played sparingly as a freshman. According to Sports-Reference.com, Alberts only logged 308 minutes while making 52.9 percent of the 68 three-pointers he attempted. Then, after making 122 three-pointers as a sophomore while shooting 47.3 percent from distance, he suffered a preseason ankle injury that caused him to miss the entire 1990-91 season. He wasn't nearly as accurate after the hiatus but made more than 100 three-pointers in both his junior and senior years. Lastly, Alberts didn't play nearly as many games as they do today, logging just 107 games played.
Volume Shooters and Notable Mentions
While high percentage is crucial, the ability to consistently knock down threes at a high volume is also a valuable asset. Some players may not have the highest percentages but are known for their prolific three-point shooting.
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J.J. Redick (Duke): Anecdotally, J.J. Redick was the best college three-point shooter of all time. On one hand, he graduated with more career three-point field goals than any other player in history. Redick shot an impressive 40.6 percent despite having to expend so much energy running around screens all over the court just to get six inches of space to take a shot. To be fair, fatigue was pretty clearly an issue for Redick, as he seemed to run out of gas at the end of every season. In 14 career NCAA tournament games, Redick shot just 33.9 percent from downtown. He only once shot better than 50 percent in a tournament game and followed up that 5-of-7 effort in a 26-point win with a 1-of-11 outing in a four-point loss in his freshman season. In his four seasons, Duke won 116 games, earning three No. 1 seeds and a No. 3 seed. However, Redick only played beyond the Sweet 16 once.
Travis Bader (Oakland): Travis Bader didn't just break J.J. Redick's record for three-pointers in a college career, he shattered it. Bader broke the record against Milwaukee on Feb. 2 of this past season and proceeded to put a cushion of 47 three-pointers between himself and second place. Bader made more three-pointers than anyone else on the list, but he also shot at a lower percentage than any of them. In 23 of Oakland's 33 games this past season, he attempted at least 10 three-pointers.
Chris Lofton (Tennessee): Chris Lofton ranks sixth on the all-time list of made three-pointers, but he made his triples at a higher percentage than any other player in the top 20. In all four of his seasons, he led the Volunteers in points scored, finishing his career with 2,131. Though his three-point percentage declined each season (from 46.5 as a freshman to 38.4 as a senior), he averaged at least 3.0 made three-pointers per game in each season. The National Association of Basketball Coaches voted Lofton as a third-team All-American for his sophomore and junior seasons and put him on the second team for his senior year.
Stephen Curry (Davidson): Stephen Curry is the only player on the list who spent fewer than four seasons in college yet still ranks eighth all-time for made three-point field goals in a college career. At an average of 138 three-pointers per season, he would have finished his career with 552. One of the premier three-point shooters in the NBA today, Curry's numbers actually took a pretty sizable hit in his junior season after Davidson's incredible run to the Elite Eight in 2008. After Jason Richards graduated (8.1 APG in 2007-08), Curry had to become a combo guard. Curry's APG nearly doubled from 2.9 to 5.6, and he attempted substantially more two-pointers and free throws in the process of having to become less of a spot-up shooter.
Honorable Mentions
David Holston, Chicago State: Holston put up downright ridiculous numbers during his four seasons with Chicago State. He finished his career with 450 made three-pointers, 529 assists, 254 steals and 2,331 points. However, the 5'8" guard sure did have the benefit of playing a lot of fast-paced games against horrible teams. For all the three-pointers that he made, he only shot 39.2 percent from downtown.
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Curtis Staples, Virginia: Staples finished his career as the all-time leader in three-point field goals and maintained that status for eight seasons until J.J. Redick came along. He now ranks ninth on the list with 413 career triples. But Staples shot just 38.2 percent from three-point range for his career.
Jack Leasure, Coastal Carolina: Leasure is one of just five players with at least 400 career three-pointers (411) and at least a 40.5 three-point shooting percentage (40.7). The Chanticleers went 58-59 in his four seasons with the team and failed to make the NCAA tournament even once.
The Evolution of the Three-Point Line and its Impact
During Bennett's freshman season, Michigan won the national championship while attempting just 419 three-pointers as an entire team. That's an average of 11.3 three-point attempts per game. Marshall Henderson single-handedly averaged 12.6 attempts per game last year. Connecticut attempted 741 triples en route to the 2014 title-an increase of more than 75 percent from Michigan's tally in 1988-89.
The all-time leader in three-point field goals made and attempts is Antoine Davis of Detroit Mercy, who made 588 threes in 1,566 attempts. Only one player in the top 25 all-time earned his way onto this list in only three seasons: Stephen Curry of Davidson played from 2006-07 through 2008-09 but left for the National Basketball Association (NBA) after his junior season. Five players split their collegiate careers at two schools apiece, and two players split their careers among three programs. Keith Veney, who made 409 threes, first played at Lamar before transferring to Marshall; Akeem Richmond (416) started at Rhode Island before transferring to East Carolina; Andrew Rowsey (404) played two seasons apiece at UNC Asheville and Marquette; Kamdyn Curfman (463) started at VMI before spending a graduate season at Marshall; and Max Abmas (512) spent four years at Oral Roberts before one graduate season at Texas. Umoja Gibson (428), meanwhile, started at North Texas before transferring to Oklahoma and later to DePaul. Cameron Tyson (460) played for Idaho, Houston, and Seattle. The player with the highest three-point percentage for his career on this list is Fletcher Magee of Wofford at 43.5%. Among the current career leaders, seven have played in more than four seasons: Davis, Kevin Foster, Darius McGhee, Tyson, and Abmas each played in five seasons, while Jordan Bohannon, Gibson Jimerson, and Gibson each played in six. Normally, the only way for a player to play in more than four NCAA seasons is to qualify for a "medical redshirt", officially known by the NCAA as a "hardship waiver". To be eligible, a player must have participated in fewer than 30% of his team's games in that season, and cannot have participated in any games in the second half of the season.
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