Does Arkansas basketball have enough 3-point shooting? How Hogs compare to recent Final 4 teams

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Arkansas basketball had one fatal flaw in the Eric Musselman era.

For all of the Razorbacks’ accomplishments in five seasons with Musselman at the helm — including two trips to the Elite Eight — Arkansas never found a groove from long range. The Hogs were one of the worst 3-point shooting teams in the country over Musselman’s final three seasons, and they never ranked higher than 172 nationally in the very important statistic.

An overhauled roster and a new head coach will try to get the offense back on track this winter. John Calipari finalized his roster last week with the return of Trevon Brazile, giving Arkansas nine scholarship players. Brazile is the only returnee, joining five transfers and three incoming freshmen.

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But will the Razorbacks have enough shooting to keep pace with schools that have Final Four aspirations? Here’s a look at what recent history tells us about the teams that make it all the way to college basketball’s biggest stage, and how Arkansas basketball compares entering the season.

Three-point shooting and the Final Four

Over the past five NCAA Tournaments, no team has shot worse than 34.5% from three in a season and reached the Final Four. Only two teams have dipped below the 35%-threshold, with NC State and San Diego State representing the two outliers in the last two tournaments.

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The last 20 teams to reach the Final Four averaged a 36.9% clip from three. Of the five national champions during that time frame, 2024 UConn (35.8%) had the worst 3-point shooting mark, while 2021 Baylor (41.3%) led the pack.

But percentage is only one piece of the puzzle, with sheer volume representing another important factor. Excluding the 2020-21 season when games were still being canceled due to the…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/does-arkansas-basketball-enough-3-090808383.html

Author : Ft. Smith Southwest Times Record

Publish date : 2024-06-12 09:08:08

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