This marks the fifth season where men's Division I teams have played with the 3-point line at its current distance. Over that time, the share of attempts devoted to tries from beyond the arc has remained notably steady. It's as if the current line has landed on some kind of hardwired "correct" distance, and from now until forever we'll see about 37% of men's shots be 3s.
As for individual 3-point heroics in 2023-24 in particular, make room for a new name in your hoops awareness. There's a case to be made that Northwestern State's Cliff Davis is having the nation's best season of perimeter shooting. Everyone else is just playing for second.
True, the heroics recorded by Davis haven't been enough to move the needle for his team. In fact, at 2-13 the Demons are yet to defeat a D-I opponent this season.
All of which makes the season Davis is having even more remarkable. The junior is shooting 43% from outside and officially ranks second to Hofstra's Tyler Thomas in D-I, in terms of 3s made per game. Not bad for a player that started the season coming off the bench.
Indeed, Davis really shines when playing time is held constant. At 5.4 made 3s per 40 minutes, he's setting a pace few D-I men's players have been able to match with the current 3-point line.
Then again there are other varieties of 3-point excellence beyond volume. Which brings us to a certain first-year star at Kentucky...