N. Florida reigns at 3-point range
FAYETTEVILLE — The nation’s three-point kings invade Walton Arena tonight.
North Florida — averaging 13.1 made three-point baskets per game to lead 346 NCAA Division I teams — plays Arkansas in a 7 p.m. tipoff.
“We didn’t put it on the board before the season as something we wanted to accomplish — ‘Lead the nation in three-pointers,’ ” Ospreys Coach Matthew Driscoll said. “It’s basically evolved as our guys have kept getting better.
“Our philosophy is, ‘If you’re a really good shooting team, why not shoot them?’ We just have guys that make shots.”
North Florida (10-4) has six players who have made at least 14 three-pointers, led by 6-3 junior Trent Mackey (50 of 95), 6-9 senior Beau Beech (45 of 94), 6-1 junior Dallas Moore (31 of 75) and 6-5 junior Aaron Bodager (22 of 44).
Mackey’s three-point baskets are more than or equal to 28 teams in the latest NCAA statistical rankings.
“Mackey always has been a good three-point shooter, now he has more guys around him that shoot it well, too,” Driscoll said. “He’s really been locked in. Our whole team is locked in understanding what we’re trying to do every single night.”
Nearly half of the Ospreys’ shots — 413 of 866 — are from behind the 20-foot, 9-inch arc. They average 29.5 three-point attempts per game.
“We understand we’re going to have lulls where we may miss four or five in a row,” Driscoll said. “Everybody may go, ‘Oh good, they’re coming back to reality’ or whatever.
“But we tell our guys, ‘This is the way we play, this is who we are. If you’re open, then just keep letting it fly.’ “
North Florida hit a school-record 19 of 33 three-pointers at LSU, but the Tigers rallied from a 14-point deficit to win 119-108 behind Ben Simmons’ 43 points.
“North Florida is a tough matchup for anyone,” LSU Coach Johnny Jones said. “It was probably one of the best three-point shooting performances I’ve seen by a team.
“What you want to do is make sure that you’re patient and don’t get in a three-point shooting contest with them, because they’ll utilize your miss and get out on a break.
“Those guys run to the three-point line. They feed off of that.”
Good shooting teams have created problems for the Razorbacks, whose opponents have hit 37 percent (80 of 216) of their three-point attempts.
Akron made 13 of 28 three-pointers in an 88-80 victory over Arkansas in Walton Arena in the second game this season. Mercer hit 10 of 25 in beating the Razorbacks 69-66 in overtime Saturday night in North Little Rock.
“Our perimeter defense has really got to be on point,” Arkansas Coach Mike Anderson said. “We’ve got to make
sure we stay in their faces.”
The Razorbacks have to rotate quickly in and out of their traps, Anderson said, while continuously applying pressure.
“Sometimes for guys that really shoot the basketball it’s about rhythm,” Anderson said. “So we’ve got to get them out of their comfort zone.
“We’ve got to make them put the ball on the floor. Make them become drivers.”
The return of sophomore guard Anton Beard from a disciplinary suspension should boost the Razorbacks’ threepoint
defense. He played in his first game this season against Mercer.
“I think Anton’s going to give us some toughness and be one of our better defenders,” Anderson said. “But he’s got to get his legs back. He’s been out for a while, so it’s going to take some time.”
Akron Coach Keith Dambrot said a key for the Zips beating Arkansas was making the Razorbacks pay for pressing by taking open three-pointers in transition, but not getting caught up in the pace and forcing bad shots.
It’s a winning formula Driscoll hopes the Ospreys can duplicate.
“The way Arkansas throws multiple guys at you so many times, it always puts you on edge,” Driscoll said. “That makes things different, but we’re a senior- and junior-laden team, so that does bode well for us. The ability to make good decisions is something you’ve got to continue to coach throughout the game.”