While it may not rain at Autzen Stadium, the same can’t be said about Matthew Knight Arena this season.
After struggling from behind the arc in nonconference play, Oregon has become one of most formidable 3-point-shooting teams in the Pac-12.
Over their 15 games in conference play this season, the Ducks are shooting 43.5 percent from deep. Threes have also accounted for more than 40 percent of their points during that stretch. Both marks are top in the conference, according to kenpom.com.
But Oregon wasn’t always the dead-eye, 3-ball heavy team it is now. During the 13 games in the nonconference portion of their schedule, the Ducks shot an abysmal 27.9 percent from three, including three games in which they shot less than 24 percent.
So what brought about this drastic change?
According to head coach Dana Altman, it’s his team’s shot selection.
“We took a lot of bad 3s in nonconference,” Altman said. “I couldn’t get our guys to understand the difference between a good one and a bad one. I’m trying to promote confidence, so I didn’t want to go nuts every time I thought they took a bad one. But I just think we’re taking better threes.”
Guard Dylan Ennis’s early season was emblematic of Oregon’s. He struggled mightily from three in nonconference, averaging only 28.5 percent from deep. But he’s found his stroke in Pac-12 play and is currently shooting 48.4 percent from distance, the third best mark in the conference.
He said that the difference is simply that now he’s “getting the right shots.”
“I think I’m taking the right shots now and I’ve finally got my rhythm back,” Ennis said.
What’s interesting about the Ducks’ jump in percentage is that they’ve actually attempted more 3s per game in conference play (25.1) than they did in nonconference (20.8). While fewer shot attempts don’t always correlate to a higher percentage, it is somewhat surprising that an increase in attempts has resulted in a 15-percent spike in makes.
But the issue wasn’t the amount of shots; it was the quality.
“We’ve always had confidence in the way that we can shoot the basketball, it’s just a matter of finding the right shots and taking the right shots,” guard Casey Benson said. “You know, getting into a rhythm. I think we’ve all kind of found our rhythm, found our stride and everybody is looking for each other.”
Benson — regularly known as a pass-first point guard — has been at the forefront of Oregon’s 3-point movement. His 55.6 percent from three in Pac-12 play is the top mark in the conference. Altman credits Benson’s success to — you guessed it — improved shot selection.
“[He’s] taking really good shots and stepping into them,” Altman said. “Fundamentally, he’s been sound.”
Benson isn’t the only sharpshooter on this balanced Oregon team. Other than Ennis, who boasts the third best percentage in the Pac-12, Dillon Brooks ranks sixth in the conference in 3-point percentage.
The overall increase in percentage and shot attempts is somewhat of an anomaly. The Ducks ball movement has improved some — they jumped from 16 to 18 assists per game from nonconference to conference — but not a ton.
It seems that Altman’s team is doing what Altman’s teams do: play their best basketball in the latter half of the season.
Oregon won’t be shooting lights-out every game. But as they head into the home stretch of their conference schedule, and with tournament play looming, the Ducks look as dangerous as any team in the country.
Follow Gus Morris on Twitter @JustGusMorris
Oregon’s 3-point shooting has played a huge role in conference success
Gus Morris
February 22, 2017
While it may not rain at Autzen Stadium, the same can’t be said about Matthew Knight Arena this season. After struggling from behind the arc in nonconference play, Oregon has become one of most formidable 3-point-shooting teams in the Pac-12. Over their 15 games in conference play this season, the …
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