Tobacco Road Report

By Michael

The first half of the OSU-UNC game last night was a perfect example of how college basketball lost the mid-range game.

Yours truly was shot-charting this game, to the best of my abilities since it felt like shots were flying every three or four seconds. I charted lay-ups as anything within 5 feet of the basket and anything 19’9” or greater is, of course, a three point shot. Then everything between 5’ and 19’9” qualifies as mid-range.

In the first half I charted OSU with 9 made lay-ups and 8 made three pointers, and UNC with 9 made lay-ups and 4 made three pointers. How may other made shots for each? Two: each side had one fifteen-foot elbow jump shot. So of the 32 field goals made in the first half between the two teams, 56 percent were lay-ups, 39 percent were three pointers, and a measly 6 percent were from mid-range.

The point? My point is not to bemoan the lack of mid-range skills of today’s players, though that is clearly evident. The real point is simply that college basketball is now either a dunk or a three pointer because the three point line is too close. Too many guys can make it at too great a percentage to justify anything other than a lay-up or attempted three pointer.

The solution? The three point line should be moved two feet further out to 21’9”, or something that resembles the international three point line (20‘6”). Then there would be a natural progression from high school (19’9”) to college (21’9”) to pro (23’9” except in the corners). This move would reduce the number of players able to hit the three effectively, decrease the incentive to shoot only threes, and would likely re-introduce the 13”-17” game.