The best behind the arc

The college 3-point shot is now 25 years old, and in the past quarter century, the arc has changed and impacted almost every aspect of the college game. Initially resisted by many, the line has had an enormous influence on the game and the way it's played.

The 3-pointer is an asymmetrical threat, and it opened up the game much like the forward pass opened up football. Because of the asymmetrical threat, defenses have to extend, which opens up driving lanes and leaves the post unprotected. It has made the end of games more exciting and leads much harder to hold. And it has provided David with a real weapon against Goliath, instead of that little slingshot that is one in a million.

There have been some great shooters in college basketball during that time period, including Michigan's Glen Rice, Creighton's Kyle Korver, Arizona's Salim Stoudamire, UCLA's Reggie Miller, Marshall's Keith Veney, Tennessee's Allan Houston, UConn's Ray Allen, Davidson's Stephen Curry, Virginia's Curtis Staples, NC State's Rodney Monroe, Wisconsin Green Bay's Tony Bennett (current coach at Virginia) and UCLA's Jason Kapono.

To read about the best 3-point shooters in college basketball history, as well as the best today, sign up for ESPN Insider.

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Jay Bilas

College Basketball analyst

• Archive

• College basketball analyst for ESPN and ESPN Insider
• Played and coached at Duke
• Practicing attorney