Twenty-five years ago, the idea was unthinkable. Completely blasphemous. Too wild.
Referred to as “threes,” “treys,” “trifectas” and the vaguely inappropriate “bonus bomb,” the NCAA adopted the 3-point field goal in 1986, and the game changed. Suddenly, a team lacking top-notch players with size and strength could ride the 3-pointer to a title.
The 1986-87 Indiana team, led by sharp-shooting Steve Alford, holds the NCAA record for best 3-point shooting percentage. The Hoosiers that year shot 50.8 percent from beyond the arc. And, of course, it was a long shot by Keith Smart at the buzzer that gave Indiana a 74-73 win over Syracuse in the national championship game.
Air Force, ranked No. 14, is in the top echelon of Division I with a 3-point shooting percentage of 41.5. Earlier this week, the Falcons were fifth in the country in 3-point shooting, trailing Bradley, Northern Arizona, Florida and Texas Tech.
Air Force has converted a 3-point field goal in 443 consecutive games. It was in 1991 when the Falcons last played a game without a 3-pointer made, oddly, against Division II Adams State.
But as Air Force discovered this week, the 3-pointer can harm as well as help. In a 60-50 loss to UNLV, Air Force went relatively cold, making 11-of-39 3-pointers.
And while Air Force’s 3-point streak lives on, UNLV holds the longest mark. The Rebels have never played a game without at least one 3-pointer. That’s 660 consecutive games played with at least one “bonus bomb” dating to 1986 – although in a game against Air Force in January, UNLV barely kept the streak alive, shooting 1-for-18 and making its 3-pointer with 1:55 remaining.
With conference tournaments starting in the next two weeks and the NCAA Tournament in mid-March, prepare for the 3-pointer to make news.
Check out Air Force at noon Saturday at TCU on The Mtn. Then see the Falcons in their regular-season finale at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Clune Arena against BYU.
THE COUCH
ON: If the thought of watching the Avalanche on a Southern California swing against the Los Angeles Kings (8:30 p.m., Saturday, Altitude2) and the Anaheim Ducks (6 p.m., Sunday, Altitude), brings to the surface too many depressing thoughts of the Avs not making the playoffs for the first time, banish them with something completely different: The 2007 Bassmaster Classic from Lay Lake in Birmingham, Ala. Fifty contenders cast thousands of lines, airing live from 6:30-8 a.m. Saturday and Sunday on ESPN2.
OFF: Designed by Philip Johnson and built in 1983, the “Cash Register” building on 17th Avenue between Lincoln and Sherman streets in downtown Denver is one of the most recognizable buildings in the city. At 47 floors, it’s also one of the tallest. The 1,014 steps take runners to the building’s curved top, normally off limits to the public, on Sunday for the second annual Run the Register Stair Climb. A benefit for the American Lung Assocation (how appropriate!), the climb allows runners who make it to the top an excellent view of the Front Range before they take the elevator down. Check runtheregister.com for more information.
AROUND TOWN
Nine games into the season, the Colorado Mammoth has already passed the season’s halfway point, with seven games left, although the National Lacrosse League’s All-Star Game is March 10. So consider this your Mammoth midseason report card. Offense: A – Dan Carey and Gavin Prout are among the league’s top-10 scorers. Defense: A – The Mammoth’s 10.6 goals-allowed average ranks second. Goaltending: A – Gee Nash ranks third in goals-against average and second in save percentage. Overall: A – The Mammoth has an NLL-best 8-1 record. When Colorado hosts the Portland Lumberjacks at 7 p.m. Saturday at the Pepsi Center, it will be your last chance to see the team for a month. Next home game: March 30.
WHAT WE’D LIKE TO SEE
Some public relations wiz earned their money’s worth swaying public opinion toward the Duke lacrosse team. At what point did the players become the victims? Ranked sixth, Duke hosts the University of Denver on Sunday for the second leg of a two-game East Coast trip for the Pioneers. No. 12 Denver faces No. 14 North Carolina on Saturday. Two wins on Tobacco Road could land the Pioneers a top-five ranking.
WEAK IN REVIEW
Sports and the Sin City do not mix. The decadence is a killer. Did we learn nothing from “Rocky IV?” After James Brown led an over-the-top musical extravaganza with semi-nude dancers and flashing lights, Apollo Creed was killed by Ivan Drago in a bloody second round. And at the NBA All-Star Game last Sunday, Wayne Newton led an over-the-top musical extravaganza with semi-nude dancers and flashing lights, and James Naismith died again.
