There’s been some dominant shooting performances in college basketball this year. Less than a month ago, we saw Jordan Taylor light up #1 Ohio State in the second half en route to a comeback upset and just recently seniors Ben Hansbrough and Tim Abromaitis put on a shooting clinic on senior night against Villanova. However, Jon Diebler’s outing Tuesday night may be the best yet.
By: Justin Mertes-Mistretta
The Big Ten all-time leader in made 3-point field goals, nicknamed “3bler” by Ohio State fans, was on another level against Penn State as he went 10-for-12 from beyond the arc. It was one of the most efficient shooting performances you’ll ever see. It felt like he was hitting 3s every other time down the floor. He hit four of them in the first half and six in the second.
We already knew Ohio State had one of the nation’s best freshman/players in Jared Sullinger, two of the best defenders in David Lighty and Aaron Craft, and one of the best coaches in Thad Matta. After Tuesday’s performance, they arguably have one of the nation’s best 3-point shooters, if not THE best.
If you sort the player stats on ESPN.com by three-point percentage, Jon Diebler ranks sixth in the nation. Dig deeper and you’ll find that the stats are misleading. Not a single player in front of “3bler” has as many attempts as him. As a matter of fact, no one is within 50 three-point attempts of him. As far as statistics go, he is the most efficient volume shooter in the land at .494 3-point percentage on 178 attempts. Not even Jimmer Fredette can match those numbers.
Not far off from Diebler is Hansbrough, who is 73-for-167 (.437 percent) from long range. While the stats proclaim Diebler the superior shooter, the Notre Dame sharp-shooter has a different take.
When asked in an interview with PTI who the better shooter was, him or Diebler, Hansbrough called Diebler a “good shooter,” but refused to back down. “If you put us in a gym and have a shooting contest, I think I’d probably win,” Hansbrough said.
Funny you’d say that Ben. It just so happens that in the Sports Bank’s latest Bracketology, by our very own David Kay, Ohio State is predicted to play in the same region as Notre Dame. We may not have to wait long to see who really is the better shooter.
Who do you think is the best 3-point shooter in the land of hoops? Rep your pick below.
Justin Mertes-Mistretta is a senior writer for TheSportsBank.net. Follow him on Twitter at MertesMist_tsb or read his blog here.