Who's The Best NCAA Three-Point Shooter of All Time?

So, the NCAA 3-point line turns 25 years old this season. In its honor, of basically revolutionizing the game, ESPN recently took a poll to rank the all-time top five 3-point shooters. If you’re a loyal college basketball fan like I am, the results surprised you.

First off, it should be noted that ESPN gave you a list of ten players to choose from: Dennis Scott, Steve Kerr, Jimmer Fredette, Tony Bennett, Keith Veney, Stephen Curry, J.J. Redick, Chris Lofton, Curtis Staples and Kyle Korver. Not a shabby list at all. But, some important names were left off. I really can’t even tell what criteria ESPN used to come up with these ten guys. It can’t be career 3-point field goals because David Holston (450 – 2^nd all-time), Keydren Clark (435 – 3^rd all-time) and Jack Leasure (411 – 7^th all-time) were all not on the list. It can’t be career 3-point field goal percentage because Stephen Sir (46.9% - 2^nd all-time), David Olson (46.6% - 3^rd all-time), Jaycee Carroll (46.5% - 4^th all-time) and Ross Land (46.4% - 5^th all-time) are excluded. And it also can’t be notoriety because guys like Glen Rice, Steve Alford, Ray Allen, Jason Kopono, Dana Barros, Salim Stoudamire, Shawn Respert, Jon Diebler, Allan Houston, Al Dillard, Dan Dickau, Erwin Claggett, Timothy Pollard and Bryce Drew, players you associate with the 3-pointer, were nowhere to be found when trying to cast a vote. Instead, they gave us guys like Jimmer Fredette who, while being a great shooter and a lot of fun to watch the last two seasons, ranks nowhere in the record books. He’s not even in the top twenty-five in 3-point field goals made or career 3-point field goal percentage. Neither is Dennis Scott. I’m not by any means suggesting that career stats should have been the only criteria, because then Keydren Clark, who played his career in the MAAC, must be on the list. All I’m saying is the list should have been expanded and if you’re making me vote on Fredette and Scott, then players like Rice, Allen, Houston and Drew need to be there as well.

That being said, here are the results released last Saturday throughout the day during live ESPN games: No. 5 – Jimmer Fredette (hysterical); No. 4 – Stephen Curry; No. 3 – Kyle Korver; No. 2 – J.J. Redick; and the No. 1 all-time NCAA 3-point shooter as voted on ESPN.com…drum roll please…Chris Lofton!!!! WAIT !!! What ?!??!? I’ve been watching college hoops for the last 25 years, since Bobby Knight, Steve Alford and the Indiana Hoosiers cut down the nets in 1987 and when I think 3-pointer…I don’t think Chris Lofton. Not at all. Okay, he’s 4^th all-time in three’s made but his career percentage is 42.2%, not even in the top twenty-five. ESPN and its viewers are usually pretty on point but this time, they just got it wrong. Here's the test: Final Four, you're down by three with 12 seconds left - who do you want coming off that screen?

Without a doubt, unequivocally, I want J.J. Redick. He's the best all-time NCAA 3-point shooter. His range was from the bus and in!!! As a die hard Carolina fan, I hated playing Redick. Why? Because if he was squared up, it wasn’t even going to hit the rim. It didn’t matter where he was on the court. If he got a look, count it. Obviously, the nation’s hatred for everything Duke played a factor in the voting, but come on!! Nobody hates Duke Basketball more than me, but I can’t deny that the guy was the best ever in college. I mean check out some of these shots: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXEXmKz-94g

And last time I checked, Tennessee hoops didn’t have that big of a fan base outside of Knoxville.

Next on my list, at No. 2 all-time, is Stephen Curry. He’s fifth all-time in 3-point field goals made and…he’s the only guy on the top twenty-five of that list that only played three years. Remember? He left early after his junior season. Curry hit 414 three’s in only 104 games, that four 3’s a game. Who can forget the shooting exhibitions this guy put on in back to back NCAA tournaments? If Curry played in 139 games, like Redick did, he would have hit 550 three’s, or about 100 more than Redick. But according to ESPN and their voters, he’s No. 4 on the list. WOOPS.

Third, Glen Rice. Rice played from ’85 to ’89. The three point line wasn’t enacted nationally until the 1986-1987 season, or Rice’s sophomore year. Even so, Rice only attempted 12 three’s that year, making 3 of them, and 77 the following year, making 33 of them. It’s Glen Rice’s senior year that put him on this list. For the 1988-1989 season, Rice hit 99 three’s at an astonishing 51.6%. He shot 192 three’s and hit more than half of them!!! Oh yea, he managed to win a measly national championship too.

No 4 on my list, Jaycee Carroll from Utah State. ESPN didn’t even let the people vote on this guy, and he’s 4^th all-time in 3-point field goal percentage at 46.5% and 19^th all-time in three’s made with 369. At No. 5, I have Kyle Korver. He knocked in 371 three’s (18^th all-time) at 45.3% (18^th all-time). That’s good enough for 5^th in my book. At Honorable Mention, there’s Tony Bennett (290 three’s/49.7%), Keydren Clark (435 three’s/36.5%), Curtis Staples (413 three’s/38.3%), Dennis Scott (in only 3 seasons – 351 three’s/42.2%), Salim Stoudamire (342 three’s/45.7%) and, of course, Chris Lofton (431 three’s/42.2%).

What are your thoughts? Who did I miss? Who should be higher/lower? Let me hear it.