ACC Teams That Struggled From Outside

Ineffective team 3-point shooting is nothing new. But lately, perhaps due to an extended arc and an increased pro emphasis on long-range scoring, group misfires have become more common. 

Two of the ACC’s three worst collective efforts from beyond the arc, and five of the worst nine in this century, were registered recently. Lousy long-distance mis-dialing surely played a part in the change of coaching regime at Boston College, where Earl Grant’s fifth Eagles squad made only .294 of their threes, second-worst in the ACC during the 21^st century.

Launching threes promises an exciting return for players and fans, a chance to alter the scoring balance emphatically or at least to help fuel a rally or extend a lead. The shot’s elongated arc and extra point value invest the briefest additional sense of anticipation as the ball hangs in the air, hinting at a change in momentum. Let several threes land in a row, or in a flurry, and the crowd, especially at home, will respond enthusiastically.

The converse is that the more you miss, the more frustrating the spectacle is to watch. 

Learning where the carom will land, a habit perfected in practice by savvy players like Matt Harpring, a middlingly athletic forward who excelled at Georgia Tech in the late nineties, can make up for many misses. Or, a player can possess an innate sense of where teammates’ caroms will land, as was the case with NC State’s TJ Warren (2014), who downplayed any offensive rebounding aptitude other than instinct.

Still, inaccuracy is deflating, not to mention lending itself to open court fast break opportunities for an opponent.

Overall BC trailed all other ACC squads last year in field goal percentage (.408) and 3-point accuracy, and while it played fairly good defense its ballhandling was about as bad as its shooting. 

Add the fact that Grant conjured a single winning record during his half-decade tenure – 20-16 in 2024 – and managed a single NIT bid, and change was inevitable.

Now we’ll see what Luke Murray, late of powerhouse UConn, can do with a program that hasn’t been to the NCAAs since 2009, has modest home court support, no natural ACC rival, and operates within a city rife with other college programs vying for players, attention, and NIL support.

None of the Eagles’ first six games are scheduled for venues outside Massachusetts, mirroring the old Syracuse approach of sticking near home as long as possible to start a season.

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