NCAA Tournament 2011: 10 Biggest Shooters Left in the Field
In the NCAA tournament, there is nothing more vital than having a big-time sharpshooter. A guy who can hit any shot on the court and can be look toward to hit the clutch three-point shots.
This season’s March Madness has not been short on drama and looks to continue to break hearts. There is nothing tougher to swallow than losing on a last-second three that sends your team home for the summer.
These are two biggest sharpshooters still remaining in the NCAA tournament.
10. Matt Howard (Butler)
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Howard is know mostly for his work on the glass and his offensive inside, but he can also be deadly from deep.
In the regular season, Howard averaged 16.7 points per game and shot 44 percent from beyond the arc.
Last year’s Cinderella team proved it still has some of the magic left in 2011. In their first game against Old Dominion, Howard actually hit a put-back layup with time expiring, the first buzzer-beater of the whole tournament.
9. Doron Lamb (Kentucky)
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Doron Lamb is one of many great freshman players on the Kentucky Wildcats. He is the perfect supporting wing player to guard Brandon Knight and forward Terrence Jones.
During the season, Lamb shot 47 percent from three-point land, good enough for 13th in the nation. He also averages 12.8 points per game and shoots an impressive 49.8 percent from the field.
Lamb is a deadly player because he is always hiding in the corners. If you give him too many open looks, he is going to make you pay.
8. Tim Abromaitis (Notre Dame)
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Tim Abromaitis is a senior dead-eye from three. He is starting at forward for the Irish, and along with being a great shooter, averages six rebounds per game.
His main role in the offense is to be the second option if the Big East Player of the Year, Ben Hansbrough, isn’t making his shots.
Abromaitis shoots three-pointers at a 42.4 percent clip and has been known to hit in bunches from deep.
In a late February game against Villanova, Abromaitis buried nine three-pointers to lead his team to a 93-72 victory.
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7. Marcus Denmon (Missouri)
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The focal point of the 2011 Missouri Tiger offense is Marcus Denmon. He is as pure of a scorer as you will find at the guard position.
Denmon shoots 50 percent from the field and 44.8 percent from beyond the arc, along with averaging a team-high 16.9 points per game. He is one of the main reasons Missouri is one of the biggest dark horses in the 2011 tournament.
The rest of Denmon’s game has not totally developed yet, but his shooting from deep is definitely one of the strongest in the nation.
6. Jordan Taylor (Wisconsin)
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Jordan Taylor is the do-it-all junior point guard out of Wisconsin.
He is the team’s second-leading scorer, third-leading rebounder and best distributor. Along with distributing the basketball, he is also the team’s best shooter.
Taylor is averaging 18.2 points due to that fact that he is shooting 44 percent from deep and 84.4 percent from the free throw line.
Defenses need to keep a close eye on Taylor. He has the ability to go off for big scoring nights. If he is not contained, he will burn you.
5. Justin Harper (Richmond)
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Justin Harper is one of the most consistent scorers in college basketball and is a big part of Richmond’s late success.
He has not had a game in which he didn’t score in double figures since November 3rd.
He is currently averaging 17.7 points per game and is shooting 46 percent from beyond the arch. Along with being a terrific shooter, he is also a solid rebounder.
Harper is 6’10" and taller than most dead-eye shooters around the country. His Richmond Tigers are one of the most likely Cinderella stories this season.
4. Ashton Gibbs (Pittsburgh)
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Ashton Gibbs is in his second consecutive season of being Pittsburgh’s go-to scorer.
He averages 17 points per game, 48.8 percent from behind the three-point line and shoots 88.9 percent at the charity stripe.
The Panthers will probably only go as far as Gibbs can carry them. He has had huge scoring games in the past. In the regular season, he scored over 20 points on 12 occasions.
3. Jon Diebler (Ohio State)
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For three consecutive seasons, Jon Diebler has been a deadly three-point shooter for the Buckeyes. He is shooting 50 percent from three, good enough for fourth in the nation.
Diebler does all the little things right. He rarely turns the ball over, shoots well from the field and makes his free throws.
Strong supporting players like Diebler are the main reason why Ohio State is the favorite to win the whole tournament. He can get hot and carry the team any given day.
2. Ben Hansbrough (Notre Dame)
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Ben Hansbrough, another Irish senior star, has earned his right to be named the Big East Player of the Year.
He is shooting 44 percent from three-point land, 48.6 percent from the field and leads his team with 18.5 points per game. Hansbrough is just an excellent all-around player.
He has had as many big games as anyone in the country, scoring 20 or more points on 15 different occasions. If Hansbrough can get hot, the Irish will be one of the hardest teams to beat in the 2011 tournament.
1. Jimmer Fredette (BYU)
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Jimmer might not have the greatest three-point shooting percentage in the nation, but it is tough to argue that he isn’t the best shooter.
Fredette became a national sensation in 2011. He is the most prolific scorer in college basketball and can hit any shot in the gym. He averages a NCAA-best 28.3 points per game and has led his BYU team to the three seed.
Fredette has buried four or more three-pointers in a game 16 times in the regular season. He has also scored 40 or more points three different times this season. Fredette has really separated himself from the rest of the scorers in college basketball.
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