three-point field goal A three-point field goal (also 3-pointer, three, or trey) is a field goal in a basketball game made from beyond the three-point line, a designated arc surrounding the basket. A successful attempt is worth three points, in contrast to the two poi ...

(also known as a "three-pointer" or "3-pointer") is a

field goal A field goal (FG) is a means of scoring in gridiron football. To score a field goal, the team in possession of the ball must place kick, or drop kick, the ball through the goal, i.e., between the uprights and over the crossbar. The entire ba ...

in a

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

game, made from beyond the three-point line, a designated arc radiating from the basket. A successful attempt is worth three points, in contrast to the two points awarded for shots made inside the three-point line. The

National Collegiate Athletic Association The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

(NCAA) keeps records of the Division I 3-point field goal makes per game (3PG) average annual leaders. The statistic was first recognized in the 1986–87 season when 3-point field goals were officially instituted by the NCAA. From the 1986–87 season through the 2007–08 season, the three-point perimeter was marked at for both men's and women's college basketball. On May 3, 2007, the NCAA men's basketball rules committee passed a measure to extend the distance of the men's three-point line back to , while the women's line would remain the same. The women's line would be moved back to match the men's line effective with the 2011–12 season. On June 5, 2019, the NCAA men's rules committee voted to extend the men's three-point line to the

FIBA The International Basketball Federation (FIBA ; French: ) is an association of national organizations which governs the sport of basketball worldwide. Originally known as the (hence FIBA), in 1989 it dropped the word ''amateur'' from its na ...

distance of , effective in 2019–20 in Division I and 2020–21 in lower NCAA divisions. The women's line remained at 20 ft 9 in until being moved to the FIBA distance in 2021–22.

Darrin Fitzgerald Darrin Fitzgerald is an American former basketball player who is known for his collegiate career at Butler University. Between 1983–84 and 1986–87, Fitzgerald scored 2,019 points, which is the third highest total in school history. He is 5'9" ...

Butler A butler is a person who works in a house serving and is a domestic worker in a large household. In great houses, the household is sometimes divided into departments with the butler in charge of the dining room, wine cellar, and pantry. Some a ...

owns the all-time NCAA single-season record of 3-pointers made per game (5.64) which he accomplished in 1986–87. His 158 three-pointers made that season is also the second highest total in history behind

Stephen Curry Wardell Stephen Curry II ( ; born March 14, 1988) is an American professional basketball player for the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Widely regarded as one of the greatest basketball players of all time, ...

's 162 in 2007–08. Some players—such as prolific scorers

Darrell Floyd Darrell Floyd (May 11, 1932 – March 7, 2000) was an American college basketball All-American while playing for Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina from 1953–56. He was a two-time national scoring champion, two-time Consensus NC ...

Pete Maravich Peter Press Maravich ( ; June 22, 1947 – January 5, 1988), known by his nickname Pistol Pete, was an American professional basketball player. Maravich was born in Aliquippa, Pennsylvania, part of the Pittsburgh metropolitan area, and raised in ...

and

Austin Carr Austin George Carr (born March 10, 1948) is an American former professional basketball player who played for the Cleveland Cavaliers, Dallas Mavericks, and Washington Bullets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is known by Cleveland ...

—who competed prior to the 1986–87 season may have scored more baskets from what would have been 3-point territory if the rule had been in place during their college careers. Although

Antoine Davis Antoine Davis (born October 3, 1998) is an American college basketball player for the Detroit Mercy Titans of the Horizon League. Early life and high school career Davis was born in Bloomington, Indiana, where his father, Mike Davis, was a membe ...

of Detroit Mercy is the career leader in 3-point shots made (588), he has never led the country on a per-game basis. The player with the highest 3PG average over the span of his entire career (with a minimum of 200 made threes) is

Mississippi Valley State Mississippi Valley State University (MVSU, The Valley or Valley) is a public historically black university in Mississippi Valley State, Mississippi, adjacent to Itta Bena, Mississippi.Timothy Pollard, who made 4.57 per game over four years.

Key

3-point field goals per game

Footnotes

References

;General * ;Specific {{DEFAULTSORT:3, Season NCAA Division I men's basketball statistical leaders