The national average for 3-point percentage climbed by 0.5 percentage points last season, from 33.3 percent in the first year of the extended men's basketball 3-point line in 2020 to 33.8 percent in 2021, and many of the country's top marksmen return to the sport this season — although some will have a different name on their jerseys from last season.
Here are the top 10 returning men's basketball players in terms of 3-pointers made per game during the 2020-21 season.
1. Jamir Harris, Seton Hall
3-point field goals per game in 2020-21: 3.90
Harris transferred from American to Seton Hall in the offseason after leading the country in 3-pointers made per game. In 10 games last season, Harris shot a career-high 43.8 percent on 8.9 attempts per game from behind the arc. His 3-pointers-per-game average increased from 2.2 in 2020 to 3.9 in 2021.
He made at least one 3-pointer in nine of the 10 games he played last season, including nine 3-pointers against Loyola (MD) and seven against Navy.
2. Antoine Davis, Detroit
3-point field goals per game in 2020-21: 3.77
We've covered Davis previously in the offseason, as he is the sport's second-leading returning scorer and a starter on our hypothetical All-Star team for players whose school is located in the state of Michigan. For his career, Davis has averaged 3.9 made 3-pointers per game on 35.8-percent shooting while averaging 24.9 points per game through the first three seasons of his career.
In a Horizon League tournament win over Robert Morris last season, he tied his career-high by making 10 3-pointers as part of a season-best 46-point performance. In one five-game stretch in the heart of conference play, he made at least five 3-pointers in each game for a five-game total of 28.
TOP RETURNERS: Scorers | Rebounders | Shot-blockers | Playmakers
3. Kaiden Rice, Georgetown
3-point field goals per game in 2020-21: 3.68
Rice transferred from The Citadel to Georgetown in the offseason after a senior season in which he shot a career-high 10.8 threes per game, making 3.7 on average, which was a 34.8-percent clip. Rice has shot 34.5 percent from deep for his career, so his senior-season average was roughly in line with his career average, even as his attempts increased. Rice finished the season averaging 17.6 points per game — an increase of almost six points per game from his junior season.
Rice's most prolific 3-point shooting game last season came in The Citadel's season opener when he shot 9-for-18 from deep against Piedmont. Last season, Georgetown shot 36.5 percent from deep, which ranked 54th nationally, per kenpom.com, so Rice will be a welcome fit with the Hoyas.
4. Max Abmas, Oral Roberts
3-point field goals per game in 2020-21: 3.57
Abmas needs little introduction entering the 2021-22 season. He led the country in scoring last season at 24.6 points per game, making him the nation's leading returning scorer. Abmas led Oral Roberts to a Summit League tournament title and No. 15 seed in the 2021 NCAA Tournament, which the Golden Eagles parlayed into a Sweet 16 appearance — just the second ever for a No. 15 seed.
Abmas' 3-point percentage improved by roughly seven percentage points from his freshman to his sophomore year, from 36.6 percent to 43.3 percent, so while his 3-point attempts per game only increased by 0.6 year over year, his made threes per game climbed from 2.8 to 3.6. Abmas made at least one 3-pointer in 27 of the 28 games he played and he made at least five 3-pointers in a game on nine occasions. In the NCAA tournament, he was 10-for-25 from deep while scoring 80 points in three tournament games.
TALKING TITLES: 7 programs that could be the next 1st-time men's basketball champion
5. Tajion Jones, UNC Asheville
3-point field goals per game in 2020-21: 3.40
As a freshman at UNC Asheville, Taijon Jones shot just 27.8 percent from three on 5.2 attempts per game — a low percentage for a high-usage number of attempts. But Jones' 3-point shooting and scoring average steadily increased each season. As a junior last season, Jones averaged a career-high 15.9 points per game while shooting a career-best 42.5 percent from three on eight attempts per game.
In a win over Charleston Southern last season, Jones went 7-for-10 from behind the arc, which marked his season-high for threes in a game.
6. Rashad Williams, Saint Louis
3-point field goals per game in 2020-21: 3.36
Williams transferred from Oakland to Saint Louis in the offseason after ranking seventh nationally in 3-pointers per game last season. Williams shot 40.8 percent from deep as a freshman at Cleveland State, but his percentage fell off in his sophomore season at Oakland, where he shot just 32 percent on 12.6 attempts per game, but his 3-point shooting improved as a junior: 33.9 percent on 9.9 attempts per game.
If Williams can get back to his freshman-year form while maintaining his level of attempts from his sophomore and junior seasons, he could be an immediate-impact player for Saint Louis.
7. Darius McGhee, Liberty
3-point field goals per game in 2020-21: 3.28
As a junior, McGhee's offensive production took a leap from his sophomore season as his shots per game climbed from 7.3 attempts to 12.0, his scoring average increased from 9.5 to 15.5 points per game, and his 3-point production last season was 40.8 percent on eight attempts per game.
In a four-game stretch last February, McGhee shot a combined 27-of-45 (.600) from deep, as he made at least six 3-pointers and shot better than 50 percent from three in each game.
8. Bryan Trimble Jr., Akron
3-point field goals per game in 2020-21: 3.22
Trimble played for Akron last season after spending two seasons at St. John's, where he shot just 32 percent from three in each season. As a redshirt junior in 2021, he made 39.8 percent of his 8.1 attempts per game as he averaged a career-best 12 points per game. Trimble's season-high in 3-pointers made in a game was seven, which he had against both Central Michigan and Kent State.
T-9. Michael Flowers, Washington State
3-point field goals per game in 2020-21: 3.14
Flowers transferred from South Alabama to Washington State in the offseason after playing for three seasons at Western Michigan. At South Alabama, Flowers averaged a career-high 21 points per game, while shooting 38.8 percent from deep on 8.1 attempts per game. Flowers made at least two 3-pointers in 19 of his first 20 games last season. In a win over Appalachian State, he made a season-high seven 3-pointers on just nine attempts.
T-9. Quincy Olivari, Rice
3-point field goals per game in 2020-21: 3.14
Olivari had a breakout sophomore season in which his scoring average climbed from six points per game as a freshman to 16.3 per game as a sophomore. His 3-point shooting improved, too, as he shot 40.9 percent on 7.7 attempts per game.
Olivari made seven 3-pointers in a game twice last season and he had seven total games with at least five 3-pointers.
