Why Arizona Should Worry About Its 3-Point Shooting

The Arizona Wildcats are off to a 19-0 start this season, but that doesn't mean everything is perfect.

There are still things to clean up and areas in which to improve, and one of the most important is the team's shooting from the perimeter and behind the three-point arc.

"We could be better, but I feel like we'll be alright," freshman guard Brayden Burries said after Wednesday's win over Cincinnati. "We've just got to continue to shoot them more."

Burries is correct, even if he's oversimplifying things a bit. It's not that Arizona is necessarily a bad shooting team, but that aspect has seemingly become a non-factor in many games, and there's bound to be a game that depends on outside shooting by the time the season concludes.

Arizona's Three-Point Numbers

Arizona basketball shootin — Jan 14, 2026; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Arizona Wildcats forward Koa Peat (10) attempts a jumper over Arizona State Sun Devils forward Andrija Grbović during the second half of the game at McKale Memorial Center. Mandatory Credit: Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images | Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images

The primary argument helping Burries's statement is probably that, while Arizona doesn't shoot many three-pointers, it ranks in the top third of the country when it comes to making the outside shots its players do take. However, it ranks near the bottom of all 361 Division I programs in the number of threes taken and the overall number of threes made per game. Likewise, the Wildcats are ninth in terms of percentage in the 16-team Big 12 and dead last in the other two categories mentioned.

In Big 12 play, Arizona's three-point shooting percentage has dipped to 31%, and it has been especially atrocious over the last three games, hitting 27% (10-for-37). Plus, the last two have been a couple of the worst so far, with a combined seven-for-24 result.

However, head coach Tommy Lloyd isn't letting that bother him yet.

"I'm going to let it play out," he insisted. "It's a figure it out as it goes deal, and a game-by-game deal. ... There's so many more factors that go into it. I know isolating that single variable is so easy to do and get fixated on, but there's a lot of components that go into winning a basketball game."

"Do I want to go three-for-13 every game? No," Lloyd added. "But I'm not going to get hung up on it because I thought we had a few good looks today. ... We've just got to hang with it."

Three-Point X-Factor

Arizona three-point shootin — Jan 17, 2026; Orlando, Florida, USA; Arizona Wildcats guard Anthony Dell'Orso (3) takes a shot in the second half against the Central Florida Knights at Addition Financial Arena. Mandatory Credit: Russell Lansford-Imagn Images | Russell Lansford-Imagn Images

Hanging with it is the approach Arizona has chosen to take with a key player as well. Senior guard Anthony Dell'Orso came into the season as Arizona's biggest three-point threat, but has had a career-worst season so far, shooting just 29% from long range after hitting a career-high 41.3% a year ago. If he can turn around and pull out of his slump, he adds a new dimension to Arizona's attack.

"I love Delly," Lloyd said. "I love how he's handling this, and I just have a really strong belief that we're going to get the best from Delly when we need it. Not that you don't need him every night, but he is going to deliver.

When Dell'Orso finally delivers, an already powerful Arizona team becomes more complete. Maybe then its outside shooting won't seem like a big deal, but until that happens, it's one of the things that could eventually lead to the Wildcats' demise.

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