Sports
By Paul Montana
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November 18, 2008
As the 2008-09 men?s basketball campaign gets underway, there is one question that coaches, players, fans and media alike are trying to answer: What is the effect of the new 3-point line?The rule change to move the line back was passed in the spring of 2007 to take effect starting this season; the line now sits 20 feet, 9 inches from the basket, one foot further than the previous line of 19 feet, 9 inches.With the three-ball turning into a short jump shot in recent years as big men expanded their games to the perimeter and as players became more athletic and versatile on the whole, basketball has clearly become a perimeter-based game; in 1986-87, Division I games averaged 9.1 3-point attempts per game, an number that has climbed steadily to an all-time high of 19.07 3-point attempts per game last season.