3 points at a time

IU's three-point bonanza against Illinois -- 17 of 27 from beyond the arc -- was amazing, but it wasn't a fluke. \nThe Hoosiers weren't shy about proving it, either.\nThey did nearly the same against Iowa. And then Kent State. And Oklahoma. For IU, a three pointer must have looked like a free throw. Or even a better look. \nThe Hoosiers shredded the record book, firing up 617 three pointers this season and sinking 270 of them. Both numbers are school records by a big, big margin. \nThe previous marks were 534 attempts in 1998-1999 and 197 made three pointers in 1992-1993.\n"You have to pick your poison," former Kent State coach Stan Heath said after IU hit 15-of-19 three-point tries in the South Regional Final. \nAs in guard IU's inside combination of Jared Jeffries, Jarrad Odle and Jeff Newton or defend the record-breaking outside shooting. Most teams couldn't decide what approach to take, but if they decided on Jeffries, the Hoosiers fired at will. \nSenior Dane Fife and juniors Kyle Hornsby and Tom Coverdale all recorded seasons that put them in the top 10 for three pointers made in a single season. Fife hit 66 of 138 for the season, and his 48 percent shooting clip is good for seventh-best season in IU history. The 66 made threes are also sixth-best in history. Prior to this season, Fife combined to hit just 33 threes in three seasons. His 48 percent was the best single-season percentage since Pat Graham shot 57 percent in 1993-1994.\nHornsby boosted his career three-point stats by draining 72 of 161 threes this season, good for 45 percent. The 72 threes is tied with A.J. Guyton for fifth-most in IU history. \nWhat is more remarkable is that Hornsby hit a similar percentage of his shots from the free-throw line as he did from the three-point arc. The third guard in IU's three-guard lineup hit 56 percent from the foul line. \nCoverdale jacked up 189 three pointers, the second-most in IU history behind Steve Alford's 202 attempts in 1986-1987. IU's point guard hit 70 of those attempts, good for the sixth-best single-season effort of all-time. \n"We shoot the ball well in practice all the time," Hornsby said. "It is something else to do it in a game with the pressure on you. You have to be focused and really be in tuned with what you are doing."\nIU wasn't shaken in big games. The Hoosiers hit 10 or more three pointers 10 times this season and hit less than five in only eight games. But the best performances came in the NCAA Tournament, during which IU hit 47 of 93 (51 percent). \nSeven different Hoosiers connected on three pointers during the tournament run to the NCAA championship game. Only Jeffries, who hit 3 of 11, shot lower than 42 percent. \n"When their three-point shooters get hot, they can beat anyone," Maryland junior guard Steve Blake said of IU. \nAlmost. \nIU hit 7 of its first 11 three pointers against Maryland in the NCAA title game but missed 9 of its next 12. That was one of only a few cold spells this season for IU. \nThe Hoosiers shot 43.7 percent from the three-point line on the season, which ranks tied for fifth-best all-time, equaling the mark of the 1989-1990 squad. \nAnd it wasn't just IU's three guards who got into the act. \nJeffries hit 27 of 71 (38 percent), sophomore guard A.J. Moye drained 20 of 50 (40 percent) and Odle hit 4 of 9 (44 percent). Odle was 2 of 3 in NCAA play, including a key three at the close of the first half against Oklahoma. \nFreshman guard Donald Perry hit just 3-of-26 threes before the tournament but found his touch in the postseason, connecting on 4 of 5. And even Newton, a 6-foot-10 forward, hit 1-of-2 threes this season, flinging up a line drive from about 25 feet against Purdue and getting nothing but net. \nAnd the Hoosiers did all of that when the game plan this season wasn't to shoot, shoot, shoot. \n"Our first option is always to go inside," IU coach Mike Davis said.\nAnd when that didn't work, the Hoosiers just wiped out teams -- and records -- three points at a time.