How Much Better Will Hogs' Three-Point Shooting be Under Calipari?

Looking at historical data on shooting performance under Musselman, Calipari

Arkansas Razorbacks guard DJ Wagner preparing to shoot a free throw against the Kansas Jayhawks at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville, Ark. / Andy Hodges-Hogs on SI Images

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Arkansas coach John Calipari wants the fanbase not to read too much into Arkansas' 85-69 win over No.1 Kansas. The Jayhawks were without three key players . — Hunter Dickinson and transfers Rylan Griffen and Shakeel Moore,

Calipari did want the fans to take away one thing, as the Hogs' season-opener against Lipscomb is just over a week away.

"We've only been together a short time," Calipari said. "I'm happy because I wanted people to leave and say, ‘That was fun to watch.’"

One of the biggest lingering issues of the Razorbacks under former coach Eric Musselman is the lack of three-point shooting efficiency throughout his entire tenure. Razorbacks should expect a significant increase in three-point percentage. Here are how the two coaches ranked over the past 5 years (NCAA D1 ranking):

YEAR	CALIPARI	MUSSELMAN
2019-20	34.3% (122)	33.4% (175)
2020-21	33.5% (177)	33.2% (196)
2021-22	34.7% (114)	30.4% (320)
2022-23	34.7% (145)	31.3% (315)
2023-24	40.7% (1)	31.8% (286)

Under Musselman, there wasn't anywhere else to go but up. The worst season Calipari had at Kentucky across Musselman's tenure at Arkansas is nearly identical to the best season the Hogs had under Musselman.

2023-24 seems to be an anomaly. Kentucky had three players who shot over 44%, including Reed Sheppard, drafted with the third overall pick by the Houston Rockets, led the nation in three-point percentage (52.1%). Rob Dillingham and Antonio Reeves, also both NBA draft picks, were the other two.

Kentucky Wildcats guard Reed Sheppard (15) shoots the ball during the second half against the Vanderbilt Commodores at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. / Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

The Razorbacks roster doesn't quite have the same shooting pedigree. Johnell Davis is the best shooter with the highest volume and track record. He shot a career-high 41.4% from beyond the arc last year with the Florida Atlantic Owls, well above his career mark of 36.6%, leading Calipari to implore Davis to shoot the ball.

Arkansas hopes to see massive jumps from others on the roster, center Zvonimir Ivisic has only 16 3-point attempts in his college career in 15 games. Ivisic went 2-for-5 from beyond the arc in the Kansas scrimmage. Guard DJ Wagner also looks to improve on his season mark of 29.2% (28-for-96) from last year.

"My 7-2 guys shouldn’t shoot threes I guess," Calipari said sarcastically after the scrimmage. "I don’t know."

Arkansas Razorbacks forward Zvonimir Ivisic (44) shoots in the second half against the Kansas Jayhawks at Bud Walton Arena. / Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images

Calipari also doesn't want to see the team over-reliant on the three. As a team the Hogs went just 6-for-24 in the scrimmage (25%), but still won by double digits thanks to 28 free throw attempts compared to Kansas' 10.

Razorback fans should expect an significant increase in threes, but also a team that can survive without it.

The Hogs play their second scrimmage against TCU in Fort Worth, Texas 7 p.m. Friday. The game will not be broadcast or streamed.

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• Razorbacks will host major prospect for visit this weekend

• What Paul has brought to Ole Miss after years with Hogs

• Calipari shows lighter side in quick moments with Razorback stars

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