Like he always does, Gonzaga guard Josh Perkins completed his practice routine of taking a three-point shot for his first shot inside a new arena. It led to an unfamiliar result.
“I airballed that one,” Perkins said Friday, “so then I started getting real close.”
That might be a good strategy in the Final Four. The games will be played on an elevated court inside University of Phoenix Stadium, a football venue that seats 76,000 for basketball games and can lead to bad showings for even the best shooters.
“You walk out there on the court and that is a lot of space behind the goals,” said North Carolina forward Justin Jackson.