Live by the 3, die by the 3.
Stanford lived by it against Arizona to stay unbeaten.
Former UA great Steve Kerr made his living by it, becoming the best long-range shooter the NBA has ever seen.
But as this year's UA men's basketball team can attest, the catch phrase doesn't just make or break a single game - the 3-ball can change entire seasons.
"You're never out of a game," said assistant head coach Rodney Tention, who works to develop Arizona's perimeter players. "You can be down 10 with two minutes to go, but you're not out of the game with the 3-point shot."
But it works both ways.
"Even if you're up 10, the game's not over, either," he said.
Case in point: Arizona erased a nine-point deficit to Stanford with 10 minutes to play and took a lead into the final minute at raucous Maples Pavilion, largely because of timely 3-point shooting.
UA center Channing Frye gave Arizona its first lead with his second 3-pointer of the season at the three-minute mark, only to be outdone by a bomb from shooting guard Salim Stoudamire that gave Arizona a four-point cushion with a minute to play.
Then the Cardinal stepped out beyond the arc.
Stanford's Josh Childress followed with a game-tying 3 of his own from the corner with 30 seconds to play, only to see reserve Nick Robinson bury the game-winner from 35 feet as time expired.
Arizona's do-everything forward Andre Iguodala said that despite the stunning loss to Stanford, the 3-point shot is among the most important pieces of the college game.
"Sometimes the defense plays off of you. If you shoot it well and knock it down, they have to get up on you a little bit and that's when you go by them," Iguodala said. "Knocking down outside shots creates everything else."
The importance of the 3-point shot, first introduced to the college game in 1986, has given sharpshooters like Kerr the opportunity to make an NBA career as a long-distance specialist, while giving players like Stoudamire the ability to become the biggest threat to a team's defense at any given time.
"He's that outside threat that teams have to worry about so much," Iguodala said, noting Stoudamire's ability to open up opportunities for his teammates.
Despite the NCAA's recent proposal to push the 3-point arc nine inches back to a distance of 20 feet, 6 inches, UA coaches and players agree that as long as the shot exists, players will find a way to knock it down.
"The guys will just practice shooting it a little bit further, of course," Tention said, noting the ever-growing ability of post players to shoot from long range in today's game. "As long as they practice it and it's within what they've been doing, there's no problem. Channing's not going to step out and shoot a lot of threes, but he shoots the ball so well in practice so he could hit a couple, sure."
Frye, in fact, has the highest 3-point shooting percentage on the UA squad to date, hitting 2 of 3 attempts on the season, including the rim-rattler at Stanford.
Of Arizona's four returning perimeter players from a year ago - Iguodala, Stoudamire, Chris Rodgers and Hassan Adams - only Stoudamire, still shooting a team-high .425 from downtown, has failed to increase his 3-point percentage this season. Rodgers sits a close second, having improved his percentage from .267 last season to a robust .413 clip this year.
Rodgers' shooting range, coupled with his defensive intensity, led to an outburst during Saturday's 107-83 drubbing of UCLA that saw Rodgers force three turnovers and score eight points - including two 3s - over a span of 26 seconds.
"Lately, my form, my repetition - everything - has been feeling really good," Rodgers said. "I've been getting good looks at the basket. I just try to knock them down."
"I have unlimited range, man," Rodgers jokingly added.
The Wildcats may be shooting close to 38 percent on the season from the arc, but when the team puts up a poor 3-point shooting performance, it struggles. Arizona has posted 3-point percentages under 26 percent in four of the team's six losses this season.
Some would argue the 3-point shot now rivals the slam dunk as college basketball's marquee play, creating closer games down the stretch and keeping fans attentive.
Stoudamire doesn't buy it, though.
"Not here," Stoudamire said, referring to fans' reactions to the 3. "With Andre and Hassan (Adams), when they jump out of the gym and make spectacular dunks, the crowd gets rowdy. Maybe in other arenas (the fans prefer 3s), but not here."
According the UA's best shooter, all that matters is putting more points on the board, no matter the method.
"I just like putting the ball in the hole, period," Stoudamire said.
-Christopher Wuensch contributed to this report.