Expect the unexpected during March Madness.
No. 1 seed Texas’ Elite Eight matchup with No. 3 seed NC State proved to be perhaps the most shocking matchup of the entire NCAA tournament.
The reason? The length of the 3-point lines was significantly different from each other.
NC State coach Wes Moore and Texas coach Vic Schaefer were informed of the problem during pregame penalty shootouts but opted to continue Sunday’s contest at the Moda Center in Portland . The Athletic reported.
NCAA officials weighed in on Moore and Schaefer’s request to measure the arc around each basket. They found that the distance to the 3-point line on one side of the court was about a foot shorter than the distance on the other side, Schaefer said after the game.
The NCAA and a Connor Sports technician “discovered that the center hole was drilled in the incorrect position, resulting in an incorrect arc measurement for the 3-point line.”
The error was reported as “human error” and resulted in a nine-inch shorter arc at its peak. The NCAA and Connor Sports said “the sides of the 3-point line were accurately painted.”
Here’s what the NCAA found out about the 3-point lines in Portland: One was 9 inches shorter than the other at the top of the arc. pic.twitter.com/cQCsR23dUr
-Nicole Auerbach (@NicoleAuerbach) April 1, 2024
Nevertheless, the coaches agreed to continue the match, as the players had already warmed up and the match would have been delayed for about an hour. Schaefer said.
“It’s a shame, but it is what it is. … In the end, I don’t know if it mattered” or if it affected the outcome, he said. Texas lost to NC State, 76-66.
“If I had (objected), I would have been the only one in the room who wanted to do it,” Schaefer added.
The three-point lines are different on each side of the Portland court for the Elite Eight. The NCAA measured pregame and confirmed that one team had a different three-point length than the other. ????
NC State and Texas agreed to play there. ???? #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/UnBo13kBUi
– Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) March 31, 2024
Once the discrepancy was reported, it was quite obvious to those watching in the Moda Center stands and those watching through the televisions.
How did no one in Portland notice this before today? Look at the distance from the top of the key to the 3 point line at each end, they are different! pic.twitter.com/tiNAU0baSP
-Jason (@MittsubishiZero) March 31, 2024
Although fans could easily notice the difference, neither team was aware of it. Schaefer and Moore did not alert their players.
“I don’t think it affected the match, the result” Moore said. “Both teams played on it for a half. If it had gone into overtime we might have a complaint.”
All four Sweet 16 games played on the same court Friday and Saturday had the same problem, although the discrepancy had not yet been discovered. Texas, NC State, UConn and USC advanced to the Elite Eight from those games, with the Longhorns and Wolfpack playing on Sunday and UConn and USC facing off on Monday.
How do they realize right now that the court has been revitalized in Portland? It was the same for every other match there.
It was Baylor/USC last night. I can clearly tell that the distance is shorter on the left. pic.twitter.com/baGkWLRIMk
– Chris Hassel (@Hassel_Chris) March 31, 2024
In the Sweet 16, teams shooting from the shortened line made 29.9% of their three-point attempts (23 of 77). Meanwhile, teams shooting from the longest line sank just 25.3 percent of their triples (19 of 75).
Baylor, however, shot significantly better from the longest line (50 percent in the second half compared to 28.6 percent in the first half), which Bears coach Nicki Collen said marked the right distance from hoop.
I guess that’s why we shot better in the 2nd half…decent distance from 3 points!! FYI, with 8 teams at one venue you have so little preparation time on the main court and you are focusing on game planning and simply making shots!
-Nicki Collen (@NickiCollen) March 31, 2024
The NCAA has not confirmed which side of the court has the correct 3-point distance and which is wrong — or whether both sides are imperfect. The distance to the 3-point line for women’s and men’s college basketball is the same: 22 feet, 1 3/4 inches.
The difference between the NBA three-pointer and the college three-pointer is approximately one foot and eight inches (23 feet, nine inches versus 22 feet, 1 and 3/4 inches).
The NCAA released a statement at halftime of the NC State-Texas game regarding the 3-point line gap.
“The NCAA was informed today that the 3-point lines on the court at the Moda Center in Portland are not the same distance,” the statement says. “Both head coaches were informed of the discrepancy and opted to play a full game on the field as is, rather than correcting the field and delaying the game.
“The field will be repaired before tomorrow’s game in Portland.”
Schaefer was asked many questions regarding the 3-point line during his postgame press conference. He told reporters he had no control over it, even though he technically had the choice to delay the game.
“I’m not the culprit here.” Schäfer said. “You’re asking me about something I have no control over. So Vic Schaefer isn’t the problem. But anyway, that’s the way it is. It’s a shame. That’s all I can say.”
This story is developing and will be update.
