3-point line at women’s Portland regional was 9 inches shorter on one end, NCAA says
The 3-point-line debacle at the Portland Regional has been fixed, in time for Monday’s clash between Southern Cal and UConn in the women’s NCAA Tournament.
And statistics show that in earlier rounds in Portland’s Moda Center Arena, most of the teams shot worse on the half of the court where the 3-point line’s apex — at the top of the key — was 9 inches shorter than it should have been, NCAA officials said.
The 3-point line discrepancy was discovered Sunday before N.C. State upset Texas, 76-66, in the Elite Eight round. Coaches for both teams agreed to play the game with the incorrect 3-point line instead of waiting for it to be fixed.
The correct NCAA 3-point line is 22 feet, 1 3/4 inches for both women and men.
According to statistics released Monday by the NCAA, teams made 23 of 89 (25.8%) 3-point attempts from the incorrect line while making 29 of 87 (33.3%) from the regulation line.
The two teams in the Portland Regional that saw the biggest drops in efficiency were N.C. State and UConn.
N.C. State made 11-19 (57.9%) of its 3-point baskets in its two regional games when shooting from the accurate 3-point line. But it made 5-16 (31.3%) when shooting from the incorrectly measured 3-point line..
The Huskies missed all five of their 3-point attempts from the short lineand made 3 of 11 (27.2%) from the regulation side.
Texas shot better from the shorter 3-point line. It made 5 of 10 (50%) across two games from the shorter distance and 1 of 6 (16.6%) from regulation.
Same for Southern Cal, which made 3 of 10 (30%) from the inaccurate line and 2 of 7 (28.5%) from the correct line.
NCAA vice president for women’s basketball Lynn Holzman said in a statement that the organization worked with its official supplier, Connor Sports, to fix the discrepancy before Southern California and UConn play on Monday night.
“This change brings the court into full compliance with NCAA playing rules,” Holzman said.
The NCAA said a hole is punched in the wood at each end of the floor to identify the center of the basket. It uses a “calibrated vinyl-tape device” to lay the 2-inch game line for painting.
A certified technician from Connor Sports worked with the NCAA after the Wolfpack and Longhorns’ game on Sunday to evaluate the court. The center hole was punched in the wrong location, leading to a line that was 9 inches shorter than regulation at the top of the key.
“Connor Sports and the NCAA found the inaccurate line was the result of human error by the finisher contracted by Connor Sports,” Holzman said. “The review also found the sides of the 3-point line were accurately painted, as were all other court markings.
“We apologize for this error and the length of time for which it went unnoticed,” Holzman said. “Simply put, this court did not meet our expectations, and the NCAA should have caught the error sooner.”
All courts — including those for the men’s and women’s Final Four — have been remeasured and verified for accuracy.
The court in Albany, New York, where the second women’s basketball regional was held, was also correct.
The women’s Final Four is scheduled Friday through Sunday in Cleveland, Ohio.
