The courts at the NCAA Tournament are meticulously crafted to make every regional site look uniform for all of March Madness. But college basketball fans will notice that the USC vs. UConn game in the women’s bracket will be the exception to the rule.
There will be an extra 3-point line on one side of the court as the Trojans and Huskies battle for a spot in the Final Four. This quirk isn’t by design. It’s a flaw that was only uncovered part of the way through the Portland regional and was quickly corrected before the final game Monday.
Here’s what to know about the double 3-point lines at the USC vs. UConn Elite Eight game.
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Why there are two 3-point lines at USC vs. UConn game
There are two 3-point lines painted on one side of the court for the USC vs. UConn game after a “human error” was discovered during the Elite Eight of the women’s Portland regional.
What was the mistake? One of the 3-point lines was shorter than the other, as the NCAA explained in a statement, via Nicole Auerbach of The Athletic.
After the conclusion of the Elite 8 game and the subsequent team practice, the NCAA worked with a Connor Sports certified technician to inspect the court markings in Portland. Review of the Portland court found the center-hole was punched in the wrong position, which resulted in the incorrect arc measurement for the 3-point line. The center-hole was placed approximately 9 inches from the center of the basket, causing the arc of the 3-point line to be approximately 9 inches short at the apex of the arc. Connor Sports and the NCAA found the inaccurate line was the result of human error by the finisher contracted by Connor Sports. The review also found the sides of the 3-point line were accurately pained, as were all other court markings.
To fix the mistake, the NCAA painted a second 3-point line that extended the incorrect line an extra nine inches. The original line was not removed from the court, so there are two lines on one side of the court as a result.
I guess someone failed geometry? @UConnHuskies @UConnWBB pic.twitter.com/KwZyOtWY3S
— David Benedict (@UConnHuskyAD) April 1, 2024
Shooting from behind the line further from the basket will result in a 3-point attempt. Anything inside that will now be a 2-point shot.
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How NCAA discovered 3-point line error
The 3-point line discrepancy first became known ahead of the Texas vs. NC State Elite Eight game. The governing body measured the lines and discovered the nine-inch error.
Texas and NC State opted to play their game rather than delay it for about an hour. The Wolfpack won 76-66, and Longhorns coach Vic Schaefer conceded after the game that he didn’t know whether the difference in 3-point line length mattered.
“It’s a shame, but it is what it is,” Schaefer said.
“If I would have (objected), I’d have been the only one in the room that wanted to do it,” he added.
The Texas-NC State game wasn’t the only one impacted by the 3-point line error. Many college basketball fans pointed out that the lines were uneven throughout the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight matchups to that point.
How are they just now figuring out the court has been jacked up in Portland? It was the same for every other game there too.
This was Baylor/USC last night. Can clearly tell it’s shorter distance on left. pic.twitter.com/baGkWLRIMk
— Chris Hassel (@Hassel_Chris) March 31, 2024
The difference had a minor impact. During the Sweet 16, teams shooting on the shortened line hit 29.9 percent of their 3-point attempts (23-of-77) while teams shooting on the longer line (the correct distance) sank just 25.3 percent of their triples (19-of-75).
Of course, teams switch sides of the court at halftime, so each squad got equal playing time on the side with longer and shorter 3-point lines.
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3-point line distance in NCAA women’s basketball
The 3-point line for NCAA women’s basketball is located 22 feet, 1.75 inches away from the hoop at the top of the key — the furthest distance behind the arc. This is the same distance behind which men’s college basketball players and WNBA players shoot.
Comparatively, the NBA 3-point line is a maximum of 23 feet, nine inches away from the basket at the top of the key. That’s more than 1.5 feet further back than the WNBA distance.
In the corners, the difference isn’t as pronounced — the college and WNBA line is 21 feet, nine inches away from the basket at that juncture while the NBA’s line is just 22 feet from the hoop. That’s just a difference of three inches.
