Portland, Oregon – The NCAA has reported a discrepancy in the dimensions of the 3-point line on the court used at Portland’s Moda Center during the women’s NCAA Tournament Regionals. The NCAA was informed on Sunday that the 3-point lines on the floor were not consistent in distance.
Despite the inconsistency, the two head coaches were made aware of the issue but decided to proceed with the game as scheduled rather than delay it by correcting the court. The NCAA has stated that the court will be adjusted before Monday’s Elite Eight matchup between UConn and USC.
During the pregame shootaround, NC State coach Wes Moore and Texas coach Vic Schaefer were notified of the issue by the NCAA. They measured the distance from the free-throw line to the top of the arc and discovered the discrepancy. Despite this, both coaches agreed to play the game to avoid any significant delays.
Following the Sweet 16 games on Friday and Saturday and the two Elite Eight games on Sunday and Monday at the Moda Center, coaches and players did not mention the court discrepancy until Sunday. Nicki Collen, the Baylor Lady Bears coach, noted that her team shot better from beyond the arc in the second half due to the correct 3-point distance.
The standard distance for the 3-point line in women’s college basketball is 22 feet, 1 3/4 inches, which was adopted before the 2021-22 season. Despite the discrepancy in court dimensions, teams have adapted and continued to compete in the NCAA Tournament at the Moda Center.