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The NCAA confirmed one of the three-point lines at Moda Center in Portland, Oregon, was originally nine inches short for the site’s 2024 NCAA women’s basketball tournament games.
In a statement issued Monday, the organization explained the issue originated from an incorrectly placed center-hole where the basket is placed. As a result, officials measured out the standard distance for the three-point line but were unaware of the nine-inch discrepancy.
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Full NCAA statement on what happened in Portland this week with the incorrect 3-point line. Will thread highlights below: pic.twitter.com/m5trsgzIVh
The three-point line has been corrected ahead of UConn’s matchup with USC.
It only became apparent something was amiss before North Carolina State’s 76-66 victory over Texas on Sunday night. Officials measured from the baseline to the top of each three-point arc and discovered one was shorter than the other.
The problem went unnoticed in the four Sweet 16 games Moda Center had hosted on the two previous days.
The Wolfpack and Longhorns were alerted to the situation before their game tipped off and decided to play as scheduled instead of waiting for the court to be fixed. The NCAA released a statement midway through the contest acknowledging what had happened.
After the game, coaches from both teams said correcting the three-point line could’ve taken an hour or more, thus jeopardizing the event’s television window on ABC.
“That’s a big deal to be on ABC,” NC State’s Wes Moore told reporters. “We’ve been fortunate to be on it a couple of times the last couple of years. But it’s a big deal.”
Texas’ Vic Schaefer expressed the same concern and said more broadly he “wasn’t gonna be the guy that goes, ‘No, I don’t want to do it,'” in terms of delaying the tip.
The NCAA said Monday it “should have caught the error sooner,” and more quality control measures will be put into place to avoid a recurrence.
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