During the recent women's NCAA Tournament at Moda Center in Portland, a discrepancy in the 3-point line distance was discovered after four games had already been played over two days. The issue was brought to light before the Elite Eight matchup between Texas and North Carolina State on Sunday.
Both teams' coaches were informed of the problem but decided to proceed with the game as scheduled, despite the mismatched 3-point lines. N.C. State emerged victorious with a 76-66 win over Texas, advancing to the Final Four.
The NCAA acknowledged the error in a statement, mentioning that the 3-point lines at each end of the court were not the same distance. The decision was made to play the complete game without correcting the court markings to avoid any delays.
Following the game, all court lines were measured, and corrections were promised before the next game between Southern California and UConn.
The NCAA's vendor, Connor Sports, issued an apology for the mistake and promptly dispatched technicians to rectify the error at Moda Center.
This court issue added to a series of distractions during the women's tournament, including incidents involving referees, racist harassment, and controversies surrounding player attire and coaching behavior.
Despite the discrepancy, the participating teams in the Sweet 16 games played earlier did not publicly address any problems with the court. Coaches Vic Schaefer and Wes Moore were informed of the issue during warmups before the Elite Eight game.
A delay to correct the court markings would have caused significant disruptions, potentially affecting the broadcast schedule. Both coaches agreed that proceeding with the game was the best course of action.
Players seemed unaware of the discrepancy, with N.C. State's Aziaha James notably performing well despite the issue, scoring a career-high seven 3-pointers.
While the NCAA did not provide specific details, it appeared that one 3-point line near the top of the key was approximately 6 inches closer to the basket than the other end of the floor.
Teams shooting from the end with the closer 3-point arc had a lower shooting percentage compared to the end with the correct distance, indicating the potential impact of the discrepancy on gameplay.
Despite the challenges, coaches and players adapted to the situation, emphasizing the importance of focusing on the game rather than external factors.
Efforts are underway to investigate the cause of the error and ensure the accuracy of court markings for future tournament games.
