Portland Court Error: Uneven 3-Point Lines Used in Five Women’s Tournament Games

By Ysa Panganiban Last updated Mar 31, 2024 Share with new partner:

Shortly before the Texas Longhorns and NC State Wolfpack faced each other in the Elite Eight, an odd development occurred: it was discovered that the 3-point line on one side of the court had been painted wrongly.

In order to prevent any delays, the coaching staff and both teams decided to play the game despite the error.

Coaches Vic Schaefer of Texas and Wes Moore of NC State examined the court with officials after the 3-point line disparity was observed on one end of the court assigned for the Portland regionals.

Play-by-play commentator Courtney Lyle reports that the NCAA contacted both coaches about the situation at around noon local time.

Elite Eight Teams Forge Ahead Amidst 3-Point Line Mix-Up

Portland-court-error:-uneven-3-point-lines-used-in-five-women's-tournament-games — Shortly before the Texas Longhorns and NC State Wolfpack faced each other in the Elite Eight, an odd development occurred: it was discovered that the 3-point line on one side of the court had been painted wrongly.

It was determined that there was a disparity in the 3-point line measurements on the court after an impromptu measurement by NCAA officials.

Both coaches decided to play the game regardless of the anomaly, choosing to go forward without additional delay.

After taking into account the possible effects of a postponement on the players and the tournament schedule, this decision was reached.

The NCAA’s Lisa Peterson attested that the court had stayed constant during the week, and both coaches finally decided that it was safe to play on in spite of the measurement error.

But Peterson promised that the court will be measured properly the next day to guarantee precise measurements.

Prior to the 2021–22 season, the NCAA recently adopted the international 3-point line for women’s basketball, which attracted attention.

The Intriguing Shift in Women’s Basketball 3-Point Line

The 3-point line was moved back to 22 feet, 1 and 3/4 inches in an effort to match statistical trends and improve scoring opportunities.

NC State coach Wes Moore mentioned the matter in passing during an in-game interview during the first half, saying, “They were measuring some things.” But he turned the attention back to the game itself.

Although the precise cause of the mistake is yet unknown, observations from earlier Portland games revealed that teams might have shot a little bit better from the left side of the court, where the disparity was observed.

Head coach Nicki Collen of Baylor even sarcastically attributed her team’s performance in the second half to the accurate 3-point range on social media.

It is clear that shooting difficulties have been a recurring theme throughout the Portland tournament, even if it is unclear how the error will affect gaming.

Despite the peculiar conditions surrounding the Elite Eight clash, both teams maintained their focus and overcame the obstacles posed by the court’s size.