Expect the unexpected during March Madness.
No. 1 seed Texas' Elite Eight duel with No. 3 seed NC State proved perhaps the most shocking game of the entire NCAA Tournament.
The reason? The length of the 3-point lines were markedly different from each other.
NC State coach Wes Moore and Texas coach Vic Schaefer were informed of the issue during the pregame shootaround but elected to continue Sunday's contest at Portland's Moda Center, The Athletic reported.
NCAA officials took to the floor at Moore and Schaefer's request to measure the arc around each basket. They discovered that the distance of the 3-point line on one side of the floor was about a foot shorter than the one on the other side, Schaefer said after the game.
The NCAA along with a Connor Sports technician "found the center-hole was punched in the wrong position, which resulted in the incorrect arc measurement for the 3-point line."
The mistake was reported to be a "human error" and resulted in the arc being nine inches shorter at its peak. The NCAA and Connor Sports said the "sides of the 3-point line were accurately painted."
Here’s what the NCAA found out about the 3-point lines in Portland: One was 9 inches shorter than the other at the apex at the arc. pic.twitter.com/cQCsR23dUr
— Nicole Auerbach (@NicoleAuerbach) April 1, 2024
Still, the coaches agreed to move forward with the game, as players already had warmed up and the game would have been delayed about an hour, Schaefer said.
"It's a shame, but it is what it is. ... At the end of the day, I don't know that it mattered" or affected the result, he said. Texas lost to NC State, 76-66.
"If I would have (objected), I'd have been the only one in the room that wanted to do it," Schaefer added.
The three-point lines are different on each side of the court in Portland for the Elite Eight. The NCAA measured pregame and confirmed one side is a different three-point length than the other. 🤦
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) March 31, 2024
NC State and Texas agreed to play through it. 🏀 #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/UnBo13kBUi
Once the discrepancy was pointed out, it looked fairly obvious to those watching along in the Moda Center stands and those watching through television sets.
How did nobody in Portland notice this before today? Look at the distance from the top of the key to the 3 point line at each end, they are different! pic.twitter.com/tiNAU0baSP
— Jason (@MittsubishiZero) March 31, 2024
While fans could easily notice the difference, neither team was aware. Both Schaefer and Moore didn't alert their players of it.
"I don't think it affected the game, the outcome," Moore said. "Both teams played on it for a half. If it would have gone to overtime, we might have a complaint."
The four Sweet 16 games played on the same court on Friday and Saturday had the same issue, though the discrepancy had not yet been discovered. Texas, NC State, UConn and USC advanced to the Elite Eight from those games, with the Longhorns and the Wolfpack playing Sunday and UConn and USC facing off Monday.
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.
— Chris Hassel (@Hassel_Chris) March 31, 2024
This was Baylor/USC last night. Can clearly tell it’s shorter distance on left. pic.twitter.com/baGkWLRIMk
During the Sweet 16, teams shooting on the shortened line hit 29.9% of their three-point attempts (23-of-77). Meanwhile, teams shooting on the longer line sank just 25.3% of their triples (19-of-75).
Baylor, though, shot significantly better from the longer line (50% in the second half compared to 28.6% in the first half), which Bears coach Nicki Collen said marked off the correct distance from the hoop.
Guess that’s why we shot it better in the 2nd half… correct 3 pt distance!! FYI with 8 teams at one site you get so little prep time on the main court and your focus is on game planning and simply getting shots up!
— Nicki Collen (@NickiCollen) March 31, 2024
The NCAA has not confirmed which side of the court features the correct 3-point distance and which is in error — or whether both sides are flawed. The 3-point line distance for women's and men's college basketball is the same — 22 feet and 1 3/4 inches.
The difference between the NBA three-point marker and the college three-point marker is about one foot and eight inches (23 feet, nine inches vs. 22 feet, 1 and 3/4 inches).
The NCAA issued a statement at halftime of the NC State-Texas game addressing the 3-point line discrepancy.
"The NCAA was notified today that the 3-point lines on the court at Moda Center in Portland are not the same distance," the statement reads. "The two head coaches were made aware of the discrepancy and elected to play a complete game on the court as is, rather than correcting the court and delaying the game.
"The court will be corrected before tomorrow's game in Portland."
Schaefer was asked numerous questions regarding the 3-point line during his post-game press conference. He told reporters that he had no control over it, even though he technically had a choice to delay the game.
"I'm not the culprit here," Schaefer said. "You guys are asking me about something that I had no control over. So Vic Schaefer ain't the problem. But, anyway, it is what it is. It's a shame. That's all I can say."
This story is developing and will be updated.