as the third seed north carolina As No. 1 seed Texas prepared for an Elite Eight game in the 2024 Women’s NCAA Tournament, coaches noticed an uneven 3-point line on both ends of the court. The lines were measured before tip-off and it was confirmed that the distances were different. The teams agreed to play the game anyway to avoid delays.
North Carolina State defeated Texas 76-66 to advance to the Final Four for the second time in program history. The Wolfpack has advanced to the Final Four in both the men’s and women’s tournaments. The uneven 3-point line didn’t affect North Carolina State guard Asiaha James, who contributed to the win. He made 7 of 9 shots from behind the arc.
It’s hard to believe that two Sweet 16 games were played on this floor without anyone noticing the 3-point line distance discrepancy. university university And USC will also play in the Elite Eight on Monday night in Portland. ESPN’s pregame broadcast showed the 3-point line being measured and coaches discussing what to do. Watch here:
The three-point line for women’s college basketball is 22 feet 1 3/4 inches. Perhaps the NCAA needs to take another look at that before trying to host another NCAA Tournament.
Texas coach Vic Schaefer seemed more confused than angry after the game. “I have a lot of colleagues who say, ‘It’s just women’s basketball.'”
I asked Vic Schaefer about how disappointing it was that he had to spend half the press conference talking about the 3-point line:
“Well, I hate to say this, but I have a lot of colleagues who only talk about women’s basketball. I’m really sorry that that happened, but… pic.twitter.com/79AL9izKQM
— Brenna Greene (@BrennaGreene_) March 31, 2024
I’m shocked that no one seemed to notice the difference in the three-point line before. Below is a screenshot from UConn’s Sweet 16 vs. Duke game on the same floor two days ago. That’s not the case, but Huge There are differences, but they can still be seen with the naked eye.
While the action on the court during the women’s tournament was thrilling, there were some embarrassing mistakes from the NCAA due to administrative issues. In the first round of the women’s tournament, Referee disqualified at half-time due to conflict of interest Because they attended the schools they were responsible for. There was also the absurd controversy in which Hannah Hidalgo was forced by officials to remove her nose ring during a game, causing her to miss valuable playing time in a loss to Notre Dame.
Women’s basketball deserves better. We hope these errors serve as a wake-up call for future tournaments.
