In a surprising turn of events at the NCAA Tournament’s women’s Final Four, N.C. State and Texas found themselves playing on a court with unequal measurements at each end. The discrepancy was discovered by NCAA officials in Portland before Sunday’s game, revealing that the distance from the baseline to the top of the 3-point arc at one end of the Moda Center court was shorter than the other.
Despite the irregularity, both N.C. State coach Wes Moore and Texas coach Vic Schaefer agreed to proceed with the game. This decision came after tournament games had already been played on the same court on Friday and Saturday, including Duke’s regional semifinal loss to Connecticut.
The only change made to the court for Sunday’s game was new lettering on the baseline for the Elite Eight. Connecticut and Southern Cal are set to play their regional final game on the same court to determine the final team in the upcoming Final Four in Cleveland.
The NCAA confirmed the court dimensions were incorrect and assured that the court would be corrected before the next game. The women’s 3-point distance is standardized at 22 feet, 1 3/4 inches, raising questions about how the error went unnoticed until now.
Both coaches personally measured the court before the game, with Moore declining to comment further on the issue during an interview. This unexpected development adds a layer of intrigue to an already intense tournament, leaving fans and players alike on edge as they await the resolution of this court controversy.