Current:Home > MyNCAA apologizes, fixes court overnight. Uneven 3-point line blamed on 'human error'-LoTradeCoin
NCAA apologizes, fixes court overnight. Uneven 3-point line blamed on 'human error'
View Date:2024-12-25 10:12:44
The NCAA apologized for letting five women's March Madness games play out on a court with uneven 3-point lines, one nine inches shorter at the apex than the other. The line was fixed ahead of Monday's Elite Eight games.
"We apologize for this error and the length of time for which it went unnoticed," the NCAA said in a statement released Monday. "Simply put, this court did not meet our expectations, and the NCAA should have caught the error sooner."
How did this happen? "Human error," the NCAA said.
Connor Sports, the company contracted to install all of the courts for the men's and women's tournaments, was called out for that error.
"For all NCAA courts, a small hole is punched in the floor at each end of the court that indicates 'center-of-basket' during the finishing process," the NCAA statement read. "A calibrated vinyl-tape device is then placed in the hole, which lays the 2-inch game line to be painted.
FOLLOW THE MADNESS: NCAA basketball bracket, scores, schedules, teams and more.
"Review of the Portland court found the center-hole was punched in the wrong position, which resulted in the incorrect arc measurement for the 3-point line. The center-hole was placed approximately 9 inches from the center of the basket, causing the arc of the 3-point line to be approximately 9 inches short at the apex of the arc."
All other courts being used in the tournament were also inspected and found to have the correct measurements, the statement said.
After discovering the uneven lines Sunday ahead of an Elite Eight game between top-seeded Texas and No. 3 seed NC State, the teams were informed and decided to play on the court instead of delaying the game. NC State upset Texas 76-66.
"Overnight in Portland, the incorrect 3-point line was painted over with a color that matches as closely as possible the wood grain of the floor, and the correct 3-point line was painted on in black," the NCAA said. "This change brings the court into full compliance with NCAA playing rules."
Under NCAA rules adopted in the 2021-22 season, the women's 3-point line was set at 22 feet,1¾ inches. The NCAA also shared 3-point shooting statistics for the five games played in Portland before the line was fixed, showing no obvious statistical trends when playing on the side with the inaccurate 3-point line.
The NCAA said it will work with all suppliers and vendors to "establish additional quality control measures to ensure this does not happen in future tournaments."
Hall of Fame coach Tara VanDerveer, whose Stanford Cardinal played on the Portland court against NC State in the Sweet 16, called the error "inexcusable and unfair."
"When you arrive at a gym, especially in the NCAA Tournament, at the very least you expect the baskets to be 10 feet and the floor markings to be correct," VanDerveer said in a statement Monday. "For an error of that magnitude to overshadow what has been an incredible two weekends of basketball featuring sensational teams and incredible individual performances is unacceptable and extremely upsetting."
veryGood! (969)
Related
- Love Actually Secrets That Will Be Perfect to You
- T-Mobile to buy almost all of U.S Cellular in deal worth $4.4 billion with debt
- European-Japanese climate research satellite launched from California aboard SpaceX rocket
- Father of North Carolina House Speaker Tim Moore dies at 75
- Powerball winning numbers for November 11 drawing: Jackpot hits $103 million
- Hilarie Burton Shares Rare Glimpse Into Family Life With Jeffrey Dean Morgan for 15-Year Milestone
- Retailers roll out summer deals for inflation-weary consumers. Here's where.
- City of Lafayette names Paul Trouard as interim chief for its police department
- Philadelphia mass transit users face fare hikes of more than 20% and possible service cuts
- Planned Ross Stores distribution center in North Carolina to employ 850
Ranking
- Apologetic rapper Tekashi 6ix9ine gets 45 days in prison for probation violations
- Stars' Jason Robertson breaks slump with Game 3 hat trick in win against Oilers
- California evangelical seminary ponders changes that would make it more welcoming to LGBTQ students
- 13 Reasons Why Star Dylan Minnette Reveals Why He Stepped Back From Acting
- Report: Jaguars' Trevor Lawrence could miss rest of season with shoulder injury
- Much-maligned umpire Ángel Hernández to retire from Major League Baseball
- The Best Squat-Proof Bike Shorts for Working Out, Wearing Under Dresses & More
- Florida coach Billy Napier talks Jaden Rashada lawsuit and why he is 'comfortable' with actions
Recommendation
-
Trump has promised to ‘save TikTok’. What happens next is less clear
-
Deadliest year in a decade for executions worldwide; U.S. among top 5 countries
-
Stranger Things' Gaten Matarazzo Says Woman in Her 40s Confessed to Having Crush Since He Was 13
-
Mayorkas says some migrants try to game the U.S. asylum system
-
'Wanted' posters plastered around University of Rochester target Jewish faculty members
-
What we know about the young missionaries and religious leader killed in Haiti
-
Parents of Aurora Masters, 5-year-old killed in swing set accident, want her to be remembered
-
7 people hospitalized, 1 unaccounted for after building explosion in Youngstown, Ohio