UConn, USC 3-Point Line Looks Atrocious In Women's Elite 8 Game
NCAA officials discovered over the weekend that the three-point line at Moda Center in Portland, OR., was slightly off. Maybe two steps too close to the basket.
Leave it to Portland to screw things up.
Monday night's USC versus UConn Elite-8 matchup featured one of the worst mishaps ever visibly seen on a basketball court.
Don't adjust your television set … the 3-point line does actually look atrocious. UConn won 80-73 and advanced to the Final Four.
PORTLAND, OREGON - APRIL 01: The three-point line and its measurement discrepancy is adjusted ahead of the Elite 8 round of the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament between the UConn Huskies and the USC Trojans at Moda Center on April 01, 2024 in Portland, Oregon. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
NCAA officials discovered over the weekend that the three-point line at Moda Center in Portland, OR., was slightly off. Maybe two steps too close to the basket.
So what did they do? They fixed the line but never bothered to fix the rest of the court's design, leaving an annoyingly slim unfilled space on the hardwood.
If you're watching from home, it's hard not to notice it.
PORTLAND, OREGON - APRIL 01: The three-point line and its measurement discrepancy is adjusted ahead of the Elite 8 round of the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament between the UConn Huskies and the USC Trojans at Moda Center on April 01, 2024 in Portland, Oregon. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
PORTLAND, OREGON - APRIL 01: The three-point line and its measurement discrepancy is adjusted ahead of the Elite 8 round of the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament between the UConn Huskies and the USC Trojans at Moda Center on April 01, 2024 in Portland, Oregon. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
Griping about the design is one thing; criticizing it for potential interference with the outcome of games is another.
Stanford University women's basketball coach Lisa Vanderveer was critical of the three-point error. She released a statement to the San Francisco Chronicle, calling the mistake "inexcusable."
Vanderveer said, "What happened with the court in Portland is inexcusable and unfair to every team that played on it.
"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."
UConn will play Iowa on Friday.
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