NCAA Approves Extending 3-point Line for Men's Hoops
June 05, 2019 | Men's Basketball, Neill Woelk
BOULDER — Tad Boyle and the Colorado Buffaloes were reasonably sure the NCAA would move the 3-point line back to the distance used in international play (22 feet, 1¾ inches) for next season.
So sure, in fact, that the Buffs had new 3-point lines painted on their practice gym floors, and have been shooting from the distance throughout their offseason.
Wednesday, the NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel made it official, extending the 3-point line in time for the 2019-20 season for Division I men's basketball season. (The distance, however, will remain the same for women's hoops, meaning the Coors Events Center and CU's practice gyms will likely have a pair of arcs beginning next year.)
The NCAA Men's Basketball Rules Committee — which Boyle chairs — recommended the change after an annual survey of coaches whose teams competed in the 2018 and 2019 National Invitation Tournament. The Buffs were one of those teams, shooting from the longer distance in three postseason games last season.
According to an NCAA press release, the committee cited three main reasons for extending the line:
— Making the lane more available for dribble/drive plays from the perimeter.
—Slowing the trend of the 3-point shot becoming too prevalent in men's college basketball by making the shot a bit more challenging, while at the same time keeping the shot an integral part of the game.
— Assisting in offensive spacing by requiring the defense to cover more of the court.
Last season, in 33 games from the old 20-foot, 9-inch distance, the Buffs shot .324 percent from 3-point range. In three NIT games, they were just slightly under that mark, shooting .316 percent from the new distance. Those are numbers Boyle has set as a priority for improvement for next season, as the Buffs were just 11th in the Pac-12 from 3-point range.
It is not the first time the NCAA has moved the 3-point line. Originally set at 19 feet, 9 inches, the NCAA moved it back a foot before the 2008-09 season. Overall, 3-point shot percentages across the nation dropped only slightly that year. Since then, the nationwide accuracy has slowly increased, finally reaching the percentage from the old distance two years ago (35.2 percent).
Other changes approved:
— Another experimental rule from the NIT will become the norm next year when the shot clock will reset at 20 seconds after an offensive rebound following a shot that hits the rim. The NCAA said the change is being made to speed up the pace of the game, noting that a full reset of the 30-second clock is not necessary because the offensive team already has the ball in the front court.
— Players will be assessed a technical foul if they use derogatory language about an opponent's race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, gender, gender expression, gender identify, sexual orientation or disability.
— Coaches will now be allowed to call live-ball timeouts in the last two minutes of the second half and the last two minutes of any overtime periods. Also in the last two minutes of the second half or overtime, instant replay can be used to review possible basket interference or goaltending.