Portland 3-point line controversy update: NCAA finds discrepancy in marking as lines were drawn 9 inches short 

The Portland 3-point line controversy revolves around how the court for the Portland NCAA Regional games had two different distances from the 3-point line. It was found that one half of the court had a 3-point line that was nine inches closer than the other half of the court.

The Athletic senior writer Nicole Auerbach published the email that NCAA vice president for women's basketball Lynn Holzman sent out to explain the Portland 3-point line controversy.

"After the conclusion of the Elite 8 game and a subsequent team practice, the NCAA worked with a Connor Sports certified technician to inspect the court markings in Portland. 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.

"Connor Sports and the NCAA found the inaccurate line was the result of human error by the finisher contracted by Connor Sports. The review also found the sides of the 3-point line were accurately painted, as were all other court markings."

The discrepancy between the distance was discovered ahead of the Texas Longhorns and North Carolina State Wolfpack's Elite Eight game. That means four games during that regional were unknowingly played with the distances from the 3-point line being different on each side of the court.

Texas and North Carolina State agreed to play on the court as scheduled rather than delaying it. The distance for the NCAA 3-point line is 22 feet, 1 3/4 inches for both the men's and women's games.

Analyzing the Portland 3-point line controversy

One thing that this means is that there were no tests or measurements taken before the games began or even as Connor Sports was finished modeling the floor. That said, the NCAA is claiming human error as the reason.

The Portland 3-point line controversy is a cautionary tale for people to double-check as even the NCAA is not immune to such oversights. The games' results remain valid but they created a discussion that the NCAA would've wanted to avoid. Hopefully, this is a lesson and something that will be checked ahead of time from now on.