"Would not agree to play thru it": Texas fans point the blame to uneven 3-point line as Longhorns lose to NC State in Elite Eight upset

The Texas Longhorns became the first No. 1 seed to be eliminated from the women's NCAA Tournament as they fell to the No. 3-seeded NC State Wolfpack in the Elite Eight 76-66 on Sunday. The game was not without controversy, however, as the two sides of the court had different three-point lengths.

Awful Announcing shared footage of the pregame discussion between the referees and the two coaching staffs, captioning the post:

"The three-point lines are different on each side of the court in Portland for the Elite Eight. The NCAA measured pregame and confirmed one side is a different three-point length than the other. 🤦 NC State and Texas agreed to play through it. 🏀 #MarchMadness."

Fans weighed in on the issue. @cambo_ranch claimed that the teams should not play with different lengths at the 3-point line:

"would not agree to play thru it."

@MarkHolder27 suggested that the city of Portland, which hosted the game, is to blame:

"how fitting this happened in Portland."

@peanutg53954578 questioned:

"And some chick just set a record shooting 3s right?"

@Charliemagne wanted to know the difference in length:

"Not giving us the actual difference in the measurements is just atrocious reporting."

@AndyGlobokar questioned:

"How do you agree to play on it? If the game goes to OT, who gets the side with the shorter 3 point line?"

@officialmattsny claimed the shorter line would be a disadvantage:

"Honestly, the shorter line is probably a disadvantage. They’ve shot their whole career from the correct line. Suddenly having that change is hard. Muscle memory is hard to overcome in the heat of the moment."

@MaizeBlue2 wondered how the issue was just noticed in the Elite Eight:

"No one noticed for the sweet sixteen games?"

@NTGraff was confused how it was possible:

"How in the hell is this even possible. 🙄."

@bg23on28 claimed it was noticeable:

"How was this missed the past few days? It’s very clear on TV."

@kapalm728 asked:

"what choice did they really have other than play."

What is next for the NC State Wolfpack after Elite Eight victory?

The NC State Wolfpack were led by Aziaha James, who finished with 27 points, six rebounds and four assists while shooting 9 of 17, including 7 of 9 from 3-point range, and 2-4 from the free-throw line. After their 76-66 victory over the Texas Longhorns, the Wolfpack will face the overall No. 1-seeded South Carolina Gamecocks.

The Gamecocks reached the Final Four after knocking off the Oregon State Beavers with a 70-58 Elite Eight victory. South Carolina will enter the matchup with a perfect 36-0 record as they look to capture the third title in program history, after winning it all in 2017 and 2022. Meanwhile, NC State has never won a national title.