When was the 3-point line added in college basketball? Exploring NCAA Rules during Pete Maravich Scoring Records

In the 1980s, some college basketball conferences in the NCAA experimented with the 3-point line. However, the ruling body of college athletics was the slowest institution to adopt the then-ground-breaking format. It wasn't until 1986 that the 3-point line was universally adopted by college basketball.

This revolutionized the sport, and in recent years, there's been an emphasis on perfecting the 3-point shot both at the NBA and college level, as the rise of players like Caitlin Clark and Stephen Curry has shown. The fact that the current NCAA Division I all-time scoring leader, LSU legend Pete Maravich, played before the rule's inception makes his achievement all the more impressive.

With Iowa Hawkeyes star Caitlin Clark on the verge of surpassing Maravich's record, it is worth noting that the superstar guard is widely regarded as the "3-point queen" in women's college basketball.

Clark needs 18 points to move ahead of Maravich, and she can do it on Sunday afternoon when the No. 6 Hawkeyes take on the No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes at 1 p.m. ET.

What year did the 3-point line start in college basketball?

While some conferences experimented with it during the early 1980s, it wasn't until 1986 that the NCAA universally implemented the 3-point line. College basketball was the last to enforce the rule in the United States, with the NBA having used it since 1979. The ABA had used it since 1967, but it was dropped when it merged with the NBA in 1976.

There are some calls to eliminate the 3-point line, as it has allowed teams to reduce games to long-shoot contests. Former NBA player Len Elmore once explained how it has changed the game:

"Guys have become super efficient at the shot, you see the NCAA continue to move the line further back because players can shoot it. At one time, it was only 19 feet at its shortest point."

College 3-point line distance for men's college basketball

In 2019, the NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel approved moving back the 3-point line to 22 feet 1¾ inches in men's basketball. The rule has been effective since that year (2019-20) at the Division I level, and it was implemented the following season at the Division II and Division III levels (2020-21).

College 3-point line distance for women's college basketball

The 3-point distance is the same for men and women in college basketball. The distance used to be shorter with women's basketball until the 2021-22 season. The line used to be at 20 feet, nine inches. It was moved back due to high-scoring trends related to 3-pointers across all divisions.