In a surprising turn of events, a discrepancy in the 3-point line distance at the Moda Center in Portland went unnoticed during four games over two days of the women's NCAA Tournament. It was only before the Elite Eight matchup between Texas and North Carolina State that the teams' coaches were informed about the problem, as stated by the NCAA.

Despite the mismatched 3-point lines, the coaches agreed to proceed with the game as scheduled, rather than delaying it. In the end, North Carolina State emerged victorious with a score of 76-66, securing their spot in the Final Four, as per the NCAA statement.

According to the statement, the NCAA was alerted on Sunday itself about the difference in 3-point lines at the Moda Center. Both head coaches were notified of the discrepancy and mutually chose to play the complete game without correcting the court.

Interestingly, the issue had gone unnoticed during the Sweet 16 games played on Friday and Saturday, with none of the participating teams raising any concerns publicly about the court. It was during the pregame warmups of the Elite Eight matchup that Texas coach Vic Schaefer and N.C. State coach Wes Moore were informed about the discrepancy in the 3-point line distance at the top of the key on both ends of the court.

Around 15 minutes before tip-off, NCAA officials were called in to measure the distance using a tape measure. After discussions between the NCAA representatives, coaches, and officials, it was decided to proceed with the game as scheduled.

Schaefer mentioned that correcting the court would have caused a significant delay, taking at least an hour as an external party would have been required to remark the floor. This delay could have potentially resulted in the game being bumped from its scheduled broadcast on ABC. Hence, both teams opted to play on the existing court.

The NCAA has assured that the court will be corrected before Monday's Elite Eight matchup between Southern California and UConn, although they have not provided further details. It was observed that one 3-point line near the top of the key was approximately 6 inches closer to the basket compared to the opposite end of the floor. The standard 3-point line for NCAA basketball is 22 feet, 1 3/4 inches for both men and women.

Interestingly, the shooting statistics through five games indicated a noticeable difference in performance between the two ends of the court. Teams shooting on the end with the closer 3-point arc had a success rate of 25.8% (23 of 89) on 3-pointers. On the other hand, at the end of the floor where the 3-point line appeared correct, teams shot at a rate of 33.3% (29 of 87).

This discrepancy in the 3-point line distance has raised concerns about the integrity of the game and the impact it may have had on the outcomes of previous matchups. The NCAA will undoubtedly review the incident and take precautionary measures to avoid such mishaps in the future.