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NCAA to move back 3-point line for 2019-20 basketball season
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The 3-point shot is going to be a little more difficult at the college level.
On Wednesday, the NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel approved moving the 3-point line back to a distance of 22 feet, 1 3/4 inches for the 2019-20 men’s basketball season. It’s the same distance as the international 3-point line.
During the NIT this past season, the NCAA experimented with the international distance. The rules committee received positive feedback regarding the change. From NCAA.com:
The committee cited the following rationale 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 the offensive spacing by requiring the defense to cover more of the court.
College basketball’s current 3-point line was extended to 20 feet, 9 inches before the 2008-09 season.
In addition to the 3-point line extension, the rules committee also approved resetting the shot clock to 20 seconds after a team possesses an offensive rebound when the ball bounces off the rim. That rule was also used as an experiment during the NIT.
Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB