Moving The 3 Point Line To Open Up The Game

Chairman of the rules committee, Colorado Buffalos head coach Tad Boyle explained that “moving the line back would create more space offensively while also altering the overdependent nature of teams to rely on outside shooting.” 

He continued, “After gathering information over the past two seasons, we feel it’s time to make the change. Freedom of movement in the game remains important, and we feel this will open up the game. We believe this will remove some of the congestion on the way to the basket.”

The committee recently passed the rules change in their June 3rd meeting, and the changes will go into effect immediately next year for Division I teams, and due to financial considerations, will roll out during the 2020-2021 year for Division II and Division III teams.

In recent years the NCAA has taken measures to gauge the success of potential rules changes. In the 2018 and 2019 NIT Tournament, one of the potential rules tested was the deepening of the college 3 point line distance to the international standard. Results from the 2019 NIT experiment showed that teams too more 3-point shots and shot at a slightly lower percentage when compared to regular season averages.

Extending The 3 point line distance is based on three objectives:

• making the lane more open and available for dribble/drive plays from the perimeter
• to slow the growing trend of the prevalence of the 3-point shot in men’s college basketball by making the shot more challenging, while keeping it an integral part of the game
• assisting in offensive spacing, requiring the defense to cover more of the court

What This Rule Change Means For Your School

Whether moving the college 3-point line distance will reverse the increasing trend of the 3-point shot is unclear as college basketball has become a game of threes and shots in the paint, making the mid-range game a lost art.

However, since the rules change has passed and the changes go into effect during the 2019 season,

• Division I schools will need to adjust their courts to reflect the updated rules.
• All Division I school basketball courts will need to be resurfaced with the updated game lines prior to the start of the 2019 season.
• Division II and Division III schools will have until the 2020-2021 season to comply.

The NCAA, in offering the extension for Division II and III teams took into account the financial cost of compliance. For schools in the Northeast, there is a cost-effective solution to resurface and repaint your basketball court 3 point lines.

J & J Gym Floors is the premier gym floor company in the country. We work with schools to keep their gym floor, and basketball courts in top condition throughout the year. Your Division I school needs to comply with these rule changes for the 2019 season, and Division II and III schools will need to meet a 2020 deadline. Give us a call and let us help meet the deadline! We’re always happy to provide you with an estimate and can work with you to have your school ready for the upcoming season.