With March Madness officially upon us, the importance of the three-point line is also heightened. Since the three-point line was established in college basketball for the 1986-87 season, we have witnessed more March Madness upsets than ever before. That line was put into place just one season after the tournament was expanded to 64 teams in 1985.
Three pointers often play into the strategy of underseeded teams looking to knock off their more talented opponents. While those opponents have far more four-star and five-star recruits, upset-minded mid majors can formulaically rip their opponent's defense to shreds over the course of a game, which each long distance make applying even more pressure than the last.
What is the current distance of the college basketball three-point line?
Per a rule change in 2019, the current distance of the college basketball three-point line is 22 feet, 1 ¾ inches. While this isn't as long as the traditional NBA three-point line, it is further away from the basket than it had been in years past. Prior to 2019, the three-point line had been 19 feet, 9 inches. The rule change forced teams to extend their offense – and thus the opposing teams' defense – an extra few feet, which opened up the lane for drivers and cutters on the offensive end of the floor.
Prior to establishing a league-wide three-point line, several conference had their own version of the shot, including the Southern Conference in 1980. That three-point line stood at 22 feet.
The college basketball three-point line isn't as far as the NBA three-point line
The college basketball three-point line is closer to the basket than the NBA three-point line. This makes sense, as the NBA is a step up in competition from the collegiate game, thus forcing players to extend their three-point range when they enter the professional ranks. The current college basketball three-point line stands at 22 feet, 1 ¾ inches, while the NBA three-point line is 23 feet, 9 inches straightaway and 22 feet from the corners. The NCAA"s corner three-point shot is 21 feet, 7 ⅞ inches away from the basket.
Forcing players to extend their range an extra few feet makes the game more exciting, and ideally maintains the balance between three pointers and two pointers in important games such as those in the NCAA Tournament.
There are similarities between NCAA three-point line and WNBA
The college basketball three-point line is the same for men and women, despite popular belief, at 22 feet, 1 ¾ inches. The WNBA maintains the same range of 22 feet, 1 ¾ inches, making the jump from women's college basketball to the professional ranks a little less intimidating as it pertains to range alone. Of course, there are other prevalent challenges for players like Caitlin Clark, who was a three-point artist in the collegiate game at Iowa.
The WNBA three-point line is shorter than the NBA three-point line by a little less than two feet, but that hasn't stopped prominent players in the women's game from testing their range from well beyond the arc.