March Madness 3-point line discrepancy was noticed by most unlikely source

Before the tip-off of the NC State and Texas Elite Eight matchup on Sunday, coaches were told that the arc in front of the Wolfpack bench was shorter than it was supposed to be. The two decided to start on time rather than delay the game to fix the court.

NCAA officials went onto the floor, requested by both head coaches to measure the arc around each basket. They then discovered that the distance of the 3-point line on one side of the floor was nine inches shorter than the one on the other side.

However, five NCAA women's basketball tournament games at the Moda Center in Portland were played with different-length three-point arcs on either side of the court.

Fan noticed NCAA tournament court mishap before anyone else

It wasn't even a player, coach, or official that noticed the difference. But it was a fan who recognized it and alerted game officials.

Fans easily noticed the difference, but neither team was aware of it for the entire weekend. Both head coaches didn't alert their players of it and instead just let them play.

At first, the NCAA blamed Connor Sports, the vendor for hardwood floors in the women's and men's tournaments. But on Monday, both parties made statements that called the mistake a human error by a Portland-based company contracted to finish the court.

While coaches and players think it did not affect the game between the Wolfpack and Longhorns, NCAA officials reviewed the court with a technician from Connor Sports to ensure that the Monday night game between UConn and USC will be played on a proper court.

The NCAA announced that the error occurred because the center hole on the court used to determine the center of the net was punched in the wrong position. It was punched nine inches from where it should have been, leading to an inaccurate measurement for the three-point line.

For Monday's game, the correct arc was painted black, and the incorrect arc was coated with a color close to the hardwood floor. While the court does not look perfect in the area it is noticeable for players on the court.