3-point line extended among other NCAA men's basketball rule changes

The NCAA announced last week that the men’s basketball 3-point line will be extended to the international distance of 22 feet 1 ¾ inches for the upcoming season.

Before the change was approved by the NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel, the 3-point line was set at 20 feet 9 inches.

The change will be enacted for Division I teams in the 2019-20 season, while Division II and III teams will see the adjustment in the 2020-21 season.

The committee believes that pushing the 3-point line back will make 3-point shots more difficult and, as a result, more infrequent. Pushing the 3-point line back will also open a lane for drives to the rim and have benefits for offensive spacing, as per the committee.

"After gathering information over the last two seasons, we feel it's time to make the change," Colorado coach Tad Boyle, the committee chair, said in a statement. "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 approved several other rule changes, including resetting the shot clock to 20 seconds post offensive rebound.

A few other approved proposals include giving players technical fouls for use of derogatory language regarding an opponent’s race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or disability; permitting coaches to call live-ball timeouts within the final two minutes of the second half and overtime; and allowing instant replay review for basket interference or goaltending calls within the last two minutes of the second half and overtime.