NCAA Basketball: How the latest rule changes will impact 2019-20 season

CHARLOTTE, NC - MARCH 20: A general view of the court before the game between the Georgia Bulldogs and Michigan State Spartans during the second round of the 2015 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Time Warner Cable Arena on March 20, 2015 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /

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DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA – NOVEMBER 14: The Duke Blue Devils bech reacts to a three-point basket by teammate Alex O’Connell #15 during the first half of their game against the Eastern Michigan Eagles at Cameron Indoor Stadium on November 14, 2018 in Durham, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /

Pushing back the 3-Point line

Just over a decade ago the NCAA decided to move the 3-Point line back by one foot to 20 feet 9 inches from 19 feet 9 inches, which had been the distance since the NCAA first universally implemented the 3-point line during the 1986-1987 season. In 2009 pushing the 3-point line back by just 1 foot caused a decline in both 3-point shots attempted and made per game. Now in 2019 the NCAA is once again moving the line further back but this time by more than just a foot. The new distance for a 3-Point field goal attempt is 22 feet 1¾ inches from the basket in most spots and 21 feet 7⅞ inches in the corners.

How might this change affect player’s ability to shoot from distance? According to the NCAA, in the 124 NIT games that were played during the previous two postseason events, teams in the NIT shot just 2% worse than their regular season percentages. There might be a slight dip during this season in overall 3FG percentages but don’t expect players to be afraid of shooting from deep as many of them were already taking shots two or three steps behind the line to begin with. Moving the line back also creates more space for an offense to work with, which will result in much more open driving lanes for teams that have good spacing.

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