NCAA Keeping Three-Point Line at 19-9

Following what one member said was “a lot of aggressive debate,” the men’s and women’s NCAA basketball committees voted Wednesday to keep the three-point arc at 19 feet 9 inches.

In addition, the men’s committee ended two days of meetings in Kansas City by agreeing to continue with the 10th-foul, two-shot rule.

But in a change, the committees decreed the shot clock--45 seconds for men, 30 for women--no longer will be reset when an attempted shot leaves a player’s hand. Instead, it will be reset when the ball touches the rim.

Hank Nichols, secretary-rules editor for the men’s committee, declined to reveal the vote of the 12-man committee to keep the present three-point arc instead of expanding it by nine inches to conform to international rules.

“There was a lot of aggressive debate,” Nichols said. “The men’s committee felt there were a couple of factors underlying the decision to stay with the current distance.

“One factor was that the shooting percentage for three-point shots has continued to decrease every year the line has been in place,” he said.