Vic Schaefer explains why Texas played Sunday despite the court's 3-point line issue

PORTLAND, Ore. − During a postgame press conference that lasted more than 12 minutes at the Moda Center on Sunday, Texas coach Vic Schaefer was asked 11 questions.

Not too many of those questions were about what went wrong in a 76-66 loss to North Carolina State that ended UT's season. Just one question was about North Carolina State guard Aziaha James, who scored 27 points against the Longhorns. Schaefer was given a couple of opportunities to talk about UT forward Taylor Jones and guard Ndjakalenga Mwenentanda.

No, the big topic of conversation in the postgame press conference − at least the subject of seven questions − was about the 3-point lines at the Moda Center.

During Sunday's Elite Eight game, the NCAA released a statement that read: "The NCAA was notified today that the three-point lines on the court at Moda Center in Portland are not the same distance. The two head coaches were made aware of the discrepancy and elected to play a complete game on the court as is, rather than correcting the court and delaying the game. The court will be corrected before tomorrow’s game in Portland."

Ahead of the game, ABC cameras showed replays of both Schaefer and North Carolina State coach Wes Moore measuring the distance between the top of the key and the 3-point line with their feet. The NCAA didn't reveal the incorrect measurements, but Moore clarified in his press conference that the 3-point line by the Texas bench was correct and that the line on North Carolina State's side was measured short.

Schaefer was admittedly hesitant to start the game, but the two teams eventually took the court without much of a delay. So why did Schaefer agree to play when there were discrepancies in the 3-point lines?

He explained that the Longhorns had already warmed up and that it would have taken an hour to fix the problem. Plus, there was concern that a lengthy delay would boot the game off ABC. Schaefer also noted that both teams had already played on the court on Friday, when Texas beat Gonzaga and North Carolina State beat Stanford in the Sweet 16.

"If I would have (objected), I'd have been the only one in the room that wanted to do it," Schaefer said.

Schaefer didn't tell his team about the 3-point line discrepancies, and James said his North Carolina State players also were unaware. Neither team had apparently noticed the issues during their practices on the court on Thursday and Saturday or during their games on Friday.

So did the discrepancies in the 3-point lines matter? Maybe not. North Carolina State shot 6-for-9 from behind one line and 3-for-9 from the other. Texas, which typically doesn't shoot many 3-pointers, made just one on Sunday in six tries.

"I don't think it affected the game, the outcome. Both teams played on it for a half," Moore said. "If it would have gone to overtime, we might have a complaint."

Schaefer said he would have rather spent time before the game doing his normal routine instead of trying to measure the court. Schaefer declined to use the 3-point line as an excuse for Texas' loss, but it was clear that he wasn't pleased with the issue, either.

"I hate to say this, but I have a lot of colleagues that would say, only in women's basketball," Schaefer said. "It's a shame, really, that it even happened. But it is what it is.

"I'm not the culprit here. You guys are asking me about something that I had no control over. So Vic Schaefer ain't the problem. But, anyway, it is what it is. It's a shame. That's all I can say."

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas basketball coach Vic Schaefer reacts to Moda Center court issues