The NCAA announced its new rules for the 2019-20 men’s basketball season in June, including one which moved the three-point line back 16 and three-quarter inches — a change Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) coaches were quick to support.
The purpose of the rule change is to allow offenses to space the floor better and decrease teams’ reliance on three-pointers, according to the NCAA rules committee. The new distance is the same as international basketball and was debuted during the 2018 and 2019 National Invitation Tournaments (NIT).
Loyola played in the 2019 NIT and shot 5-for-14 from distance in a season-ending loss to Creighton University in the first round.