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A pair of dramatic 3-pointers sparked two of the most indelible moments of the 2007-08 men's basketball season.

Levance Fields buried undefeated Duke in overtime at Madison Square Garden, and Ronald Ramon's buzzer-beater shocked West Virginia at jam-packed Petersen Events Center.

This season, each of those unforgettable shots would have netted only two points -- and merely forced overtime.

Indeed, the most valuable shot in college hoops just got a little tougher.

Fields, the all-Big East point guard for the Pitt Panthers, and everyone else in NCAA men's basketball will be shooting longer 3-pointers beginning this season. The arc is being moved back one foot -- from 19 feet, nine inches to 20-9.

"It's going to be a big difference," Fields said. "Last year, for me, I struggled from the (old) 3-point line."

When Pitt, Duquesne and Robert Morris begin practice for the 2008-09 season Friday, they will be facing one of the biggest changes in college basketball in more than two decades.

The new 3-point line, used in all three divisions of the NCAA, is three inches beyond the international shot (20-6) and three feet inside the NBA arc (23-9).

"I think it's going to have a big effect, because it's a harder shot," said Pitt coach Jamie Dixon, whose Panthers are a Top-10 team in many preseason publications. "It doesn't sound like much of a difference. But I played with the international line (in New Zealand). There is a dramatic difference."

MIXED REACTIONS FROM COACHES

Approved by the Rules Oversight Committee last year, it is the first alteration to the 3-point line since the shot was introduced to college basketball in 1986. Coaches have mixed reactions (about 69 percent approved the move when surveyed by the NCAA a couple of years ago).

"Personally, I was not for any changes," Duquesne coach Ron Everhart said. "If it's not broken, don't fix it."

The 3-point line in women's basketball will remain at 19-9, meaning there will be two different-colored lines on many courts. At Petersen Events Center, for instance, the women's line is blue and the men's line, installed this past summer, is white. At NBA arenas, such as the Garden, there will be three different lines.

The NCAA, which experimented with deeper 3-point lines in some early-season tournaments in recent years, said the main reason for the change is two-fold.

First, to create more room in the paint and unclutter the floor inside the arc.

Second, to reduce the growing reliance on the 3-pointer, which has become almost a routine shot.

Coaches and players agree the change means more than a trying trey. It will affect everything, ranging from more open lanes to the basket (maybe), enhanced post play (possibly), an increase in zone defenses (guaranteed), fewer players trying 3-pointers (for sure) and an adverse effect on mid-majors who have traditionally relied on the 3-pointer (unlikely).

"It's definitely going to change the game," Everhart said.

TEAMS WILL BE IN THE ZONE

Coaches are unanimous in their agreement that more teams will play zone as a reaction to the deeper 3-pointer.

"I'm going to play more zone," Robert Morris coach Mike Rice said, "because I don't think as many people can make that shot."

Critics had complained for years that the line needed to be moved back. Last season, NCAA Division I teams set records in both 3-pointers attempted (18.8) and 3-pointers made (6.62) per game. The national average on made 3-pointers has ranged between 34 to 36 percent each of the past 15 seasons. That's too high, according to the NCAA.

Since shooting 33.3 percent from behind the arc is equivalent to 50 percent on 2-pointers, officials felt the 3-pointer was becoming too easy. The percentage of 3-pointers made was "getting out of whack," said Larry Keating, the associate athletic director at Kansas and former chairman of the NCAA Rules Oversight Committee.

West Virginia coach Bob Huggins agreed.

"If they are going to move it to make a difference," he said, "it should have been moved back further."

Dixon said the deeper 3-point line won't cause him to change his recruiting priorities.

"There are not that many shooters to go around," he said.

Rice was against any change. He uses four perimeter players who could handle the old 3s but may find the new distance a bit out of their range. Rice, who noted 3-point shooting percentages are lower in RMU's offseason workouts, said the new line -- albeit only 12 inches deeper -- will expose any imperfections.

"At that range, if you have a flaw in your shot, it will bring out the flaws," he said. "It hurts me. People aren't going to close out on two of my perimeter players as hard, because they won't shoot as good a percentage (this year)."

MORE ROOM IN THE PAINT

For certain, there will be more room inside the 3-point line -- about 11 percent more -- for teams to operate their plays. This is important because coaches typically use the 3-point line as a landmark for spacing when they draw up plays.

It remains to be seen whether the change will help post players such as Pitt's DeJuan Blair, who will, in theory, have more room as defenses extend to cover perimeter shooters. "If we make the shots, the big guys will have more room," said Fields, who is recovering from offseason surgery and hopes to be ready for Pitt's opener Nov. 14 against Fairleigh Dickinson. "If we're not hitting our 3s, teams can sag back on them."

Davidson coach Bob McKillop, whose Stephen Curry-led Wildcats annually rank among the nation's top perimeter teams, doesn't believe the college game will turn into a smaller version of the NBA, with players slashing through lanes toward the paint.

"I don't think it will cause more open lanes to the basket," McKillop said. "My suspicion is people will back off people at that range, because it won't be made as consistently."

For years, the 3-point line served as the underdog's best friend, allowing small-conference teams with prolific perimeter attacks to compete with bigger, more athletic players. Keating, of the NCAA, said he thinks mid-major schools will still be effective.

"They will probably be the least affected group because they have such an emphasis on shooting," he said.

What about the multiple lines on the court? Will players get disoriented and shoot at the inside arc? Tony Wingen of Carnegie Mellon doesn't think so. His Division III team played the entire 2007-08 season with the new 3-point line on their court without much confusion. He also doesn't believe the percentages will drop much.

"For competent shooters, it will not change a bit," Wingen said. "Good shooters don't toe the line."

One factor everyone agrees on is that fewer players will be taking 3-pointers. Dixon said it's not a matter of players who had the green light last season suddenly being asked to pass up the shot.

"It's about guys being comfortable shooting at one spot," he said, "and not being comfortable in the (new spot)."

Check the schedule

Here are some important dates for the 2008-09 NCAA Division I men's basketball season:

• Official start of practice: Friday
• First exhibition: Nov. 1
• First regular-season game: Nov. 14
• Northeast Conference: March 5-11
• Big East Championship: March 10-14
• Atlantic 10 Championship: March 11-14
• NCAA Tournament first round: March 19-20

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