MBBRules Committee proposes changes related to timeouts.

[RF2044]

I think there are three big issues with college basketball that are making it harder and harder to enjoy games.

1) Too many players are going pro too early. It would be one thing if the majority of them made the NBA and became rich and successful. History tells a much darker story. I understand arguments about civil liberties and freedom to make a living, but if you care about the players and what will happen to them years down the road, I think a compromise needs to be reached where if players want to play college ball, they will be ineligible to play pro ball for their first two seasons post high school.

2) There are too many timeouts. This makes it really hard to watch games, especially when you attend in person, where seemingly every time things get exciting and the crowd is going nuts, a timeout is called. And the timeout lasts 5 minutes. Completely drains the excitement, ruins the atmosphere. This has to be changed.

The proposed changes aren't nearly enough but it is a start.

3) IMHO, the worst problem in college basketball today is the way teams are allowed to play defense. The clutching and grabbing, the holding and bumping, all the things that are forcing offenses to stagnant and turn a beautiful game into a ugly rock fight. I can't believe there wasn't a strong attempt to stop this kind of play. I can't believe that there is actually talk of adding a 6th foul.

The stewarts of college basketball have failed the game and are a disgrace.

Great post. Couldn't agree more with point #3.

I've had the opportunity to watch some SU games from the 80s / 90s not long ago when my father was recently in town. The difference in both the quality of play and the flow of the game compared to today's version of college basketBRAWL is stark. And that isn't idle nostalgia--the game took a turn for the worse when some coaches figured out that they could exploit inconsistent officiating to help offset talent differential. The object of the game is to score points, not to see how many fouls you can get away with without being whistled.

 

[jordoo]

Great post. Couldn't agree more with point #3.

I've had the opportunity to watch some SU games from the 80s / 90s not long ago when my father was recently in town. The difference in both the quality of play and the flow of the game compared to today's version of college basketBRAWL is stark. And that isn't idle nostalgia--the game took a turn for the worse when some coaches figured out that they could exploit inconsistent officiating to help offset talent differential. The object of the game is to score points, not to see how many fouls you can get away with without being whistled.

If you enforce the actual rules on the defense then good offense should be very hard to stop. As you say its the very nature of the game and college has gotten so far away form it over the years that its painful to watch especially for those of us old enough to remember the 80's or 90's. This phenomenon sort of started with programs (I shall not name names) teaching taking charges/flopping as a legitimate form of defense and then blossomed into programs who taught their teams to play super aggressive physical defense to foul constantly because they won't call them all. (again I shall not name names). Both of these were purposely circumventing the rules and manipulating the system well outside the intended spirit of the rules.

The NBA got into trouble with overly physical defense and allowing players to impede specifically with hands but also bodies. It took some time but they cleaned it up rather nicely and its helped the product immensely.

 

[Cusefan0307]

If you enforce the actual rules on the defense then good offense should be very hard to stop. As you say its the very nature of the game and college has gotten so far away form it over the years that its painful to watch especially for those of us old enough to remember the 80's or 90's. This phenomenon sort of started with programs (I shall not name names) teaching taking charges/flopping as a legitimate form of defense and then blossomed into programs who taught their teams to play super aggressive physical defense to foul constantly because they won't call them all. (again I shall not name names). Both of these were purposely circumventing the rules and manipulating the system well outside the intended spirit of the rules.

The NBA got into trouble with overly physical defense and allowing players to impede specifically with hands but also bodies. It took some time but they cleaned it up rather nicely and its helped the product immensely.

Syracuse is setup perfectly to benefit from these rule changes. It's programs like Pitt, Duke, and Louisville that will have to adjust IF officials ever call the game correctly.

 

[RF2044]

Syracuse is setup perfectly to benefit from these rule changes. It's programs like Pitt, Duke, and Louisville that will have to adjust IF officials ever call the game correctly.

Agree 100%. But that's a big "if" -- the NCAA made those changes a concerted "point of emphasis" two years ago, and then allowed refs to keep calling the games like they used to after the first month of the 2013-2014 season. These changes won't work if the officals aren't held accountable for quality. That's how the NBA made the rule changes "stick" -- they held their refs professionally accountable. That's a lot easier to do when you have 250 refs instead of thousands [like the NCAA].

 

[Cowtown]

If they are going to go with a strict 10 seconds to get over the time line, why not go with the international rule where the clock on an offensive rebound gets set to 20 seconds not 30 because the ball doesn't have come up court?

It's actually fourteen seconds now following an OR.

 

[MSOrange]

If you enforce the actual rules on the defense then good offense should be very hard to stop. As you say its the very nature of the game and college has gotten so far away form it over the years that its painful to watch especially for those of us old enough to remember the 80's or 90's. This phenomenon sort of started with programs (I shall not name names) teaching taking charges/flopping as a legitimate form of defense and then blossomed into programs who taught their teams to play super aggressive physical defense to foul constantly because they won't call them all. (again I shall not name names). Both of these were purposely circumventing the rules and manipulating the system well outside the intended spirit of the rules.

The NBA got into trouble with overly physical defense and allowing players to impede specifically with hands but also bodies. It took some time but they cleaned it up rather nicely and its helped the product immensely.

I sure wouldn't want to name any names either. I'm sure the program names don't rhyme with Puke and Smittsburgh - right?

 

[jordoo]

I sure wouldn't want to name any names either. I'm sure the program names don't rhyme with Puke and Smittsburgh - right?

Well when everyone already knows you say "i won't name names" and make off looking good even though everyone knows exactly who your talking about.

 

[Cowtown]

I think there are three big issues with college basketball that are making it harder and harder to enjoy games.

1) Too many players are going pro too early. It would be one thing if the majority of them made the NBA and became rich and successful. History tells a much darker story. I understand arguments about civil liberties and freedom to make a living, but if you care about the players and what will happen to them years down the road, I think a compromise needs to be reached where if players want to play college ball, they will be ineligible to play pro ball for their first two seasons post high school.

2) There are too many timeouts. This makes it really hard to watch games, especially when you attend in person, where seemingly every time things get exciting and the crowd is going nuts, a timeout is called. And the timeout lasts 5 minutes. Completely drains the excitement, ruins the atmosphere. This has to be changed.

The proposed changes aren't nearly enough but it is a start.

3) IMHO, the worst problem in college basketball today is the way teams are allowed to play defense. The clutching and grabbing, the holding and bumping, all the things that are forcing offenses to stagnant and turn a beautiful game into a ugly rock fight. I can't believe there wasn't a strong attempt to stop this kind of play. I can't believe that there is actually talk of adding a 6th foul.

The stewarts of college basketball have failed the game and are a disgrace.

I agree in principle with everything you've said, however something that needs to be considered is the Big East was the leader of the "thugball" movement at the college level. And after more college coaches began to focus more on strength, power and size, it didn't take long for that to bump down to high schools. And it was done at the expense of skill and teamwork. I don't miss the BE.

I suspect the AAU programs in which winning games takes precedent over skill development have a largely negative effect. This is felt in the recruitment of the type of player can prosper there, but not in the schools.

Mandating a second year after HS "graduation" will eliminate many of the one & done players who never had any intention of going to classes after the first semester. Almost anyone can fake it through three or four classes during a single semester, but getting through a year and a half's worth of academic progress might be something else altogether. Perhaps that will have an impact on player recruitment, meaning more scholarship offered to students who would seriously consider remaining in school and learning, and applying, better skills.

The time-out situation is a double-edged sword. Yes, they drag the games out forever, but that's what advertisers pay for. If you cut down the TO length, you'll cut back revenues. And the NCAA is ALL about revenue.

Changing the focus of officiating to benefit the offensive player will be a longer and more painful process than most fans will be happy with. Face it, referees earn their pay checks on knowing what they won't call. Anyone can just blow his whistle upon seeing any contact, and that will quickly kill the goose that lays the golden egg. You don't need refs to have a free throw contest, and any time gained through more judicious administration of TO's will be more than lost at the foul line. Most fans favor up-tempo games with flow over whistle-fests, and without fans, advertisers have no one to whom they can market their wares.

 

[Cowtown]

I sure wouldn't want to name any names either. I'm sure the program names don't rhyme with Puke and Smittsburgh - right?

You spelled Louisville wrong ...

 

[Briancuse]

I would like to see them change the rule, and let teams advance the ball to midcourt after a timeout in the final minute of the game, like they do in the nba.

 

[FrancoPizza]

There are too many timeouts. This makes it really hard to watch games, especially when you attend in person, where seemingly every time things get exciting and the crowd is going nuts, a timeout is called.

One thing that gets overlooked is strategic impact to the flow of the game. I rarely if ever see a case where one team is out of timeouts before reaching the home stretch. Even if the proposal goes into effect, you're still talking 4 coaching timeouts PLUS an additional 8 media timeouts. The timeout availability should be such that you want to conserve them for critical situations because you don't have an unlimited supply. Teams that jump out to a big lead or capture momentum should be rewarded for causing the opponent to use precious timeouts. As is, there rarely is any impact to the home stretch of a game because both teams have plenty of timeouts to cash in. In addition, if coaches only have 1 timeout remaining in last 5 minutes (as opposed to 3 or 4), that eliminates the excruciating stoppage of play. In a world where ad revenue did not factor in, I would cap the number of coaches' timeouts at 3... with every coaching timeout replacing the next scheduled media timeout regardless of proximity.

 

[Cowtown]

I would like to see them change the rule, and let teams advance the ball to midcourt after a timeout in the final minute of the game, like they do in the nba.

That's already in the HS's and colleges in Canada, where they play FIBA rules. You can do twice in the last two minutes of the second half, assuming you have two time-outs to use for that purpose.

 

[RandygoCuse]

Also it looks like the shot clock will be reduced to 30.

I like these - I hope they can enforce the 2nd point.

 

[IthacaMatt]

Also physicality is being changed.

#1 is the major reason that college basketball has become nearly unwatchable. And it's the simplest "fix" of all.

 

[IthacaMatt]

How will TV respond to losing a minimum of 2 commercial breaks per half in addition to losing others when a TO is called within 30 secs of a TV TO?

They will adjust with slightly longer breaks in order to fit in the same number of commercials.

 

[IthacaMatt]

I think there are three big issues with college basketball that are making it harder and harder to enjoy games.

1) Too many players are going pro too early. It would be one thing if the majority of them made the NBA and became rich and successful. History tells a much darker story. I understand arguments about civil liberties and freedom to make a living, but if you care about the players and what will happen to them years down the road, I think a compromise needs to be reached where if players want to play college ball, they will be ineligible to play pro ball for their first two seasons post high school.

2) There are too many timeouts. This makes it really hard to watch games, especially when you attend in person, where seemingly every time things get exciting and the crowd is going nuts, a timeout is called. And the timeout lasts 5 minutes. Completely drains the excitement, ruins the atmosphere. This has to be changed.

The proposed changes aren't nearly enough but it is a start.

3) IMHO, the worst problem in college basketball today is the way teams are allowed to play defense. The clutching and grabbing, the holding and bumping, all the things that are forcing offenses to stagnant and turn a beautiful game into a ugly rock fight. I can't believe there wasn't a strong attempt to stop this kind of play. I can't believe that there is actually talk of adding a 6th foul.

The stewarts of college basketball have failed the game and are a disgrace.

Great post. Great summary of what is wrong with college basketball, which used to be the best sport of all to watch.

This is why soccer is the future - NO TIMEOUTS. NO COMMERCIALS. Think about that for a minute. 45 minutes running time per half. Fatigue at the end of each half is just like in prize fights - people lose concentration and all that tension and pressure that builds up gets resolved from momentary lapses in concentration.

 

[SBU72]

It's actually fourteen seconds now following an OR.

Yes it is 14 seconds for the international game, but I was talking about the college game. Reset the clock to 20, not 30.

 

[Briancuse]

That's already in the HS's and colleges in Canada, where they play FIBA rules. You can do twice in the last two minutes of the second half, assuming you have two time-outs to use for that purpose.

Which is all the more reason why they should allow it in college bball.