NCAA Proposes Changes To Men’s Basketball Rules Including Less Timeouts and Shorter Shot Clock

The NCAA could be making some historic changes to college basketball in the near future and though it does not involve the end of the “one-and-done” phenomena, it looks like we will see a new style of play very soon. Today the NCAA Men’s basketball rules committee released several ground-breaking proposals that could change DIvision I hoops as we know it.

The NCAA has been making amendments to the game for years, but what is eye-opening about the proposed changes by the rules committee is not just the nature of the changes, but the quantity as well.

Here are the proposed rule changes the NCAA plans to make:

• Number of timeouts reduced from 5 to 4. No more than 3 carried over to the second half.
• Resuming play after a time-out will have stricter enforcement.
• Timeouts occurring 30 seconds before a planned media timeout will become the media timeout except for the first team timeout of the second half.
• Defensive rules will have strict enforcement.
• Players on offense will have the same “principles of verticality protection” as players on defense.
• Restricted-area arc will move from 3 to 4 feet.
• Reduction of shot clock to 30 seconds.
• Eliminating coach-called live ball timeouts. The back court 10 second count will not reset for a timeout.
• Technical foul for hanging on the rim reduced from 2 shots to 1.
• 5-second closely guarded rule would be eliminated.
• Pre-game dunking will be allowed in warm-ups.

UCLA Bruins

Whether it is one or all of these rules becoming official, each proposal needs to be approved by the Playing Rules Oversight Panel which will happen on June 8.

Wow. This is a lot of proposed change.

This is not just a few rules that would enhance part of the game, this is a lot alterations that will change the game as we know it. What this seems to be is a whole-sale change in structure, which is not bad. If anything, it is making the game a lot more similar to that of the NBA, which would help a lot of student-athletes better prepare for a jump to the pros.

If these rules are approved, getting players ready for the next part of their lives with a career in basketball is good for them, but it is unknown of this will help the struggling game of college basketball.

Yes, these proposals should make the game a lot more entertaining, but will it be enough to bring the game back from mediocrity? I believe that is the direction the NCAA is hoping to go with these rule changes, but if they really want to make college basketball a household name again, they need to address the “one-and-done” players before anything else.