Major rule changes are on the way for both men’s and women’s basketball in the upcoming season, with coaches now able to challenge calls after the NCAA rules panel approved new rules ahead of next season.
In men’s basketball, coaches will now be able to challenge some calls, including reviewing “out-of-bounds calls, basket interference/goaltending and whether a secondary defender was in the restricted-area arc.” Teams will need to use a timeout to challenge. If successful, they’ll be allowed one additional review for the rest of the game, including overtime.
The NCAA said the changes in men’s basketball aim to “enhance the flow of the game.”
Women’s basketball coaches will also be issued a challenge, though their rules are different. Coaches will be able to challenge “ruled out-of-bounds violations; ruled backcourt violations; whether a change in team possession occurred before the ruling of a foul where free throws would be involved; whether a foul was assessed to the correct player.”
In the women’s game, teams will not need to have a timeout to challenge. Instead, a lost challenge will result in a technical foul for “an excessive timeout.”
Officiating across NCAA sports has come under major scrutiny in the last few years, with coaches, players and administrators clamoring for change.
The men’s rules include that officials’ points of emphasis this year will include addressing delay-of-game tactics. They also want to “limit time spent at the monitor, improve game administration and reduce physicality.”
Another rule change in the men’s game: Officials will now have the option to issue a Flagrant 1 foul when a player is fouled with contact to the groin. Previously, any contact to the groin area considered not incidental was automatically issued a Flagrant 2 foul, as happened during the second round of the NCAA Tournament in the BYU-Wisconsin game, when BYU’s Dawson Baker was whistled for a Flagrant 2 and ejected late in the second half. During the regular season last year, Big 12 Player of the Year JT Toppin was also the victim of a Flagrant 2 foul call in Texas Tech’s game at Houston. Toppin was ejected as a result of the call; coach Grant McCasland’s reaction got him ejected, too.
The rules panel also discussed a move to quarters in the men’s game, but did not make any changes. Currently, the men’s college game is the only level of basketball that plays halves instead of quarters. The women’s college game switched to quarters years ago, while both the NBA and international FIBA rules also require quarters. High school games are also played with quarters.
In its release Tuesday, the NCAA said the rules committee has had conversations that included “positive momentum for moving to quarters,” but acknowledged there are “hurdles” when it comes to media timeouts and having enough time allotted for commercials.
The NCAA is recommending that conferences put together a committee to provide feedback on the potential move to quarters and share that feedback by next year.
(Photo: Kirby Lee / Imagn Images)
