College basketball fans may have noticed the 30-second shot clock in the men's game, dunking in warmups and four 10-minute quarters instead of two 20-minute periods in women's games this season.
Those are just a few of the new NCAA rules this season. J.D. Collins, the NCAA national coordinator of men's basketball officiating, led the effort to speed up and clean up the game.
"I think the game had to change," said Toledo men's coach Tod Kowalczyk, whose team will play in Friday's semifinals at the GCI Great Alaska Shootout. "I think the rule changes are great. It's my hope, my plea, that the referees stick with J.D. Collins' charge and what he is trying to do with his leadership because the game needed to be cleaned up.
"It wasn't basketball anymore, it was a strongman competition."
Among the changes in the men's game:
- A shorter shot clock (30 seconds instead of 35). The last time the shot clock changed was when it went from 45 seconds to 35 in the 1993-94 season.
- One fewer timeout per team in the second half, plus the elimination of media timeouts if a team calls a timeout within 30 seconds of a scheduled or media time out.
- Stricter penalties in perimeter play.
- More freedom of movement for players without the ball.
- No more live-ball timeouts called by coaches.
- Less time to replace a player who fouls out (15 seconds instead of 20).
- The reduction of the restricted-area arc from three feet to four feet (not in effect until 2016-17 for Division II).
- Video review for possible flagrant fouls and penalties for faking fouls.
- Reducing Class B technical fouls (like hanging on the rim) from two foul shots to one shot.
- Eliminating the five-second closely guarded rule while players are dribbling.
- Allowing players to dunk during pregame and halftime warmups.
UAA men's assistant coach Cameron Turner said the new rules on timeouts have required some adjustment for both coaches and referees. Because coaches can't call live timeouts, they have to yell to their players to call timeout on the court. Sometimes the referees hear the coach yelling timeout and inadvertently whistle play dead without hearing it from the player.
He also said the new shot clock has changed strategies for some teams.
"I've noticed that teams are changing defenses probably more than they are in the past," Turner said. "… Instead of slow people down, they burn the clock more with the 30 seconds instead of the 35 seconds, and we do it ourselves, just so they can't run their plays or sets as efficiently. That was a big difference, so we're trying to push the pace a little bit more so we can use the clock."
Among the changes for the women's game:
- Four 10-minute quarters instead of two 20-minute periods
- No one-and-one free throws. Instead, it's a double bonus once a team hits five fouls in a quarter.
- Allowing teams to advance ball to the frontcourt after a basket and timeout in last minute of play.
- Allowing teams to advance ball to the frontcourt after a rebound or change of possession.
- No resetting of the 10-second backcourt count after a stoppage of play.
- Allowing a post defender to place a forearm on the ball handler if her back is to the basket.
- Similar timeout/media timeout changes to the mens games.
UAA women's coach Ryan McCarthy said one rule that has benefitted the Seawolves is the 10-second backcourt rule and the timeout rules. The Seawolves often use a press defense, so now opposing teams can't be bailed out of a backcourt violation by calling timeout.
He also said the reduction in timeouts helps the Seawolves use their deep bench to wear down opponents, who now have fewer timeouts to catch their breath.
"We always use the term, 'The hay's in the barn,' " McCarthy said. "We did our work in practice and I don't have anything to say to them in a timeout unless I'm angry or we need to bail them out of a possession."
Western Kentucky women's coach Michelle Clark-Heard said the change to quarters brings the college game in line with the WNBA and high schools.
"I think the rules they're trying, especially with the going to the quarters, they're just trying to make sure across the board that everyone is doing the same thing," Clark-Heard said. "You adjust and adapt to all the different rules."