The NCAA made a bunch of rule changes Monday, including dropping the shot clock from 35 seconds to 30 seconds.
Jim Boeheim has long been a proponent of a shorter shot clock in college basketball. At 35 seconds since 1993, Boeheim has called for it to be shortened all the way down to 24 seconds in order to speed up play and increase scoring. He'll just have to settle for meeting them almost half way.
OFFICIAL! 30-sec shot clock, 4-foot arc, reduction in time outs among changes coming to men's basketball next season. pic.twitter.com/qgLqt0BS6D
— NCAA March Madness (@marchmadness) June 8, 2015
Last year, the scoring average for a men's college game was 67.6, the third-lowest since 1952. Less time to shoot is a big advantage to Syracuse's 2-3 zone, which is all about stifling shooters and disrupting offenses.
Some of the other changes, also meant to speed up the game, include:
- One less second-half timeout and coaches no longer have ability to stop play from sidelines during a live ball situation. The players actually have to play to determine the outcome of the game.
- A focus on reigning in physicality in the post, focus on getting blocks/charges correct and requiring screeners to be stationary when setting a screen. Good luck with that.
- Allowing the player with the ball more freedom of movement.
