In an attempt to fix the pacing of the game, the NCAA approved a change from two 20-minute halves to four 10-minute quarters starting this upcoming season for the women.
“They’ve been debating them for a couple of years now, so I knew something was going to change,” UNM head coach Yvonne Sanchez said. “I really like it. It gets us more toward more global basketball. In FIBA rules (for international play), it’s four quarters.”
The timeout situation has also changed: Teams will now have just four timeouts (three 30-second timeouts and one 60-second timeout) per game.
Media timeouts will happen just once every quarter. The timeout will occur at the first dead ball or below the five-minute mark of every quarter. However, if a team calls a timeout before the five-minute mark, that will be treated as a media timeout.
“I just think the game will flow a little bit better,” Sanchez said. “If you have a running team, the opposing coach might have to call a timeout to see what happens. I think it’s going to be a lot of fun.”
Another NCAA rule change allows teams to advance the ball to the frontcourt following a timeout after a made basket in the last minute of the fourth quarter and overtime.
Sanchez said it will take time to get accustomed to the new rules.
“I don’t think they’ll be much,” Sanchez said. “The biggest adjustment period will be hopefully advancing the ball. You have to get your out-of-bounds plays in order. I don’t know what other adjustments there will be until we start playing.”
Men’s basketball
The men’s game also saw a significant rule alteration, as the shot clock was changed from 35 to 30 seconds. The last time the shot clock was reduced was in the 1993-94 season, when it fell from 45 to 35 seconds.
Last year, scoring was at an historic all-time low in Division I men’s basketball. Teams averaged 67.6 points per game — the third-lowest since 1952, according to Sports Illustrated’s Brian Hamilton.
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“The decision to change the shot clock was to improve scoring and pace of play, but we will have to see if it actually achieves those goals,” UNM head coach Craig Neal said. “I think teams could play more zone because of it, so we will have to wait to judge its effect on scoring and pace of play.”
In the second half of games, teams will also have one fewer team timeout. Officials will also try to resume play quickly following timeouts.
The restricted-area arc will expand from three feet to four feet this upcoming season. The NCAA wants to limit the number of collisions at the basket.
Thomas Romero-Salas is the sports editor for the Daily Lobo. He can be reached at sports@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @ThomasRomeroS.
