The NCAA is weighing whether to lengthen the 3-point line, and that could affect a Syracuse basketball team with a ton of long-range shooters.
The Syracuse basketball squad, when its 2019-20 campaign commences, will feature a bevy of 3-points specialists, whether it’s returnees Buddy Boeheim and Elijah Hughes, or incoming freshmen Joseph Girard III and Brycen Goodine. Those SU aces from downtown, as well as others across the country, may have to connect from a bit farther away under a proposal revealed Friday.
The NCAA Men’s Basketball Rules Committee has recommended moving the 3-point line to the international hoops distance of 22 feet, 1.75 inches, which compares to the current college line of 20 feet, 9 inches, according to an NCAA press release.
If this proposed rule change is approved by the Playing Rules Oversight Panel on June 5, it would take effect for the 2019-20 stanza in Division I, and during the 2020-21 term in Divisions II and III, says the announcement.
Committee members recommended this change after they received “positive feedback from the annual rules survey and from coaches whose teams competed in the 2018 and 2019 National Invitation Tournament,” where the international 3-point distance got utilized as an experiment, according to the press statement.
The committee suggests extending the 3-point line for several reasons, such as making the lane more available for drives from the perimeter, slowing the trend of the 3-point shot becoming too frequent, and assisting in offensive spacing by requiring defenses to cover a larger portion of the court.
"“Freedom of movement in the game remains important, and we feel this will open up the game,” said Tad Boyle, the committee’s chair and head coach at Colorado, in the NCAA announcement. “We believe this will remove some of the congestion on the way to the basket.”"
Other recommendations by the committee include resetting the shot clock at 20 seconds after a field-goal attempt hits the rim, and the offensive outfit rebounds the ball in the frontcourt, to help improve the pace of the game. The committee also proposed letting coaches call live-ball timeouts in the final two minutes of the second half and the last two minutes of any overtime sessions. As it stands now, coaches can’t call any live-ball timeouts.
Finally, the committee recommends that, during the final two minutes of the second half or any overtime, instant-replay review may get conducted if a basket interference or goaltending call is made.
My initial thoughts are that these proposed rules changes are logical and should get the green light in early June from the Playing Rules Oversight Panel. I’ve always felt that it didn’t make sense for coaches not to have the ability to call live-ball timeouts. Instant-replay review at the end of games as it pertains to basket interference or goaltending calls is a must.
Moving the 3-point line is also fine, from my perspective, so that collegiate hoops doesn’t just morph into a bunch of heaves from beyond the arc. We’ll, of course, keep a close watch on what transpires with that NCAA panel in a few weeks!