In a sensible decision that benefits Syracuse basketball and others, officials may use instant replay when a shot-clock violation is inaccurately called.
In a move that Syracuse basketball and other squads should welcome, the NCAA has announced that its playing rules oversight panel has approved allowing officials to utilize instant replay reviews in situations where they call a possession dead due to a shot-clock violation.
According to an NCAA press release, if an official sees on a video review that a shot-clock violation was called in error and the field-goal attempt was made, the call will get reversed and the shot will count.
This rule is being made effective for the upcoming 2020-21 campaign, per the statement.
In prior circumstances like this, officials didn’t have an occasion to correct the call using video review, because as soon as officials whistled a possession dead due to a shot-clock violation, it didn’t ultimately matter if the ball went through the hoop or not.
This is a totally logical and warranted move by the NCAA, because an error like this could result in a pivotal game-winning, or game-losing, field goal getting wiped away unfairly.
When officials make calls surrounding shot-clock violations, they are split-second decisions. Officials are human beings and make mistakes like all of us, so they should have the chance to rely on video review in these sorts of scenarios to ensure that the correct calls are made.
Syracuse basketball will also keep an eye on the expansion of a rules change regarding the shot-clock reset.
Additionally, last year a rules change made it so that the shot clock got reset to 20 seconds, and not 30 seconds, after an offensive rebound to increase the pace of play.
The NCAA panel approved expanding this rule so that during most instances when the offense keeps possession of the ball for a throw-in within the frontcourt, the shot clock will reset to 20 seconds or the time remaining, whichever is greater.
However, the panel says that when there is a change of possession in the backcourt and the ball remains live, the shot clock would reset to 30 seconds. Also, if the throw-in position is in the backcourt, the shot clock will reset to 30 seconds.