CBS Sports college basketball insiders Gary Parrish and Matt Norlander spent a month surveying 100-plus Division I men’s basketball coaches for our annual Candid Coaches series. They polled across the sport’s landscape: some of the biggest names in college basketball, but also small-school assistants in low-major leagues. Coaches agreed to share unfiltered opinions in exchange for anonymity. We asked them 10 questions, and will post the results over a three-week span.
Today’s question is one we’ve come close to asking in the past couple of years. While there is usually a reliable offseason news cycle of rule changes impacting college basketball away from the court, what about the rules inside the lines?
The NCAA Men’s Basketball Rules Committee makes official tweaks every two years (here are the upgrades coming this season), but some argue there’s still plenty of room for Division I men’s college basketball to better its game — and to exercise a bit more expeditiousness in getting there.
This is definitely a topic a lot of coaches have opinions on. So, we thought this would be the right year to ask:
If you could change one on-court rule, what would it be?
Advance the ball in final two minutes (after a team timeout)28%24-second shot clock21%Four quarters20%Instant replay/coaches challenge/improve monitor reviews7%FIBA goaltend rule5%Change the flop technical4%
Also receiving multiple votes: Go to six fouls; reward five-second call for defense; widen the lane; bring back more physicality/hand checking.
Quotes that stood out
Advance ball past half-court after a TO
• “I think it makes games more exciting. It’s more exciting for fans, it gives teams opportunity to execute sideline out-of-bounds sets, puts more pressure for teams on defense. I think it puts a lot more emphasis on late-game execution, where you can get the buzzer-beater the length of the court, but it’s so much more…
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