Let Them Play! NCAA College Basketball"s New Foul Rules From A Fan"s Perspective
Let Them Play! Last night, I was able to attend a Butler Bulldogs vs.
Princeton Tigers Men's Basketball game at historical Hinkle Fieldhouse on the Butler campus, an outstanding place to watch a game, a cozy 10,000 seats close to the action, amidst some of the beautiful original 1928 architectural features, which are still visible--Hinkle Fieldhouse, when built, being the largest basketball arena in the world...
and though it was a well played game, the new interpretation of the foul rules got in the way of the game being truly enjoyable.
Excited to see the Princeton offense in action, Butler, for the most part, still well prepared and well coached by new Butler coach, and Brad Stevens heir, Brandon Miller, shut down the Princeton back cuts early forcing Princeton to shoot three pointers in the first half, and then, after a halftime adjustment, clear space for its players to attack Butler and the basket one-on-one, which, under this new interpretation of the foul rules, aka "all hands off," caused foul, after foul, after foul, and turned the game into a ticky-tack foul shooting contest as Princeton would go to the foul line, and then go to the foul line again, and then Butler would receive a make-up call, and back, and back, and forth it went.
By games end, Princeton had shot 37 free throws, the most free throw attempts Princeton had taken since the Tigers shot 40 free throws against Columbia in February of 2005...
with, what was potentially a well-played game by Butler, and what should have been an easier Butler victory, dragging on via the free throw to eventually create an opportunity for Princeton to tie the game with under ten seconds to go.
Butler pulled out the 70-67 win but the most noticeable team in the game was not Butler, nor Princeton, but the referees.
While the NCAA did not directly change any rules on fouls on the books, here are the major changes or "points of emphasis" referees will look for this college basketball season: (Note: The NCAA also changed the wording on the block/charge offensive foul call, which is a welcome change, hopefully eliminating the defensive flop which had become too prevalent a defensive tactic in the college game.
The new wording says that a defender must be in a "legal guarding position" when a player begins his upward motion to pass or shoot...
so basically the defensive player has to be in a defensive position earlier than last year to get a charge call).
Fouls Now Should Be Called When...
1) When a defensive player keeps a hand or forearm on an opponent.
2) When a defensive player puts two hands on an opponent.
3) When a defensive player continually jabs by extending his arm or arms-placing a hand or forearm on the opponent.
4) When a defensive player uses an arm bar to impede the progress of an opponent.
What does this cause? Well, from what I saw last night at historic Hinkle Fieldhouse...
1) Quick whistles on any one-on-one defender.
2) Whistles stopping play just as the play gets going as offensive players try to cut and get around screens.
3) The defense packing in the lane and only allowing open three point shots.
4) Quick whistles when any big man is going up for a shot with two or more defenders around him.
5) Importantly, no flow to the game.
6) The home crowd's energy being sapped by continual stoppages of play.
(I saw some yawns in the crowd which made me yawn as well...
it being contagious).
7) Players on both sides becoming frustrated.
8) An unintended affect-and for as long as I have been watching college basketball this has always been present, of the referees calling more fouls in the team which is behind's favor, which, at least in this game, seemed to cause the better team on the court, Butler, to, though playing better and being the better team on this night, to not be able to pull away as much as they should have been.
(Note: ESPN commentator Jay Bilas, in #2 Michigan State's 78-74 victory over # 1 Kentucky, continually commenting that Michigan State should be up by much more than they were and comments from Adreian Payne and Matt Costello after the game).
The NCAA stated need for these new foul interpretations, allegedly, was that scoring in college basketball was at an all-time modern era low last season.
The idea and ideal, allegedly, behind these new rule interpretations also being that by calling these fouls this would increase the flow, movement,and athletic artistry of the college game.
The first problem I have with this NCAA idea is the perceived need for more scoring, and that there is a continued idea in all of American sporting world that "more scoring" makes the game more entertaining.
My second issue with this NCAA idea and ideal is that some of the best and most entertaining basketball games I have ever watched were the hard fought, scrappy battles where every basket made was magnified.
I believe the NCAA looks at last year's NCAA Championship Game between Louisville and Michigan as the ideal high scoring and entertaining affair, an 82-76 final score, but that their viewing of that game as an ideal college basketball game fails to see that the score was not created by fouls or lack of fouls but by the unique styles of each team which made for the more open and higher scoring match-up, to include: 1) Louisville's press, when effective, creates high quality offensive opportunities.
2) Louisville's press defense, once broken, leaves open space for the offense to operate if done quickly.
3) John Beilein's system encourages the taking of high quality shots.
4) Trey Burke was playing and was the best player in college basketball last season.
5) Neither team had a truly dominant big man who could affect the other team's shots.
6) Spike Albrecht, who averaged 2.
2 points per game last season, hit 4 three-pointers and scored 17 points in the first half.
7) The only limiting factor on offense for either team was Louisville's Russ Smith, whose selfish, low-quality shot selection, Smith finished 3 for 16 from the field, was Louisville's only, and the games only offensive hindrance.
Important to note is that in this very entertaining Championship Game, fouls and free throws had very little to do with the entertainment value of the game, rather it was the team's complimenting styles, lack of dominate big men, strong offensive strategies, and one player, Albrecht, going insane, which made the game so highly entertaining.
From what I saw last night at Hinkle Fieldhouse, the NCAA has chosen the wrong route to open up the game, increase scoring, and make the game more entertaining, and that, by their decision to reinterpret foul calls--it seems to me as though they don't understand the game they govern over very well, or, the reasons why college basketball flow has decreased.
If they truly want to increase the flow of the game, open up space, and increase scoring (although free throws falsely increase scoring) foul calls are not the way to do it.
One practical solution would be to reduce the shot clock to 30 or even 28 seconds, which would give those ball control teams a little more time to have the ball and control tempo, allow teams enough time to get and create quality offensive opportunities, and would increase the number of shots taken per game.
Though it would never be changed now, as the rise of the games mass popularity has coincided with the inception of the three point shot...
the best way to increase flow of the game would be to eliminate the three pointer as players would have to learn how to run lanes properly on the fast break and wouldn't be found in predictable areas on the court while playing offense for defenders to pick up.
Though this would never happen now, the three point shot has, over the years, become part of the problem for the flow of the game.
Note, it was the era of player who did not grow up with the three point shot as part of their game, i.
e.
Magic, Bird, Jordan, and so players who had to be stronger in the offensive fundamentals of the game, (which did not include excessively practicing three pointers), which brought college basketball into the era of popularity it holds today and also took the NBA to its best level of play in its history despite the most physical defenses the game has ever known in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Of course, in time, college players will adjust in part to these new foul call interpretations and find new ways to limit offensive player mobility by getting in their way and standing in front of them, and in the present, coaches will design more zone defenses to protect their players from fouls (and so increase three point attempts) but this doesn't make the game of basketball more watchable.
So instead of increasing the number of fouls, after watching last night's game at Hinkle Arena, it seems to me that the NCAA should be more realistic, accept the game as it currently is--the current skill level of players, the current physicality and improved strength of players since the members of the NCAA board and the coaches making these decisions used to play or started watching the game, and take into account the college game's current popularity, and rather than changing the game, it's enjoyability, and possible game outcomes in order to give us what they perceive we want, while staying within the rules, go back to how the referees were calling the game last year with the improved way of determining offensive fouls and, frankly, just let them play!
Princeton Tigers Men's Basketball game at historical Hinkle Fieldhouse on the Butler campus, an outstanding place to watch a game, a cozy 10,000 seats close to the action, amidst some of the beautiful original 1928 architectural features, which are still visible--Hinkle Fieldhouse, when built, being the largest basketball arena in the world...
and though it was a well played game, the new interpretation of the foul rules got in the way of the game being truly enjoyable.
Excited to see the Princeton offense in action, Butler, for the most part, still well prepared and well coached by new Butler coach, and Brad Stevens heir, Brandon Miller, shut down the Princeton back cuts early forcing Princeton to shoot three pointers in the first half, and then, after a halftime adjustment, clear space for its players to attack Butler and the basket one-on-one, which, under this new interpretation of the foul rules, aka "all hands off," caused foul, after foul, after foul, and turned the game into a ticky-tack foul shooting contest as Princeton would go to the foul line, and then go to the foul line again, and then Butler would receive a make-up call, and back, and back, and forth it went.
By games end, Princeton had shot 37 free throws, the most free throw attempts Princeton had taken since the Tigers shot 40 free throws against Columbia in February of 2005...
with, what was potentially a well-played game by Butler, and what should have been an easier Butler victory, dragging on via the free throw to eventually create an opportunity for Princeton to tie the game with under ten seconds to go.
Butler pulled out the 70-67 win but the most noticeable team in the game was not Butler, nor Princeton, but the referees.
While the NCAA did not directly change any rules on fouls on the books, here are the major changes or "points of emphasis" referees will look for this college basketball season: (Note: The NCAA also changed the wording on the block/charge offensive foul call, which is a welcome change, hopefully eliminating the defensive flop which had become too prevalent a defensive tactic in the college game.
The new wording says that a defender must be in a "legal guarding position" when a player begins his upward motion to pass or shoot...
so basically the defensive player has to be in a defensive position earlier than last year to get a charge call).
Fouls Now Should Be Called When...
1) When a defensive player keeps a hand or forearm on an opponent.
2) When a defensive player puts two hands on an opponent.
3) When a defensive player continually jabs by extending his arm or arms-placing a hand or forearm on the opponent.
4) When a defensive player uses an arm bar to impede the progress of an opponent.
What does this cause? Well, from what I saw last night at historic Hinkle Fieldhouse...
1) Quick whistles on any one-on-one defender.
2) Whistles stopping play just as the play gets going as offensive players try to cut and get around screens.
3) The defense packing in the lane and only allowing open three point shots.
4) Quick whistles when any big man is going up for a shot with two or more defenders around him.
5) Importantly, no flow to the game.
6) The home crowd's energy being sapped by continual stoppages of play.
(I saw some yawns in the crowd which made me yawn as well...
it being contagious).
7) Players on both sides becoming frustrated.
8) An unintended affect-and for as long as I have been watching college basketball this has always been present, of the referees calling more fouls in the team which is behind's favor, which, at least in this game, seemed to cause the better team on the court, Butler, to, though playing better and being the better team on this night, to not be able to pull away as much as they should have been.
(Note: ESPN commentator Jay Bilas, in #2 Michigan State's 78-74 victory over # 1 Kentucky, continually commenting that Michigan State should be up by much more than they were and comments from Adreian Payne and Matt Costello after the game).
The NCAA stated need for these new foul interpretations, allegedly, was that scoring in college basketball was at an all-time modern era low last season.
The idea and ideal, allegedly, behind these new rule interpretations also being that by calling these fouls this would increase the flow, movement,and athletic artistry of the college game.
The first problem I have with this NCAA idea is the perceived need for more scoring, and that there is a continued idea in all of American sporting world that "more scoring" makes the game more entertaining.
My second issue with this NCAA idea and ideal is that some of the best and most entertaining basketball games I have ever watched were the hard fought, scrappy battles where every basket made was magnified.
I believe the NCAA looks at last year's NCAA Championship Game between Louisville and Michigan as the ideal high scoring and entertaining affair, an 82-76 final score, but that their viewing of that game as an ideal college basketball game fails to see that the score was not created by fouls or lack of fouls but by the unique styles of each team which made for the more open and higher scoring match-up, to include: 1) Louisville's press, when effective, creates high quality offensive opportunities.
2) Louisville's press defense, once broken, leaves open space for the offense to operate if done quickly.
3) John Beilein's system encourages the taking of high quality shots.
4) Trey Burke was playing and was the best player in college basketball last season.
5) Neither team had a truly dominant big man who could affect the other team's shots.
6) Spike Albrecht, who averaged 2.
2 points per game last season, hit 4 three-pointers and scored 17 points in the first half.
7) The only limiting factor on offense for either team was Louisville's Russ Smith, whose selfish, low-quality shot selection, Smith finished 3 for 16 from the field, was Louisville's only, and the games only offensive hindrance.
Important to note is that in this very entertaining Championship Game, fouls and free throws had very little to do with the entertainment value of the game, rather it was the team's complimenting styles, lack of dominate big men, strong offensive strategies, and one player, Albrecht, going insane, which made the game so highly entertaining.
From what I saw last night at Hinkle Fieldhouse, the NCAA has chosen the wrong route to open up the game, increase scoring, and make the game more entertaining, and that, by their decision to reinterpret foul calls--it seems to me as though they don't understand the game they govern over very well, or, the reasons why college basketball flow has decreased.
If they truly want to increase the flow of the game, open up space, and increase scoring (although free throws falsely increase scoring) foul calls are not the way to do it.
One practical solution would be to reduce the shot clock to 30 or even 28 seconds, which would give those ball control teams a little more time to have the ball and control tempo, allow teams enough time to get and create quality offensive opportunities, and would increase the number of shots taken per game.
Though it would never be changed now, as the rise of the games mass popularity has coincided with the inception of the three point shot...
the best way to increase flow of the game would be to eliminate the three pointer as players would have to learn how to run lanes properly on the fast break and wouldn't be found in predictable areas on the court while playing offense for defenders to pick up.
Though this would never happen now, the three point shot has, over the years, become part of the problem for the flow of the game.
Note, it was the era of player who did not grow up with the three point shot as part of their game, i.
e.
Magic, Bird, Jordan, and so players who had to be stronger in the offensive fundamentals of the game, (which did not include excessively practicing three pointers), which brought college basketball into the era of popularity it holds today and also took the NBA to its best level of play in its history despite the most physical defenses the game has ever known in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Of course, in time, college players will adjust in part to these new foul call interpretations and find new ways to limit offensive player mobility by getting in their way and standing in front of them, and in the present, coaches will design more zone defenses to protect their players from fouls (and so increase three point attempts) but this doesn't make the game of basketball more watchable.
So instead of increasing the number of fouls, after watching last night's game at Hinkle Arena, it seems to me that the NCAA should be more realistic, accept the game as it currently is--the current skill level of players, the current physicality and improved strength of players since the members of the NCAA board and the coaches making these decisions used to play or started watching the game, and take into account the college game's current popularity, and rather than changing the game, it's enjoyability, and possible game outcomes in order to give us what they perceive we want, while staying within the rules, go back to how the referees were calling the game last year with the improved way of determining offensive fouls and, frankly, just let them play!