If you could change one thing

[MUMac]

O k, you are now the head of the rules committee. If you could change one thing, in college basketball, what would that be?

To me, I would do away with the secondary defender blocking/charging call. I would make that a defensive foul. It would take away one of the more subjective, and frequently contentious, parts of the officiating and would eliminate violent collisions.

[MayorBeluga]

The two stupidest rules:

1. 30 seconds to sub in a player to replace a player who has fouled out. Why give a free timeout?
2. Calling timeouts while the ball is in play. Too often it allows a player to avoid the consequences of his own actions.

[Markedman]

I would adopt the NBA timeout rule where you can move the ball to half court at the end of the game. I think it would add more excitement to end of game situations.

[bleedbluegold03]

I would either bring down the shot clock to 25 or 30 seconds to speed up late or make it that if someone is fouled on a shot and makes both free throws the distributor gets an assist and it Doesn't get counted as an incompletion

[Alan Bykowski, "brewcity77"]

First I would get rid of the rule that resets the 10-second clock on a timeout. If you have to call timeout because you can't get it across half court in the first 9 seconds, you don't deserve 10 more because you called a TO.

Second I would allow players to be paid. Not a lot, but maybe $1,000 each for all scholarship athletes. Enough so Juan Anderson can buy his own Brewers tickets.

Third, I'd review the ridiculous recruiting regulations. Bagels get cream cheese, dammit!

[ValiantSailor]

Third, I'd review the ridiculous recruiting regulations. Bagels get cream cheese, dammit!

Along those lines, I'd give schools the authority to admit student-athletes. If the school is found cheating, then penalties would apply. But stop the practice of treating student-athletes as unqualified until the clearing house says otherwise.

VS

[Markedman]

I thought of another one.....If one team has possession and it ends up being a jump ball I would automatically give the ball to the defensive team as a reward for forcing the tie up as opposed to using the alternate possession.

Alternate possession would only apply for tie ups after shot attempts when there is no possession and at halftime. I'm sure there would be some grey areas to work out but the point is obviously not to give the ball back to the offense when the defense makes a great play.

[BLT]

Adopt defensive three seconds

[TheSultan]

2. Calling timeouts while the ball is in play. Too often it allows a player to avoid the consequences of his own actions.

100 times yes. This is a case where the FIBA rules are better than the American ones.

[MUBasketball]

I would adopt the NBA timeout rule where you can move the ball to half court at the end of the game. I think it would add more excitement to end of game situations.
Absolutely not. I hate that rule and never understood it. Why in the world should a team get the ball at center court without advancing it there?

[Nukem2]

Absolutely not. I hate that rule and never understood it. Why in the world should a team get the ball at center court without advancing it there?
Yep, that's a crazy rule.....

[2012Warrior]

As an MU fan, we need game tying shots to be as tough as possible. It feels like we are victim to much higher than the national average. Granted I only live and die with MU, so may be biased.

[IWB]

Good God, a thread on what to change? In other words, what Irritates the White Boy?

Let me just start with jump balls. How about we just go back to jump balls? I remember when they started that rule, they did because teams without a 7 footer were at a disadvantage. So what? You are at a disadvantage? Go out and recruit a 7 footer. Doesn't really matter other than the start of both halves.

The other part of 'tie-ups' that bothers me is the assaults that go on. One guy gets a loose ball on the floor, and it is perfectly fine for 2-3 guys to run in and dive on top of him. Yet its a jump ball. How about body contact? How about a reach in with a slap on the arm? Just because the player is on the floor, doesn't mean he can't be fouled. It is basketball's version of a fumble in the NFL. There was a fumble? 8 guys are in a pile? No problem, allow six more to dive on top with no regard to player safety whatsoever.

How about we move on to the hand-checks? Now I don't think a ball handler should be molested out on the perimeter by any means, but why is it that guys can fight to the death down low, yet - simply put a hand on a guy out on the perimeter and its a foul. Ease up on the hand-check fouls.

The double technical. It is almost a given then when two players either get into an altercation or come close to getting into an altercation, they will issue a double T. Case in point against Cincy - Player puts his forearm into Davante's face, and pushes him all the way back until he falls. Davante gets up pissed, but they are separated and go to the video review. Upon review they issue the Cincy player a foul, and the old double technical because they both swore. Really? A double T for swearing?

Agree with Brew above, if you are down to 8 seconds without getting the ball across half court, a timeout should not reset the count. Maybe reset at 5 if anything, but a new 10 should not be awarded.

[Mucrisco]

O k, you are now the head of the rules committee. If you could change one thing, in college basketball, what would that be?

To me, I would do away with the secondary defender blocking/charging call. I would make that a defensive foul. It would take away one of the more subjective, and frequently contentious, parts of the officiating and would eliminate violent collisions.

So, each time a ballhandler is out of control, and runs a guy over, you want that to be a defensive foul?

[Nukem2]

Giving timeouts to a team when the ball is loose in a scramble...don't get that.

[Mucrisco]

I agree with the jump ball and the ten second comments. I would change the five second dribbling rule. I liked how they called it the old way. Now, it's too easy to get separation and resetting that five seconds.

[MUfan12]

The double technical. It is almost a given then when two players either get into an altercation or come close to getting into an altercation, they will issue a double T. Case in point against Cincy - Player puts his forearm into Davante's face, and pushes him all the way back until he falls. Davante gets up pissed, but they are separated and go to the video review. Upon review they issue the Cincy player a foul, and the old double technical because they both swore. Really? A double T for swearing?

Side bonus: Pat Driscoll would have to resign.

[MUMac]

So, each time a ballhandler is out of control, and runs a guy over, you want that to be a defensive foul?

I said on a secondary defender. Those that are planted. It used to have been called that way. I am not a can of the blocking/charging as it is.

[Mucrisco]

What do you mean by secondary defender? Is that the help defense? So, if a guy's defender is beaten, then that help defender can't draw a charge?

[MUBB713]

I think they should have the NFL rule with coaches challenges. Mick Cronin made the refs look at the shot clock to see if it should reset. Cronin was wrong but it still gave him a timeout to set something up which they darn near capitalized on. Since he was wrong, Cincy should have been charged a timeout.

[TheSultan]

I agree with the jump ball and the ten second comments. I would change the five second dribbling rule. I liked how they called it the old way. Now, it's too easy to get separation and resetting that five seconds.


I like the "pick up" rule that defense gets the tied up ball. Honestly, I don't know why it hasn't been implemented.

[MUMac]

What do you mean by secondary defender? Is that the help defense? So, if a guy's defender is beaten, then that help defender can't draw a charge?

Secondary defender was the term used for the dotted semi-circle under the hoop. So, yes, it would be the help defender.

[Markedman]

When a foul is committed in the half court only resetting the shot clock to 25 seconds instead of 35 since you don't need the 10 seconds to bring it accross half court and get into your offense.

[Mucrisco]

Secondary defender was the term used for the dotted semi-circle under the hoop. So, yes, it would be the help defender.

So, if the on the ball defender is beat, the only way to stop him is to get a steal or block their shot? When I coach my guys, I tell them to create contact on their drives. Run a guy over if you have to. They hardly ever call a charge. If a guy takes a charge, good for that guy. At least, we are being aggressive. With the way you want it, if you don't even give the defense a chance to draw a charge, I tell my guys to run them over, every single time. Why stop your dribble when it's for sure going to be a defensive foul, even if he has position. In my opinion that is either going to cause more violent collisions, or there will be matador defense, because they defense has to get out of the way, or he will be called for a foul. Our girl's team also brings out the football blocking pads, because they are taught to create contact. I'm surprised the rule was called that way, back in the day, because that is really unfair to the defense. Now, good defense is playing with your feet, using full body help, and building a wall to kill the dribble. Playing with your hands is lazy defense. If you take away the charging rule, playing defense with your feet is no longer good defense, because when you come and help, you are going to get a foul called on you, and you will be sitting on the bench with too many fouls. So, you have to gamble and go for steals and blocks. No wonder why they didn't play defense, back in the day.

[MUfan12]

I'd love for them to adopt the NBA rules for media timeouts. If a team takes a TO in the window, that should count as the media timeout.

[MKE_GoldenEagleFan]

I say reduce the number of timeouts per side, that will increase the pace of the game a bit more, as well as shorten the shot clock down from 35 secs to maybe 25-30... Doesn't have to go all the way down to the NBA 24 but some of these games where teams aren't breaking 50 is tough to watch... Create a few more possessions and let them go at it.

[Alan Bykowski, "brewcity77"]

I like the shot clock where it's at. I feel like college ball has more options for strategy than the NBA, where much of it (though not all) is simply the team with the best players wins. The Princeton offense or Bo Ryan's style may not be as appealing on the eyes, but those styles are what help lead to some of the outrageous upsets we see in March. Slowing the pace and limiting the number of possessions can help a minnow take down a giant, and that's a good thing for the game.

And for anyone who hasn't noticed, we've been playing a lot slower this year. Much as people might like to say otherwise, it's not just playing against Big East teams. Our pace has slowed in the past few games despite playing teams like Cincy and Seton Hall that have played at a faster pace than we have throughout the season. With a coach like Buzz, I want as many strategic options as possible because he's so good at adjusting his system to fit the players he has.

Interesting fact...right now the fastest paced team in the Big East (and the country) is DePaul at over 75 possessions per game. By comparison, Marquette is averaging 65.6 possessions per game, almost 5 fewer per game than last year and our slowest since the 2009-10 Lazar and the Midgets team. One more reason I love Buzz...he knows how to tailor every detail to his roster's advantage.

[Nukem2]

I like the shot clock where it's at. I feel like college ball has more options for strategy than the NBA, where much of it (though not all) is simply the team with the best players wins. The Princeton offense or Bo Ryan's style may not be as appealing on the eyes, but those styles are what help lead to some of the outrageous upsets we see in March. Slowing the pace and limiting the number of possessions can help a minnow take down a giant, and that's a good thing for the game.

And for anyone who hasn't noticed, we've been playing a lot slower this year. Much as people might like to say otherwise, it's not just playing against Big East teams. Our pace has slowed in the past few games despite playing teams like Cincy and Seton Hall that have played at a faster pace than we have throughout the season. With a coach like Buzz, I want as many strategic options as possible because he's so good at adjusting his system to fit the players he has.

Interesting fact...right now the fastest paced team in the Big East (and the country) is DePaul at over 75 possessions per game. By comparison, Marquette is averaging 65.6 possessions per game, almost 5 fewer per game than last year and our slowest since the 2009-10 Lazar and the Midgets team. One more reason I love Buzz...he knows how to tailor every detail to his roster's advantage.Of course, playing against zones game after game has a lot to doe with the "slower" pace and fewer possession...? Similar to yesterday's Cuse/Cincy game when both teams played zone. Game was actually very hectic and fast-paced, but the zones dictated a lower score and fewer possessions.