NCAA approves new 3-point line, basket interference review and more

College basketball is officially changing the 3-point line.

On Wednesday, the NCAA approved moving the 3-point line to the international basketball distance of 22 feet, 1¾ inches in men’s basketball. The rule will be effective for the 2019-20 season in Division I.

The NCAA rules panel committee cited the following reasons for why the line is being extended:

• Making the lane more available for dribble/drive plays from the perimeter.
• Slowing the trend of the 3-point shot becoming too prevalent in men’s college basketball by making the shot a bit more challenging, while at the same time keeping the shot an integral part of the game.
• Assisting in offensive spacing by requiring the defense to cover more of the court.

This isn’t the only big change that was made. The panel also approved resetting the shot clock at 20 seconds after a field goal attempt hits the rim and the offensive team rebounds the ball in the frontcourt.

The change is being made to enhance the pace of the game. The committee decided a full 30-second shot clock is not needed because the offensive team is already in the frontcourt after securing the rebound.

The panel also approved a proposal where players will be assessed a technical foul should they use derogatory language about an opponent’s race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, gender, gender expression, gender identify, sexual orientation or disability.

Another rule change is that coaches are now allowed to call live-ball timeouts in the last two minutes of the second half and the last two minutes of any overtime periods. Previously, coaches weren’t allowed to call any live-ball timeouts during the game.

in addition, instant replay review can be conducted if a basket interference or goaltending call has been made in the last two minutes of the second half or the last two minutes of any overtime.

What are your thoughts on the NCAA’s new rules?