Just give basketball players a sixth foul, period.
The proposed new rules for college basketball are a bit confusing, except for assessing a technical foul for flopping. If this was put in 30 years ago, Duke would not have become the flop-kings that changed the game since everyone copied the Blue Devils back then.
It’s still a judgment call, but the rules committee will experiment with making a flop on defense a one-shot free throw for the other team. The technical will not count as a personal foul, since presumably whoever flops would also be called for a block. Right?
Another rules change would help speed the game and eliminate the irritating timeout called by a coach or player only to be followed by a mandated TV timeout at the next whistle. Any TO called before the 16-, 12-, 8-, or 4-minute marks will also serve as TV breaks, although it’s unclear whether that will count toward the five-timeout limit for each team.
Allowing coaches to use technology for stats on the bench isn’t much different from having a computer nearby at the scorer’s table, where sports information personnel can inform assistant coaches. And showing tenth of seconds on the shot clock might help get it right.
Allowing players to have a sixth foul is a good idea, but not the way it’s proposed. The rule would be as follows:
“Under the experimental rule, any player called for four personal fouls in one half would be disqualified from playing the rest of the game. For example, a player who picks up four fouls in the first half would have to sit out the rest of the game. If a player has one foul in the first half, he would be disqualified after picking up four in the second half. If a player has three fouls in the first half, he would be disqualified after being called for three fouls in the second half.”
Not often, but sometimes coaches leave a player in with three fouls for key possession. But they can’t risk that under this rule. I remember one game when Dean Smith left Brian Reese in with three fouls in the first half and then Reese got his fourth.
I have always liked the idea of six fouls, as they have in the 48-minute NBA games. But I would like to see one tweak that would be easier to understand. The limit remains five fouls during regulation. But in overtime, the foul limit bumps up to six. The game will be 5 minutes – and one foul – longer for the players. It makes more sense.
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