As area men’s college basketball teams open their seasons Friday night, change is afoot. The NCAA men’s basketball rules committee has adopted new rules and points of emphasis as it continues to try to increase “freedom of movement” in the college game, pick up the pace of play and reduce physicality: in other words, make the game a little prettier to watch.
The impetus for change came after scoring in men’s basketball dropped to 67.6 points per game last season, its lowest average in almost 25 years. But in many ways, this is another attempt to do what the rules committed tried in 2013-14.