Basketball Lawyers: Didn't The Rules Re No-Charging Arc Change This Year?

[JoePgh]

I attended the exhibition game this afternoon (11/4), and I noticed that the "arc" under the basket where (generally) no charging foul can be called is still there as a marking on the court, and also that the hash marks denoting the "lower defensive box" are still there.

I thought that the arc had been made much smaller for this season, and that the lower-defensive-box rule had been repealed entirely. Is that the case? If so, why are the markings on the court unchanged? Or do these rule changes only go into effect next year?

 

[stamfordhusky]

I attended the exhibition game this afternoon (11/4), and I noticed that the "arc" under the basket where (generally) no charging foul can be called is still there as a marking on the court, and also that the hash marks denoting the "lower defensive box" are still there.

I thought that the arc had been made much smaller for this season, and that the lower-defensive-box rule had been repealed entirely. Is that the case? If so, why are the markings on the court unchanged? Or do these rule changes only go into effect next year?

The arc has been eliminated this year in the women’s game. However, it is still used in the men’s game, which is why you will see it on most basketball courts. The use of the lower defensive box has been eliminated as well, so I’m not sure why those lines would still be there.

 

[HuskyNan]

College men inbounds the ball on the alternating possession, too. I think it’s only the NBA that has the jump ball

 

[Bone Dog]

Geno has long said the games should be the same. Like starting with the ball.

 

[stamfordhusky]

College men inbounds the ball on the alternating possession, too. I think it’s only the NBA that has the jump ball

Yes, of all leagues in the world, all levels of basketball anywhere, it is only the NBA that has jump balls on every tie-up. Most of the world, including me, thinks the NBA rule needs to be changed. There is a very good reason why everyone else changed the rule decades ago.

That is particularly true because it has been demonstrated that most refs do a poor job of throwing the ball up on jump balls and often give a huge advantage to one team or the other. Refs' incompetence in this area has decided a number of NBA games. Maybe they will change the rule when a bad toss determines who wins Game 7 of the Championship Series.

 

[JoePgh]

Yes, of all leagues in the world, all levels of basketball anywhere, it is only the NBA that has jump balls on every tie-up. Most of the world, including me, thinks the NBA rule needs to be changed. There is a very good reason why everyone else changed the rule decades ago.

That is particularly true because it has been demonstrated that most refs do a poor job of throwing the ball up on jump balls and often give a huge advantage to one team or the other. Refs' incompetence in this area has decided a number of NBA games. Maybe they will change the rule when a bad toss determines who wins Game 7 of the Championship Series.

However, the alternating-possessions rule has an impact on strategy. If there were a true jump ball, then a guard would never tie up a big player, because he or she would be almost guaranteed to lose the jump. But with the alternating possession rule, it's always a good play for a defender to tie up an opponent anytime (s)he can. Either your team will get possession immediately, or you lose nothing but do hasten the time when your team will get possession on a future tie-up. So the rule makes it easier for a smaller defender to play effective defense against a taller ball handler.

 

[BobbyJ]

Because the NCAA couldn't find referees that could toss the ball up straight.

 

[JoePgh]

I should have noted that the WNBA also uses an actual jump after tie-ups, like its "brother" league. And, needless to say, you don't typically see defenders trying to harrass the Brittney Griners of the league by tying them up.

 

[cancontent]

Coaches would have to buy in for this to happen. Not sure if you'll ever see the mens side change if you ask me.

Look at how they play games in halves instead of quarters. It's the only league that I'm aware of where this format is still used. If they're not willing to change that, what's the likelihood they'll agree to change anything else?

 

[stamfordhusky]

Because the NCAA couldn't find referees that could toss the ball up straight.

Neither can the NBA. A lot of their jump balls aren’t anywhere close to being 50/50.