"Freedom of Movement" has ruined college basketball.

[mauconnfan]

Congrats on the win! When do the t-shirts go on sale?

They'll be handing out the 5-0 tee shirts in the Bahama's today.

 

[UConnSwag11]

Teams like Duke have adjusted to playing zone defense at times. We are going to have to do the same. Its impossible to play man to man the whole game with these rules and not have the other team get more attempts than you at the line. The reason just about every team we have played has had more free throw attempts than us is that they play some Zone and we don't

We don't need to play zone. Our kids are quick and athletic enough to play man to man. They need to see what is going to be called and if it's going to be consistent

 

[Rico444]

They just need to adjust. You could get away with a slight bump on the perimeter to slow the ball handler down in the past, and now you can't. They didn't stop bumping or hand checking players on the perimeter all day yesterday, and I don't expect them to make the adjustment in one afternoon. Defense is instinct, and when you've played a certain way your whole life it takes time to adjust.

 

[mauconnfan]

They just need to adjust. You could get away with a slight bump on the perimeter to slow the ball handler down in the past, and now you can't. They didn't stop bumping or hand checking players on the perimeter all day yesterday, and I don't expect them to make the adjustment in one afternoon. Defense is instinct, and when you've played a certain way your whole life it takes time to adjust.

I agree but certain refs need to adjust too. A guy getting cut off from going to the hole with contact that is legal by the defender cannot be anticipated by these guys. They need to be more consistent and understanding of the way the game is played - I know Shonn has been affected by many of these in games thus far. He's a very good defender and the refs are making him less aggressive with their whistles.

 

[Rico444]

I agree but certain refs need to adjust too. A guy getting cut off from going to the hole with contact that is legal by the defender cannot be anticipated by these guys. They need to be more consistent and understanding of the way the game is played - I know Shonn has been affected by many of these in games thus far. He's a very good defender and the refs are making him less aggressive with their whistles.

The refs will adjust too. They're trying to set the tone with these foul calls; they'll back off some once they see the game changing to allow more freedom of movement.

 

[intlzncster]

When the NCAA implemented these new freedom of movement rules, the end goal was to raise scoring totals with the hope that it'd make the game more "watchable."

Scoring totals are certainly up, but the game has become more unwatchable than ever. The incessant calling of fouls has halted any flow to games, and playing defense has become disincentivized.

Games have devolved into free throw contests as foul calls are at record highs. Yesterday's Gonzaga-Washington game had 60 total fouls and 74 free throw attempts in yet another example of how out of hand these new rules have gotten.

Instead of promoting better offense, "freedom of movement" has simply made the game uglier with more stoppages and star players having to sit on the bench with foul trouble. If the NCAA thought these foul rules would make the game more appealing to casual fans, they made a grave miscalculation. Even diehard fans of college ball have lamented what it's done to the game.

The astronomical foul rates are teetering on the brink of ruining college basketball for me, as I find myself watching fewer games than ever.

Wish I could like this twice. And given the way governing bodies in sports act (NCAA/NFL etc), I project zero accountability. They will claim this change is a rousing success, given the higher scores. Back pats and bonuses all around.

 

[auror]

This is not a "point of emphasis." These were rules changes. Players need to adjust, the refs will most likely keep calling it the way the rules are now written. That will take time. The game will be much more watchable afterwards, guaranteed.

I've never looked forward to watching defenders who hand check and bump on a drive. Once the players adjust, it will be fine.