Will be good to see how this plays out. Horse is out of the barn as far as I am concerned. http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/127...

+1. It might increase the number of possessions but that won't necessarily equate to increased scoring. Shot selection is a big factor. Stop taking ill-advised shots early in the clock.

I've made my feelings known on this in the past. I think this will actually make the game more unwatchable. All we are going to see with a 30 second clock is bad AAU basketball. Perimeter pass, perimeter pass, enough already time to drive and either miss a horrible looking shot or get bailed out by the ref. The way to fix the game is stop the clutching and grabbing away from the ball.

Agreed. Nearly every rule change, or more accurately, rule emphasis change they have made (hand check, making it tougher to take a charge, allowing kidnapping off the ball) has made one-on-one play the only way to go. Trying to recreate the pro game without pro caliber players is a bad idea IMO. All they are doing is recreating the D League.

I agree with all. One factor is the increased size and strength of the average player. When a premium is put on those two traits sometimes skills like shooting play second fiddle. Also bigger and stronger players clog the game and make it more defensive than offensive.

I vote #1. Call the game right and the players and coaches will adjust. There is a lot more talent out there than a lot of people give credit for.

Historically you can point to officiating as the impetus. Somewhere along the line fans fell in love with the "athlete" and valued them over "basketball players". COaches followed Ray Meyer's lead at Depaul and began using "athletes" and training them to a system and how to play the game.

For the next couple of decades coaches and fans called for the refs to "let em play" as if everyone in the game was a MJ or Alan Iverson and was able to score at will. It is a chicken/egg story as to what happened whether it was coaches recruiting differently, the shoe companies offering up the next "greatest player of all time", fans telling the refs to quit calling stuff and valuing a high flying dunk over good offense and developing BB ADHD getting rid of the 4 corners of Dean Smith ad adding a shot clock. The game changed and with refs asked to call it differently it has continued a metamorphosis. Watch an ESPN Classic game every once in a while and look at how much room there is and how guys run off screens without the defender rasslin' with them or without the defender getting beat on. Anyone here who remembers Jamerson and how he was able to use screens to get a little space. Can't do that now....and woe to him who made his living on the jump shot because now it is all about running through the shooter and being physical with him. Rick Mount, Jerry West and many of the greats could not play the way the game is officiated today.

At the root of it is the officiating. Like the changes in the NBA has addressed some of the issues, so it must down the line. Calling the game and not kowtowing to coaches who are seemingly bigger than the team, not having sportscasters or fans influence them and not having or showing predilection for a team or a coach or a league in the way they call a game.

I think change is due. If they open up the game and call more like it was instead of what it became Coaches will adjust and teach what you can and can't do. Players will adjust(or buy some pine time) and play it without hands on each other, not "bodying up", won't bump guys off cuts or hold defenders on screens. I think The game has become physical ....and if you were to sit in on practices you would hear coaches as they teach a very physical technique. I have sat with coaches who will tell you who they like officiating "because if he is on our game we can muddy it up" because he won't call the contact. I do not and have not ever believed fans want that muddying up to a game. I think it hurts a true basketball player and helps a physical specimen. I also think fans have to understand a bit more about hoops. Everybody gets jacked over a dunk but fail to understand the cat and mouse that happens when strategy is involved. Yelling for a well executed play that was run through beginning to end instead of the defense "blowing it up" is a joy that a lot of fans miss when they just watch the ball.

This is a fascinating subject that everyone has an opinion ad no one has an answer that suits all...Scoring is down, partly because defenses are allowed to disrupt offensive flow ad partly because everyone wants to fly and no kid wants to work on skills around ball handling , passing and *putting the ball in the hole* otherwise known as "scoring". They all want to work on Vert and throwing down. It takes time and discipline to learn the game. Till we change how the refs call the game there is no impetus to do that and the game will continue to degrade. Thank goodness for soccer worldwide because if all kids over there came up through systems that taught players the same skills across the board whether they were 4 foot or 7 foot I suspect we would see a lot more players that resemble Novitzki and world outside the US players than can play in the middle or on the edge or handle the ball if they need to than one dimensional guys who are good in one facet of the game. Guys like MJ who became a good shooter, that could handle the ball, that could post guys AND defend the edge and the middle are a rarity in the US.

Interesting subject that goes on and on and has as wide of an opinion as to what musical is enjoyable or what kind of music one likes.... The one thing most agree on is that the the college game is changing ....and not for the better in most fans eyes.