Iowa’s McCaffery likes wider arc under basket

IOWA CITY — Public discontent in college basketball, which saw scoring plummet to near-record lows and the game's physical nature increase, led to more than 25 rules changes beginning with this season.

Much of the rationale was designed to increase pace of play, reduce stoppages and allow greater freedom of movement. Those changes will be on display Thursday when Iowa men's basketball debuts in an exhibition against Division II Sioux Falls.

The most obvious change starts with the shot clock, which now sits at 30 seconds rather than 35. Perhaps just as visible, coaches are allowed to call timeouts only during a dead-ball situation. Helping with game flow, a 30-second timeout called within 30 seconds of a media timeout becomes a media timeout. Formerly, media timeouts were issued on the first dead ball after the 16-, 12-, 8- and 4-minute marks.

Relating to play, expanding the restricted arc under the basket from three feet to four might be the game's most important change. Secondary defenders now are not allowed to take charges in the wider arc, which should limit collisions — and ambiguity — at the rim.

'I think moving the arc out helps us because we're a driving a team,' Iowa Coach Fran McCaffery said. 'I'm so tired of guys running around, falling down and getting a call and collisions at the rim. Secondary defenders not being in position and getting a call. It drove me crazy. That's going to be really hard now to get over and get two feet outside that new arc and draw a charge. In that sense I think it benefits the offensive player, the driver.'

Officials once again will attempt greater freedom of movement by limiting hand checking or bumping the ballhandler and restricting contact with offensive players without the ball. In 2013-14, rules were designed to open up the game and increase scoring. However, that led to more fouls and free-throw attempts.

'The games took three weeks,' McCaffery said. 'So it had the desired effect. Point production went up, the whole team was in foul trouble. The touching ... how can you decide? How can we expect an official to figure out well he was into his motion or he wasn't into his motion? This is concrete. Were his feet outside the arc? If they're standing right there, they can see that and call it and get it right and that's fair to ask them to do that.'

'I run an offense with freedom of movement; have forever, since junior high school coaching,' Wisconsin Coach Bo Ryan said. 'And if you tell me that this year our guys are going to make cuts and people aren't going to be allowed to make contact with them, we're going to have a party.'

Among other changes include:

n Elimination of the five-second closely guarded count on a dribble

n Defenders can use arm bars in the post when the offensive player has his back to the basket

n Airborne shooters called for charging cannot score a basket

n Dunking is legal during pregame and halftime

n Offensive jump shooters are not allowed to seek out defender for contact

n Players faking a flagrant foul resulting in a monitor review are issued a Class A technical foul

l Comments: (319) 339-3169; scott.dochterman@thegazette.com