New Goaltending Rule A Good Thing

The new goaltending rule approved by the NCAA for use in college basketball games is good thing. Well, at least the Final Four Blog thinks so, and a majority of the NCAA’s rules committee thinks that it should be changed. The old rule stated that if a ball went off the backboard but was still on the way up, it was fair game to be blocked or even tipped. The new rule states that a ball that goes off the backboard, if completely above the rim, cannot be interfered with at all, regardless f the trajectory of the ball.

First of all, this new rule ought to eliminate some confusion between the college and NBA rules, as the college rule was, for some reason, allowing for interference if the ball was on it’s way up. Now the ref doesn’t have to take into account the motion of the ball, just the height of it. If it’s above the rim completely and has touched the backboard, then it’s not blockable. Should straighten out a call that happens about once a game. In other rules news, the NCAA is still awaiting further investigation into widening the lane.

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Permalink - Posted in General on May 13, 2008 - Post a comment