Men's college basketball shot clock 'likely' decreasing to 30 seconds
The shot clock in men's basketball will likely be reduced from 35 to 30 seconds, NCAA rules committee chair Rick Byrd told ESPN on Monday.
Byrd, also Belmont's coach, said a rules change was the most likely-to-be-implemented method of responding to coach, fan and media complaints about the pace of play and low scoring in college basketball. The NCAA rules committee may change rules every odd year.
"Now there's a real decent chance," Byrd told ESPN. "It's pretty evident a lot more coaches are leaning that way. The opinion of coaches on the shot clock have moved significantly to reducing it from 35 to 30. And all indicators are pointing toward that."
• BELLER: Winners (Big Ten), losers (ACC) from NBA early-entry decisions
The rules committee will meet May 12–15 in Indianapolis to discuss possible changes. This previous postseason, the CBI, CIT and NIT tournaments utilized 30-second shot clocks.
Men's college basketball has used a 35-second shot clock since 1993, after it was reduced from 45 seconds. Women's college basketball already uses a 30-second shot clock. The NBA has a 24-second shot clock.
• Indiana guard Yogi Ferrell returning for senior season
"I think it's fair to say the buzz about the game is that scoring in the 50s can be ugly," Byrd said. "There's a lot of talk about it—more coverage than ever before. All of that has created acceptance from the coaches side."
- Mike Fiammetta
