How NCAA basketball rule changes will affect Oklahoma State

The NCAA announced Wednesday that the Division I men’s basketball 3-point line will be moved back to where the international 3-point line is. The NCAA also passed two other rule changes including one that will affect the shot clock. The shot clock will only reset to 20 seconds on offensive rebounds instead of the full 30 seconds.

The third rule change allows coaches to call live-ball timeouts in the last two minutes of regulation and overtime. Coaches weren’t able to call live-ball timeouts before the rule change.

The reasons the Playing Rules Oversight Panel listed for moving the 3-point line back included forcing defenders to cover more of the court, creating more space for dribble/drive opportunities in the paint, and encouraging teams to take less three-point shots by making the shot more challenging.

The international 3-point line was used in last season NIT, and the Playing Rules Oversight Panel approved the switch after positive feedback from coaches. Here is how these rules affect Oklahoma State.

First off, every team is going to have to be more aware of the shot clock only resetting to 20 seconds instead of a full 30 seconds on offensive rebounds. The NBA implemented a similar rule recently, only giving teams 13 seconds of a 24-second shot-clock on offensive rebounds. It was an adjustment for some players, but with 20 seconds, it shouldn’t be as much of a problem in the NCAA.

The 3-point arc moving back will have a bigger impact on Oklahoma State and college basketball as a whole. All the reasons listed above by the rules committee are true. Defenders will have to extend out further which, in turn, will create more space in the paint.

While Lindy Waters and Thomas Dziagwa will need to get in the gym and practice shooting from the new three-point line, Yor Anei will appreciate and enjoy having more room to create his own shot. Mike Boynton and the Cowboys can really maximize this opportunity by working on their floor spacing.

Last season, Oklahoma State scored 38.6 percent of its points from beyond the 3-point line, ranking 34th in the nation. Next season either one of two things will have to happen. Either the Cowboys adjust to the new line and shoot the three ball at a similar clip, or they struggle from the line and adjust by taking less three’s and allowing Issac Likekele more opportunities to penetrate the lane and find open shooters.

On the defensive end, the international line could help the Cowboys on defense. Last season, Oklahoma State ranked 233th in the nation in 3-point defense. Now that the shot is more difficult to make, maybe the Cowboys will give up less 3-point field-goals each game.