Local Basketball Teams Adjusting To NCAA Rule Changes

For local college basketball teams, it's back to practice.  And practice has been bumped up this season by almost two weeks. 

The pro, according to ORU coach Scott Sutton is "It's a good year to have it, with some many new guys. The con, according to TU coach Danny Manning is "We have to make sure we don't have any burnout."

A lot of the local college teams are going to use those extra two weeks to practice to help with the new rule changes. Some have a lot to do with the referees calling the game a lot more tightly. It's going to change the way the coach the game.

TU women's coach Matilda Mossman said "The second time you put a hand on a player with the ball, it's a foul. If you put both hands on a person, it's a foul."

OSU coach Travis Ford said "There is no such thing as a charge anymore, forget the line, forget all that. We were told there are no more charges."

Referees have been instructed to call more fouls. The reason for the change is scoring. Last season's national scoring average was 67.5, the lowest since 1982. Locally, Oklahoma State and Kansas, two top 20 teams at the time, played a two-overtime game in which the score was 57-57 at the end of regulation. ORU defeated TAMU Corpus Christi, 56-51. Tulsa defeated UTEP 45-42.

ORU coach Scott Sutton thinks "The TV people probably put a little pressure on the NCAA rules committee and said ‘hey' we have to clean the game up."

But with new rules, it means plenty of adjustments for all coaches and players.

Sutton added, "It may be the wave of the future, especially with these new rules, is to play more zone."

Mossman said "Our advice to our kids is get in the gym and shoot some free throws in your spare time."