College Basketball Rules Changes

[Joneslab]

Another thing about quarters vs. halves and why the conversation is important as to how we watch college basketball.

College basketball has already gone to quarters theoretically. Because look at how they've changed television timeouts just in the last ten years. Used to be you'd get four TV timeouts a half. Then they started extending the first 30-second timeout called by a coach in the second half to a full. Then recently they changed the first 30-second timeout a coach called in the first half and the first one of the second to a full.

So you're getting at least 10 TV timeouts a game (the 8 normal ones and the 2 extended), and as many as 12 with the allotted full timeouts coaches get. That's basically quarters...but without the natural flow and exchanges and coaching strategy decisions that come with end-of-quarter basketball. It's like playing in segmented quarters...except they're not. They simply randomly play up to the TV timeout, and then go to commercial. And then, often, because of those extended to a full things mentioned above, you'll get situations where they come out of a timeout...and then literally 10 seconds later go right into a TV timeout. Happens all the time.

Quarters puts a lot of this on ice simply because of the way the stoppages would naturally fit into the dynamic of the game.

[teamchemistry15]

Or the rest of the world could change to halves. That could have been done two decades ago as well.

If you're the only one in the world doing something and hundreds of others are doing it differently, you probably aren't the one doing it right.

[Matt Dillon]

Halves or quarters, is it really that big of a deal?

[Joneslab]

Halves or quarters, is it really that big of a deal?

It's not earth-altering but it would enhance the viewing experience quite a lot. As I said above, it would really help dilute all those TV timeouts you get in halves. It wouldn't take them out, but it would fit them more naturally into the flow of the game.

As a person who watches way more college b'ball than the average person, I've been harping on it for more than a decade. And this isn't even getting into the main reason quarters are better: it adds a strategic component for coaches to navigate.

[Catsrock]

I’m on board. I look forward to them asking for my vote. 😜

My guess is Coach Pope would be for it. He’s not against change if for the better.

[teamchemistry15]

It's not earth-altering but it would enhance the viewing experience quite a lot. As I said above, it would really help dilute all those TV timeouts you get in halves. It wouldn't take them out, but it would fit them more naturally into the flow of the game.

As a person who watches way more college b'ball than the average person, I've been harping on it for more than a decade. And this isn't even getting into the main reason quarters are better: it adds a strategic component for coaches to navigate.

I'm actually afraid it'll add more. Right now there's a TO after 4, 8, 12, and 16 minutes of play and then halftime. Halftime obviously stays, and the break at the end of the quarter will count for one, which leaves three that we currently have. I suppose they COULD count the break at the end of the quarter as two TV timeouts, but it's unlikely they only have one at the five minute mark of each quarter. Maybe they've already said if they go to quarters there will only be one at the five minute mark and I missed it. I'm afraid they have two each quarter plus the break at the end, which actually adds more breaks in the game.

[samsdad]

I've been enjoying college basketball for over 6 decades. My thought is that if it isn't broken, don't fix it. The argument that it's nonsensical to play halves isn't valid because it's been done by halves for a long time, and it's always worked, and Team Chemistry's statement that if only one organization is doing something differently then it must be wrong isn't valid, either. Who is to say that one is better than the other, anyway?

[Joneslab]

I've been enjoying college basketball for over 6 decades. My thought is that if it isn't broken, don't fix it. The argument that it's nonsensical to play halves isn't valid because it's been done by halves for a long time, and it's always worked, and Team Chemistry's statement that if only one organization is doing something differently then it must be wrong isn't valid, either. Who is to say that one is better than the other, anyway?

College basketball is broken, though. Traditionally it hasn't been a great product. We love it because it's in our blood and we have deep allegiance to a program...but there are several things wrong with it. And not just halves vs. quarters.

I mean you can go down a list of the reason it's broken: the officiating, the reviews, the soft schedule through November and December, the ungodly money in the game, the transfer portal, the lack of loyalty coaches and players have to programs...there are so many things to fix with college basketball it isn't funny. Getting rid of halves is one of the things that would enhance the game, and in five years you wouldn't notice it at all because it'd just be the way things are.

[Joneslab]

I'm actually afraid it'll add more. Right now there's a TO after 4, 8, 12, and 16 minutes of play and then halftime. Halftime obviously stays, and the break at the end of the quarter will count for one, which leaves three that we currently have. I suppose they COULD count the break at the end of the quarter as two TV timeouts, but it's unlikely they only have one at the five minute mark of each quarter. Maybe they've already said if they go to quarters there will only be one at the five minute mark and I missed it. I'm afraid they have two each quarter plus the break at the end, which actually adds more breaks in the game.

They'll find ways to at the very least keep the number of commercials in, but ditching halves will at least add natural stoppages in. The ends of the first and third quarters would theoretically substitute for TV timeouts. The difference being, the game moves up to those timeouts in a way that's logical rather than the haphazard way it does now. There's natural suspense, strategy, clock management etc. at the ends of quarters.