INDIANAPOLIS — The NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel, which met via conference call Monday, approved a 10-second backcourt rule in women’s basketball, effective for the 2013-14 season.
The 10-second rule in the backcourt will be implemented for the first time since the NCAA began administering women’s championships in 1981-82.
Previously, teams could take as much time off the 30-second shot clock as they wanted before crossing the midcourt line.
Officials will use the shot clock to determine if a 10-second violation has occurred. The 10-second backcourt count begins when a player on the floor legally touches the ball.
The Women’s Basketball Rules Committee believes adding the 10-second rule it will increase the tempo of the game and create more offensive scoring opportunities.
NCAA women’s basketball is the only level in the sport throughout the world that did not have a backcourt rule in place.
The five second closely guarded rule in the backcourt is now eliminated from the rules book.
The closely guarded rule in the frontcourt remains, however it has been changed to read, “A player holding the ball for five seconds with a defender not exceeding six feet will be a violation.” Previously, the defender had to be within three feet of the offensive player with the ball to force a five second violation.
Monitor reviews
In men’s and women’s basketball, the panel approved monitor reviews in the last two minutes of regulation and overtime so officials can look to see if a shot clock violation occurred and to determine who caused the ball to go out of bounds on a deflection involving two or more players.
Additionally, it was approved that when officials have a question as to whether a shot was a two-point or a three-point field goal, they will be allowed to signal to the scorer’s table that the play will be reviewed during the next media timeout. The Big Ten Conference successfully experimented with this rule during the season in 2012-13.
In the last four minutes of the game and the entire overtime, officials will go to the monitor immediately to look for indisputable evidence as to how many points should be awarded for a field goal.
In both men’s and women’s basketball, the use of the monitor was approved to determine which player committed a foul when there is uncertainty after a call has been made. Previously, officials were only permitted to use the monitor to determine the free-throw shooter.
Elbow rules
In men’s and women’s basketball, panel members approved a tweak to the rules regarding elbow contact above the shoulders.
In these circumstances, officials may use the monitor to determine if a flagrant foul has been committed.
Officials will determine if the contact was a flagrant 2, flagrant 1, common foul or no call. When the officials use the monitor to review a situation that is not called on the floor, the only options are flagrant 2, flagrant 1 or no foul.
In a flagrant 1 situation, the player who was struck is awarded two free throws and his or her team gets possession of the ball.
In a flagrant 2 situation, free throws and possession are awarded and the player who threw the elbow is ejected from the game.
The men’s and women’s basketball committees felt the original intent of the elbow rules have caused too many flagrant fouls being called when they weren’t appropriate. The intent of the elbow rule has always been to protect players and eliminate the rip move where players were making contact above the shoulders of defenders.
By allowing officials to review these plays on the monitor, both committees believe it will eliminate the non-deserving flagrant 1 fouls in particular.
Women’s basketball media timeouts
When a team-called timeout occurs within or up to 30 seconds of the scheduled media timeout (first dead ball under the 16, 12, eight and four-minute marks), it becomes the subsequent media timeout with the exception of the first team-called timeout in the second half.
For example, when Team A calls a timeout at 16:02 in the first half, there will not be another timeout at the first dead ball under the 16-minute mark.
This will eliminate consecutive timeout stoppages in play.
Women’s Basketball: Lower-defensive box added to the restricted-area rule
In women’s basketball only, the panel approved a revision to the restricted area rule in the lower defensive box (the area on the court that starts at the second free-throw lane space to the three-foot area outside the lane to the baseline).
When a player with the ball starts outside the lower defensive box area, a secondary defender must be outside the restricted area to draw a charge.
When a player with the ball starts her move from inside the lower-defensive box area, a secondary defender can draw a charge and the restricted area is not in effect.
Source: http://www.ncaa.com/news/basketball-women/article/2013-06-24/ncaa-playing-rules-oversight-panel-approves-rules-updates-n