The NCAA has approved several proposed rule changes for the 2019-20 season, including extending the 3-point line to international distance.
With the changes, the 3-point distance will move from 20 feet and 9 inches to 22 feet and 1¾ inches.
The changes were proposed back in early May, and the NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel voted to approve the new rule.
They also cited several reasons for moving the line back, according to Greg Johnson of NCAA.com:
- Making the lane more available for dribble/drive plays from the perimeter.
- Slowing the trend of the 3-point shot becoming too prevalent in men’s college basketball by making the shot a bit more challenging, while at the same time keeping the shot an integral part of the game.
- Assisting in offensive spacing by requiring the defense to cover more of the court.
Also approved was the recommendation to reset the shot clock to 20 seconds after a shot hits the rim and the offensive team secures the rebound in the frontcourt.
Other changes included updating criteria for a technical foul from using derogatory language, coaches being able to call live-ball timeouts in the final two minutes of the second half and overtime, and instant replay review in the final two minutes for basket inference and goaltending.
Several of the new rules were used on an experimental basis during the 2019 NIT.
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