The NCAA will tinker with the current 35-second shot clock in men’s basketball, and the tinkering will start with the 2015 National Invitation Tournament.
A 30-second shot clock will be used instead of the 35-second one that’s been in place since the 1993-94 season. The NCAA is using the experiment to get data on how a shorter shot clock could increase the pace of play and scoring.
Which brings up an interesting question for fans of second-ranked UVA: if adopted, how would a five-second reduction affect Virginia’s slow-tempo approach?
The thinking is that the reduction of the shot clock would increase pace and scoring. So do higher-scoring games and teams just jacking up shots make the product more watchable?
My guess is that ESPN may be the driving force behind a shorter shot clock. Many of ESPN’s talking heads say the game is too slow, too deliberate and often dictated on the defensive end of the floor.
So a reduction of the shot clock appears on the horizon. Is this in any way cause for concern in UVA’s “embrace the pace” style of play?
– Column by Scott German
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