NCAA committee proposes change to block

The NCAA Men's Basketball Rules Committee recommended a number of changes Friday including tweaks to the block/charge call and circumstances around how it is called, a relaxing of jersey number restrictions and other various changes. Recommendations from the committee will go to the Playing Rules Oversight Panel for review on June 8. They would apply to the 2023-24 season if ratified.

Among the proposals, the block/charge change stands out as the most impactful potential proposed change. Currently, defenders must be in position to draw a charge before the offensive player goes airborne. The new rule would require defenders to be in position earlier -- before an offensive player plants his foot to jump. From the NCAA:

If the defender arrives after the offensive player plants a foot to launch toward the basket, officials would be instructed to call a block when contact occurs between the two players.

A secondary defender still would have to be outside the restricted-area arc to legally draw a charge.

The recommendation came after the rules committee received feedback from membership that "too many charges are being called" on the types of plays previously described as the rules are officially written. In considering the changes, it could not only decrease the number of charges called, but also "give officials more time to officiate these plays," the NCAA's Rules Committee said. Player safety was also considered.

"Our goal is to try to reduce the number of charges that are called," said Rick Barnes, Tennessee's coach and the committee chair. "We want to give more time to the offensive player to adjust to defensive player movement and reduce the hard collisions that are taking place."

The NCAA will also consider granting an offensive player a timeout even if the player is airborne. Another tweak to the timeout rules under consideration is potentially charging a team a timeout if the original call on the floor is challenged by a coach and not overturned when the clock is under two minutes.

A new proposal that would allow players to wear any number between 0 and 99 will also go to the Playing Rules Oversight Panel for review. For decades the NCAA has restricted two-digit jersey numbers beginning with 6, 7, 8 and 9.

Other proposals to be sent to the Playing Rules Oversight Panel for review later this summer include the following:

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