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NCAA Approves New Basketball Rule

NCAA Approves New Basketball Rule

May 7, 2002

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) – The NCAA approved a basketball rule eliminating free throws during a bonus situation when a foul is committed by the team with the ball.

It was tried as an experiment in men’s basketball last season and will be made permanent for men and women next season, the NCAA rules committees decided at their annual meeting last week in Palm Harbor, Fla.

“We discussed at length many items that were submitted to us, but for the most part we didn’t change things much because we thought the rules were in good shape,” Art Hyland, chairman of the men’s committee and coordinator of officiating for the Big East Conference, said Monday.

Now, when a foul is committed by a player on the team with the ball, instead of shooting free throws, play will be restarted with the other team given possession. The change makes the penalty for such fouls during the bonus the same as for fouls committed by the player with the ball.

Another change for men’s basketball includes a requirement that the two lane spaces closest to the free-throw shooter remain vacant to reduce the chance of distracting the shooter.

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