he NCAA Men's Basketball Rules Committee on Thursday approved several rule changes including a modification to the legal guarding position on block/charge scenarios involving defenders around the basket which will go into effect for the 2023-24 season. Under the new rule, a defender to draw a change must be in position at the time an offensive player plants a foot to go airborne to attempt a field goal. If the defender arrives
after the offensive player plants a foot to launch towards the hoop, officials will be coached to call a block if or when contact occurs.
The rule change also states that a secondary defender would have to be outside the restricted area arc to legally draw a charge. Under the previous rules structure, defenders had to be in position to draw a charge
before the offensive player went airborne.
The NCAA's Men's Basketball Rules Committee announced the changes Thursday after receiving feedback from membership that too many charges were being called throughout the season related to these types of block/charge plays. The goal in making the change will be to reduce the number of charges called and also to give officials more time to officiate the plays, the NCAA said.
"Our goal is to try to reduce the number of charges that are called," said Rick Barnes,
Tennessee's coach and the committee chair, earlier this year when the rule change was initially proposed. "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."