The NCAA will experiment with a new rule in the 2016-17 season to improve the accuracy of block and charge calls in two conferences, and the Big Ten is one of them.
Officials will be able to use instant replay in the final two minutes of games when they believe an incorrect blocking/charging call might have been made on a play in the restricted area (the little semi-circle under the basket).
(Background for those unfamiliar with blocks and charges: If a defender establishes a set position in front of an offensive player outside of the restricted area and the offensive player drives into him and physically knocks him out of the way, that’s a charge. If a similar collision happens but the defensive player is moving and not set, that’s a block.)
Here are the specifics of the rule, per NCAA.com:
This rule will lead to fewer bad calls at the end of games, which is good. And the coach’s appeal is a nice touch. Teams should be able to challenge controversial calls; they can in almost every other major sport.
I’m not sure it’ll be used a whole lot, just because refs seem to be pretty good at being aware of where defenders’ feet are, but it’s a productive rule that hopefully sticks around after this year’s trial run. I don’t see why it wouldn’t.
However, the rule won’t solve the much larger problem of refs calling charges that really really aren’t charges. Far too often, defenders just slide in front of the guy with the ball, fall down and get the call. Ideally, refs should be able to use instant replay to ensure the accuracy of any disputed call late in a game, but this is a step in the right direction.
