Men's College Basketball Rule Changes Announced: Latest Details and Reaction

Several rule changes to men's college basketball became official Monday, as games will now feature a 30-second shot clock, fewer timeouts and a four-foot arc under the basket serving as a restricted area.  

The NCAA confirmed those changes and others in a release.

The restricted area and the five-second cut off of the shot clock was experimented with during this year's NIT, and it was designed to evaluate how the rules impacted the pace of play and collisions near the hoop. The shortened shot clock was also implemented in the CBI and the CIT.

It appears the NCAA saw instant results to implement the drastic changes as soon as next season. Analytics expert Christopher D. Long offered his take on how the shot clock would change the men's college game:

With a shot clock closer to the 24-second NBA ticker, top college players will likely get a better feel for the brand of basketball they'll have to play at the professional level.

Having a four-foot arc also requires college players to attempt taking charges just as they would in the NBA. Quicker end-to-end action will only make the NCAA tournament more exciting, and the reduction of timeouts figures to help the flow of the games as well.

Comebacks will be more feasible because of the increase in possessions. Teams that thrive in transition and are athletic on the perimeter stand to benefit most from the shortened shot clock, though.