By Bryan Bloodworth

NORMAL – For the most part, Illinois State basketball coach Dan Muller likes the new rules that have been adopted for the upcoming season.

“I agree with almost all of them,” said Muller. ‘I’m excited about them and I think they will make our game better and that’s the thing that matters most.”

ISU players are familiar with the two biggest changes – the reduction of the shot clock from 35 to 30 seconds and a one-foot extention of the charge circle around the rim – that were used on an experimental in last year’s National Invitation Tournament.

Muller said the change to the charge area doesn’t affect his team much.

“We’re not really a charge-taking team, but I’m all for it,” added the ISU coach. “There is too much contact and guys jumping in at the last second to take charges at the rim. Plus, it limits offense and it’s a tough play to call. I think they get it wrong as much as they get it right.”

Because the Redbirds play more of an up-tempo game, Muller was in favor of the shot clock change.

“I like it for our team because of the way we play, but I also like it for college basketball,” Muller continued. “Scoring needs to improve. As teams get used to the shot clock, the pace of play will change a little bit.

“Five seconds is a big difference. It’s a 17 percent difference of the shot clock you used to have. You’ll see a lot of teams tweaking what they do both offensively and defensively, but I think more so defensively. People will push the ball more and potentially you’ll see more pressing and more zone because a lot of times it takes longer to get good shots against zones.”

Other rule changes include:

• Dunking will be allowed in pregame and halftime warm-ups
• Elimination of the five-second closely guarded rule while dribbling the ball
• Officials can consult video monitor feeds for potential shot clock violations throughout the game, not just in the final minutes.
• Timeouts called within 10 seconds of the scheduled media timeout will count as the media timeout
• Teams will be awarded one shot when opponents are called for technical fouls for hanging on the rim or delay of game
• Players will be given a six foul limit during 2016 post-season play other than the NCAA Tournament.

“Overall, I really like them and I think they’ll help our game,” concluded Muller, who said the rules can be changed every two years. “Bottom line is college basketball needed changes. We’ll have to adjust, but it’s exciting to have to make changes as a coach and try to figure out a way to best utilize the new rules.”

Bryan Bloodworth can be reached at [email protected].