Rule changes to help SMU?

[Hoop Fan]

Proposed rule changes for next year are moving back the 3 point line and widening the lane ala international rules. Both these things would have to help SMU wouldnt they? We seem to shoot all of our threes fading away from well beyond the arc anyway and our opponents have torched SMU from the current distance. As for the lane change, with our historic lack of a big man presence anything that keeps the opposing big man from camping out on the low block has to be good. NCAA tournament here we come next year

[PonyGirl]

I'm not sure I see how this would help the Ponies. We didn't shoot the ball well from behind the line, anyway, and now the line moves back? Wouldn't that either eliminate the 3 from our offense or make us shoot an even lower percentage?

Maybe if we had a great inside scorer, this idea could help. But when your point guard is your best scorer, this idea sounds like it will hurt us, not help us.

[The CPC]

European rules favor teams that play a European style of offense. Does that sound like SMU?

From CPC's standpoint these rules would help Hawaii, San Jose, Rice and Tulsa. The rest of the WAC would be neutral, or handicapped.

[GrapevineMustang]

CPC is right this time. Rice is the best -- or at least one of the best -- long-range shooting teams in the conference, and should benefit from this rule change, if it goes through.

SMU might be helped somewhat on the defensive end, but how much our 3-point shooting defense improves depends on how much further back the line would move.

If this change actually takes place, I would encourage BHop, Justin Isham and the rest of the perimeter guys to get in the gym and forget the 3 - shoot a million mid-range jumpers a day. Use Richard Hamilton of the Pistons as an example. He's an erratic 3-point shooter, at best, but he has been called the best mid-range shooter in the league. When he gets inside 12 or 15 feet, he's money in the bank. If they move the line back, we need to develop great mid-range shooters, because our 3-point shooters seemed to be at the outer edge of their range LAST season.

When would this proposed rule change go in to effect?

[Hoop Fan]

I still think the rule changes would help us more on the defensive end than hurt our offense. At least based on last years team and tendancies. Just my opinion and I was certainly kidding in suggesting it would make much of a difference, ie NCAA.

[OldPony]

The rules changes are just proposed at this time and I am not very confident that they will go through. Too many collegiate fans love the high percentage of 3's being made. That said, I agree that it would help SMU. We have not been good at defending the 3 nor have we been good making them. The change would hurt others more than us from that viewpoint. I also like Simpson for mid range and the lanes should open up for Isham and BHop. The wider land keeps the no talent big men from backing into the basket and dropping in shots which also plays in our favor. All that said, I doubt it will happen. I still look for the Ponies to be better next year despite the huge loss of Q.

[The CPC]

But its not just about the 3-point line. These changes favor teams that cut and screen, and move well and execute away from the ball. Seriously, if you've seen SMU play, does that sound like the Mustangs to you?
Part of the reason SMU doesnt defend the 3 point line well is that their defenders sag into the lane, then dont get out on the shooters quickly enough. Moving the line back means that a 3-point shooter will be firing from further away, so it takes even longer for a sagging defender to get their. Opposing teams that execute a good motion offense will still have men running into and posting up in the middle of the lane, regardless of how wide it is. The defenders will still need to sag inside. Now they will have further to go to get back out to the line.

[PonyFan]

"Moving the line back means that a 3-point shooter will be firing from further away, so it takes even longer for a sagging defender to get their."

That's true, but in theory, if the line is backed up, teams either will turn to shooting more 2s, or their shooting percentage from behind the stripe will go down. If they start missing more, our defensive percentage improves.