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Ten-second count may finally be coming to women’s college basketball

NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament - Final Four - Championship

NEW ORLEANS, LA - APRIL 09: Head coach Geno Auriemma of the Connecticut Huskies and head coach Jeff Walz of the Louisville Cardinals speak to an official after a flagrant foul call in the first half during the 2013 NCAA Women’s Final Four Championship at New Orleans Arena on April 9, 2013 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)

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Much of the attention being paid to the rules changes recommended for college basketball has been focused on the recommendations made by the men’s basketball rules committee.

But the women’s basketball rules committee also met Thursday, and among their recommendations is a rule that would have a major impact on the women’s game. The recommendation: adding the ten-second backcourt rule.

There’s been no such rule in women’s basketball since the NCAA began sponsoring a championship in the sport in the 1981-82 season (before that it was the AIAW that did so), with teams having the full 30-second shot clock to get the ball over half court if needed.

There was a five-second closely guarded rule for players in the backcourt due to the absence of a ten-count, and that rule would be eliminated should the Playing Rules Oversight Panel approve the proposed changes on June 18.

“Given feedback from stakeholders through the years, this is the right time to approve the rule,” said Barbara Burke, Women’s Basketball Rules Committee chair and director of athletics at Eastern Illinois. “Overall, we discussed pace of play, creating scoring opportunities and flow of the game.

“Adding the 10-second backcourt rule adds another element of strategy, and this rule fits into the concepts of growing the game.”

Frankly it’s beyond time that the women’s game added the ten-second backcourt rule, and it’s an issue that is more important (and influential) than the argument as to whether or not baskets should be lowered.

If approved the addition of the ten-second rule would (in theory) help increase the pace of the game, something that lowering the rims wouldn’t necessarily do.

In addition to the backcourt rule, the women’s committee has recommended that a secondary defender be allowed to draw a charge within the restricted area in situations where the offensive player begins her move inside of the lower defensive box area.

There could also be a change in the way media timeouts are handled, as a team timeout taken within 30 seconds of a scheduled media timeout (with the exception of the under-16 second half media stoppage) would become that media timeout. The goal of that change would be to avoid multiple timeouts within a short timespan, thus improving the flow of the game.

Raphielle can be followed on Twitter at @raphiellej.