A Loud Off-Season
The rule changes will probably be approved, so if you are a junior high school or high school player, start working on your mid-range (8-19 feet) jump shot now. You will not be able to play college basketball effectively without one, regardless of your height, strength, or post-up abilities. Think Dirk Nowitzki, not Shaquille O'Neal.
Although it will have less effect upon the actual play of the game of college basketball, the more intriguing off season occurrence is the University of Miami's discussions with the ACC about moving from the Big East. Many college basketball fans do not realize that the real money in college athletics is in football, not basketball. Consequently, conference changes and adjustments are exclusively made on the basis of football needs at those universities which have football programs. The ACC would absolutely love to add football power Miami to its conference, despite the objections of many basketball coaches.
The problem for basketball, however, is that a Miami move will result in a cascade of other changes. Without Miami, the Big East is not nearly as strong a football conference. The other football playing schools of the Big East- Pittsburgh, West Virginia, Virginia Tech, Rutgers, Connecticut, Syracuse, Boston College, and Temple would need to improve the strength of the conference if they hope to have a shot at a BCS bowl. Here is where things get dicey.
Syracuse, Boston College, and Virginia Tech have all stated that they would be interested in moving to the ACC with Miami if Miami moves. Since adding two teams in addition to Miami would give the ACC twelve total teams, and thus allow it to have a lucrative football championship game each season, the ACC would likely take two of these teams. Virginia Tech, however, has also stated that it is interested in staying in the same conference as Pittsburgh and West Virginia. In all likelihood, the two other teams heading to the ACC would be Syracuse and Boston College.
Obviously, adding those two teams to the ACC has huge basketball implications for the ACC. Beyond the increased strength of the conference (Duke has won more games than any other team over the last ten years and Syracuse is the defending national champion), a twelve team league has scheduling implications. Not all teams would play each other twice during a basketball season. Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski and Maryland coach Gary Williams both hate the idea
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