It's only June, but college basketball teams are already receiving their first piece of bad news for the 2011-12 season.
The NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel approved the addition of a 3-foot arc underneath each basket where defenders are restricted from taking charges, according to CBSSports.com.
This semi-circle, which appears on every NBA court, forces defenders to completely establish their position outside the restricted zone before any contact is made with an offensive player.
The rule change will go into effect at the beginning of the 2011-12 season for both men's and women's Division I basketball, but the NCAA has decided to wait till 2012-13 before adding it to Divisions II and III.
The panel also announced that the women's 3-point line will move back to 20 feet, nine inches — the same distance as it appears in the men's game.
