College Basketball’s New Rules Are Ruining The Game

I love basketball because of its free flowing nature and fast paced action. I do not love basketball because I get to watch guys shoot free throws. Unfortunately for me, thanks to college basketball's new rules, I get to see way less of the former and way more of the latter.In last night's marquee matchups, the Champions Classic, college basketball powerhouses Duke, Kansas, Michigan State, and Kentucky combined for a staggering 116 free throws. A night that was supposed to showcase the best talents in college basketball was turned into a free throw shooting contest.

It makes sense that college basketball's governing body would want to get rid of hand checks and other things that make the NBA the free flowing well of excitement that it is. After all, who wouldn't want to see a more fun product with more scoring? The problem, however, is in the fact that many college athletes simply are not developed enough to defend without using the hand check as a crutch.

This was made apparent last night, when Kentucky's freshman sensation Julius Randle was sent to the line 15 times for the Wildcats. Randle, a strong, physical presence inside for UK, was constantly being defended with hands rather than with good body positioning and arms extended in the air.

Until those defensive tendencies change, get ready for a lot of free throws in college basketball.