FIBA/NCAA Rules Comparison

GRAND FORKS, N.D. - With just under a week remaining before the North Dakota men's basketball team leaves for its 2015 European Tour, the coaching staff has been making sure the players are familiarizing themselves with FIBA rules.

So, besides different cultures, languages and currency to get acclimated to, the team has also been emersing itself in a different style of basketball. Each of the four games will be officiated by FIBA referees and played under that governing bodies' set of rules.

The best way to do that has been scrimmaging under those guidelines and, so far, that tactic has been beneficial as the players adjust to those changes.

"We've been doing different things during practice just to get used to (those rules)," power forward Drick Bernstine said. "We've been using a different ball, some of the box-out rules on free throws are different. I know you can grab the ball above the rim, so (just working on) a couple different rules that we've been incorporating into practice."

At the end of the day it is still basketball, but their are a few noticeable differences that the team will have to adjust too, while playing overseas.

Perhaps the biggest adjustment will be going from a 35-second shot clock to a 24-second shot clock. The silver-lining in this change is that NCAA is also changing its shot clock from 35 to 30 for the 2015-16 season.

"That will make the game a lot faster, a lot more shots and a lot more offense," junior guard Quinton Hooker said. "I think this Europe trip is definitely going to help us with that, just realizing the five-second difference and being more aware of the time limit we have. This trip will definitely help us get used to that and I think that will help us during the season as well too."

Hooker also mentioned the two seconds less he will have to bring the ball over halfcourt as one of the rules that will be hardest to grasp. "Having only eight seconds to get across halfcourt is going to be challenging for us and force us to get shots up more quickly," he added.

A rule that should effect post players more so than perimeter players, and alluded to earlier by Bernstine, is being able to touch the ball above the cylinder. In the college game, that would be goaltending, but according to FIBA rules, players can touch the ball when it is above the cylinder.

Another minor change is the circumference of the basketball. The FIBA basketball is only 29 inches in circumference, while the men's college basketball is 30 inches. The surface of the FIBA balls is much slicker as well, so that, accoring to point guard Geno Crandall has been one of the harder adjustments.

"I don't think (many of our guys) like the FIBA basketball, so that will be something different," Crandall said. "Wilson (basketball) are what you get adjusted to when you get to college, so playing with a different ball will be tough." 

Despite adapting to a new set of rules, the overall positives of the European Tour will trump those minor adjustments and that is what this 15-man squad is focused on.

"This trip will add a different level of chemistry, then maybe our program has been able to experience in the past," Crandall said. "Just having an extra 10 days of practice, playing a couple more games and giving everybody a chance to get more acclimated to each other's playing styles and the system that we want to play in will give everybody a better feel for each other."

UND takes off for Europe on Monday, Aug, 10 and will play four games during a 10-day stretch that will see the team visit both Italy and France while abroad.

-- UND --