New Rules...

A few changes for the women starting this coming season:

Teams will now play four 10-minute quarters instead of two 20-minute halves.

Team's will now receive a two-shot bonus after its opponent commits five team fouls in each quarter, and the number of team fouls would carry over if a game goes into overtime.  (I interpret that to mean there are no more 1 and 1's..).

Media timeouts will be limited to one per quarter and will take place at the first dead ball after the 5-minute mark. If a team calls a timeout before the 5-minute mark, it would count as the media stoppage.

During the final minute of the game and during all of overtime, teams will be allowed to inbound the ball from the frontcourt if a timeout is called following a basket, a rebound or a change of possession.

OK, this one I don't really understand because up until now, teams have had the entire 30 minute shot clock to bring the ball across the centerline into the frontcourt.  Teams will not be subject to a 10-second count if the ball is deflected out of bounds by the defense, there is a held ball and the possession arrow favors the offensive team or a technical foul is called on the offensive team while the ball is in its backcourt.  Based upon that, it would seem there will now be a 10 second rule for crossing the centerline as in men's basketball.

Other changes include allowing defenders to use hand checks with a forearm or open hand with a bended elbow and allowing bands and amplified music to be used during all dead-ball situations instead of just timeouts and halftime.

The Purple Pride Pep Band might get a workout this coming season.....

Anybody want to place a bet on whether refs will cut down on fouls called because of the new free throw rules?

Like the hand check rules, they seem to always revert to what they were accustomed to.

Geezaldinho wrote: Like the hand check rules, they seem to always revert to what they were accustomed to.

I think I remember a KenPom blurb at some point in the last few years that the number of fouls called per game hasn't varied much over the last half century.  Unlike, say, effective field goal percentage, which has gone up consistently over the last few decades.

DoubleDipper wrote:
Based upon that, it would seem there will now be a 10 second rule for crossing the centerline as in men's basketball.

There was last year, but for a long time there actually was no 10-second rule in the women's game.

The rules about team foul limits and advancing the ball to the front court after a time out are similar to NBA rules, as is the no new 10 seconds one on the men's side.