Chris Beard on NCAA Rule Changes: ‘Anything that can help the right team win a close game’

The NCAA has implemented several significant rule changes for men's college basketball. Teams are now permitted to challenge out-of-bounds calls and goaltending or basket interference rulings for video review. The NCAA also modified the continuous motion rule during shot attempts. Furthermore, starting in the 2026-27 season, the regular season will expand to a maximum of 32 games, allowing teams more flexibility to schedule non-conference games.

The challenge system operates with specific consequences: a successful review grants the team an additional challenge for the remainder of the game, including overtime, while an unsuccessful challenge results in the loss of the ability to challenge any further calls. Importantly, these coach-initiated challenges do not affect the officials' standard use of instant replay for other situations like timing mistakes, scoring errors, shot clock violations, determining 2-point vs. 3-point field goals, or flagrant fouls.

Ole Miss coach Chris Beard highlighted the pressure this new system creates for coaching staffs. He emphasized the importance of using challenges wisely, noting that losing a challenge is undesirable, but a successful challenge on a "glaring call" regains the opportunity. Beard anticipates tense moments as staff must make rapid "thumbs up or thumbs down" decisions on whether to challenge, without time for lengthy discussion.