This fall, the NCAA created a rule to speed up men’s lacrosse games and prevent offenses from holding on to the ball without attempting to create shot attempts.
The rule puts in place a 30-second countdown that would be started by referees at their discretion and replaces the former “get it in, keep it in” call.
Friday night in Chapel Hill, the UNC men’s lacrosse team got its first taste of the rule in regular season action when they hosted Air Force.
But for UNC it didn’t make a big difference.
“I think our offense plays pretty fast,” senior captain Marcus Holman said. “It’s not going to be a too big of a worry for us.”
The high pace of their offense helped the Tar Heels avoid falling victim to the rule change. While on a few occasions the Tar Heels were given a stall warning that started the shot clock, UNC never had the clock run out on them.
Even for the Tar Heels’ opponent, the shot clock only forced one turnover.
Though the rule didn’t appear to have much of an effect on this game, coach Joe Breschi thinks it increases the importance of transition play and makes the game more fun to watch.
“It seems like a faster game,” Breschi said. “I think that’s what the game is heading toward.”
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