One of college basketball's most compelling moments this season was also one of its ugliest.
On Jan. 10, Kentucky's quest for an undefeated season was in jeopardy at Texas A&M. The unheralded Aggies took the No. 1 Wildcats into double overtime before falling, but the score after regulation was 53-53, and the first five extra minutes didn't enhance the beauty, as the teams played on from a 57-57 deadlock.
Virginia is the nation's only other undefeated team, and the No. 2 Cavaliers have a 45-26 win over Rutgers in late November and a 57-28 win over Georgia Tech last Thursday. Georgia Tech's football team scored at least 28 points in 12 of its 14 games this past season.
Former Duke basketball player and current ESPN analyst Jay Bilas has witnessed longer games with fewer points and has called his favorite sport "unwatchable" on multiple occasions.
"Sitting by and watching this ship sink is not good enough," Bilas recently told the Kansas City Star. "Who could defend what we're seeing right now?"
How can this sport be worth viewing again in the eyes of Bilas? Several Southeastern Conference coaches offered suggestions this week.
Florida head coach Billy Donovan answers questions at a news conference for the NCAA college basketball tournament in Orlando, Fla., Wednesday, March 19, 2014.FLORIDA'S BILLY DONOVAN
"There are a lot of things you could probably take a look at. I know there has been some talk about widening the lane and shortening the shot clock. The game has really changed in a lot of ways over the years, and one of the things that has happened is the skill level and the natural basketball IQ on some of those things is a lot different. The size, strength, speed and athleticism has gotten better as time has gone on, so if you widen the lane and shorten the shot clock, maybe it would be a little bit different, but I don't know if there is one thing you could change to make it a cleaner game, so to speak."
Georgia head coach Mark FoxGEORGIA'S MARK FOX
"I think Jay's frustration may be that when we go to the monitor, there are lots of delays. The block-charge rule has changed from a year ago, and I think he has voiced some frustration with that. We made great progress a year ago in changes of emphases on the rules and trying to take some of the contact away from the game that would bring back scoring. I think we can't lose sight of that, because it helped last year, so we have to stay committed with that rule. If I could change one rule, I would probably go to a 30-second shot clock, but I don't know if that would make a huge difference in the game."
Kentucky head coach John Calipari shouts directions at his team during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Alabama, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2015, in Tuscaloosa, Ala. Kentucky won 70-48. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson) KENTUCKY'S JOHN CALIPARI
"Putting the shot clock at 30 seconds or lower wouldn't bother me. Our teams are shooting it every 19 seconds. If it's time to grind it out, my teams historically finish people off. When we played Kansas in the championship game, we started grinding it with 17 minutes left in the game. We will use the rules the way they are, but most of the time we will shoot it within 20 seconds anyway. I think if you want to make the college game better, play two exhibition games and play whoever you want. We need to use the summer. College basketball should own August the way college football has spring practice."
Auburn coach Bruce Pearl screams for his offense during the team's NCAA college basketball game against Alabama on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2015, at Coleman Coliseum in Tuscaloosa, Ala.AUBURN'S BRUCE PEARL
"The number one thing we could do is get the shot clock down to 30 and maybe even consider a 24-second shot clock. College teams play fewer games, and there is so much more intensity and passion to where every single regular-season college game is like an NBA playoff game. Our guys are playing with incredible passion, and they don't take possessions off defensively. As a result, there is a lot more contact, believe it or not, in the college game than there is in the professional game. We also need to space out the timeouts to where you can't use so many during the last four minutes of the game."
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.