KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – There is concern about the current state of men’s college basketball with the NCAA Tournament little more than a week away.
Scoring is at a near-record low this season. Fouls are a pervasive problem. Attendance has dropped precipitously in many places, and television ratings are struggling to reach last year’s levels.
Dan Gavitt, the NCAA’s vice president for men’s college basketball, says the game could be hurt if scoring stays down and physical play continues.
Attendance in men’s Division I basketball has fallen seven straight seasons, from an average of 5,327 in 2006-07 to 4,817 last year. Both CBS and ESPN are weathering ratings declines this season.
The NCAA tried to intervene last year, instituting a series of rules reforms designed to boost scoring. They have largely failed to stick.