Calls for rule changes after college hoops farce

Chinese college hoops have been making headlines recently－but for controversial reasons.

Last weekend, a Chinese University Basketball Association (CUBA) game produced farcical scenes when a Peking University player intentionally failed to score two free throws in order to send his team's contest to overtime.

Under the league's current regulations, winning the game by two points would not have been enough for Peking to advance to the semifinals.

In the quarterfinal first leg, Peking had lost 83-78, meaning it had to win by at least six points in the second leg to qualify at the expense of its opponent, China University of Mining and Technology.

But with the game hanging in the balance late in the second leg, Peking saw little hope of making that and instead elected to force OT hoping to score more－a plan that worked as it ultimately won the game by 10 points to claim the aggregate win.

League rules stipulate that when each team wins a game in the quarterfinals, the one with the higher total score advances to the semifinals. If the total scores are tied, teams play overtime to decide the winner.

The regulations also make no provisions for a tie, meaning that the second-leg winner has to be determined before applying to the total-score rule.

"The winner of every game has to be decided, and both sides have been informed of the rules at a preceding meeting," read a message on the CUBA's official social media account.

Whether or not those rules are reasonable is another matter.

After the Peking incident, some netizens pointed out that the league's rules had changed drastically since 2019.

The previous version deemed the two-leg series as a game lasting 80 minutes (each CUBA game lasts 40 minutes without overtime). If the first leg finished in a draw, it would be unnecessary to play overtime to decide the winner, and if the two sides' total scores were level, they would have to play OT to break the tie.

According to the 2019 version, the victor would be decided in two situations: winning both games, or reaching a higher total score after the second leg when the two sides have shared the spoils.

A number of changes have been applied to the rules this year, with the winner of each game having to be decided before determining the advancing side.

This was the primary reason for Peking University choosing to miss both free throws late in regulation, instead deciding to use overtime to overhaul a five-point deficit.

Most of the online reaction to the incident was disapproving.

"China University of Mining and Technology players fought hard for every point in regulation time. If only they had missed a free throw, they would have been the winner according to the current regulations. If this overtime was reasonable, it would encourage players to handle the game with a negative mindset," wrote one hoops fan on Weibo.

"As a guiding force, the competition format should motivate both sides to fight for every possession, showcase the best of themselves and put on a high-quality match. This is a topic that deserves an in-depth discussion," People's Daily Sports commented on its social media account.

"University basketball has witnessed development in its competitive level and increasing attention in recent years, and sometimes a controversy is unavoidable. But they need to face the controversy and respond to players' efforts and fans' expectations with a better competition format, so that it can become a driving force of the league's future progress."

Xinhua