LAWRENCE, Kan. – Shorter shot clocks and fewer timeouts. Less hand-checking and physical play. All designed to speed up the game of college basketball, encourage scoring and make it more aesthetically pleasing.

The rule changes implemented earlier this season were the most dramatic to hit the sport since the introduction of the 3-point arc, and they were accompanied by a seismic shift in how the game was to be officiated.

But the great irony has been this: College basketball now looks very much like it did 20 years ago, an elegant, free-flowing game rather than a rough-and-tumble sport.

“The rules changes are supposed to improve the game,” Texas Tech coach Tubby Smith said, “but also give players more freedom to express themselves and play the game the way we wanted it played.

“We’re in an entertainment field as well as an educational field,” he added. “We know that.”

There’s not much entertainment in a low-scoring, foul-filled game.

Field-goal percentages have been on the decline for years. Possessions, too. Scoring had dropped to 67 points on average last season, the lowest level since the ’50s. Attendance plummeted right along with it, hurting the pocketbooks of many athletic departments.

That’s why the NCAA men’s basketball rules committee – made up of coaches, athletic directors, conference administrators and NCAA officials – brought about a slew of reforms this season. Most notable was changing the shot clock for the first time since before the 1993-94 season, when it went from 45 seconds to 35 seconds. It is now 30 seconds. The committee also expanded the restricted area in the paint, and eliminated one timeout by each team in the second half to help plodding games to a conclusion.

Going hand-in-hand with the rules changes was a directive to officials to more closely enforce them, particularly when it came to physical play on the perimeter and in the post.