The next time you watch a men's college basketball game on television, the score probably won't reach double digits before the announcers tell you that this year's point of emphasis is to put the kibosh on rough play.

Before the season, Men's Basketball Rules Committee members embarked on a public relations campaign spearheaded by University of Kansas coach Roy Williams, who took over as committee chair in September.

"We tried to reach everyone involved," Williams said.

The annual officiating video was devoted solely to rough play. All officials who wish to be eligible to work any NCAA tournament game in any division must have attended an officiating clinic at which the video was shown and discussed. A full-time member of each Division I coaching staff also had to view the video.

"I emphasized to the coaches that they would have to teach (in accordance with) the way officials are going to officiate," Campanelli said. "That way, we'd get on the same page."

In fact, rough play got national player of year candidate Troy Murphy's attention early. The University of Notre Dame player said that coach Mike Brey prepped the Irish for a change in officiating from the get-go.

"He brought in refs at the beginning of the year (for scrimmages) and told them to call the games exactly as they would during the regular season," Murphy said. "If we had continued to play the way we did then, everyone would foul out. Since then we have adjusted to the calls."

Evolution, escalation

How had a game in which rough-house tactics have been verboten since Dr. James Naismith invented it become so physical? Williams mentioned a few factors.

"Number one, the fans don't want to see a free-throw shooting contest," he said. "Number two, the coaches are under great pressure to win, so they took advantage of being allowed to use physical play, and the players also saw that they could gain a great advantage through physical play."

"Some of the plays that we are teaching to be called as fouls now, before we taught that there was no advantage gained (so a foul shouldn't be called). With the shot clock, the three-point line, the size and strength of the players and a few other things combined, it has become obvious that now there is an advantage gained," Nichols said.

North Carolina State University coach Herb Sendek summarized what the committee was seeing by saying, "You don't ever want style of play to dictate officiating. Some teams have been so physical that it's hard to call everything, and that's not a good situation."

"He said, 'Coach, I need to get stronger. I get pushed around everywhere I go.'

"It struck me that that was the foremost thing in his mind," Williams said. "It reminded me of what I had heard someone else say -- that it's a shame that basketball had come to the point where the weight room is more important than developing skills."

Progress report

"I think there will be some rough spots along the way because it's a very huge step for college basketball to make," said the Orangemen coach. "You're asking people who have reffed one way for a long time to do something different and that's going to take a while. What I've seen so far is pretty good. I think they are calling it closer."

"The officials we have seen have tried to take away some of the physicalness and get it to more of a skill game, and I'd rather have it that way," Drew said.

As a player, Murphy said he thinks the difference between this year and last, however, has been minimal.

"I haven't noticed it that much," he said. "There is less bumping when you're trying to catch the ball and you can actually make cuts without getting bumped."

Sendek said an evaluation of this year to last depended on the individual games analyzed.

"We will always have a variance in officiating from game to game," said the Wolfpack coach. "I think for the most part (the point of emphasis) is good, although some have said that it takes away from some teams with lesser talent being able to compete."

An indicator that physical play may be on the decline is that at least one national scoring statistic has increased. In mid-December in Division I, 18 teams were ranked in points per game, with the 18th scoring 85.3. Similar statistics for December 1999 showed 17 teams ranked with the 17th at 83.0.

The true test

Most everyone knows that the main assessment comes now, when conference foes battle every night. Some previous points of emphasis have faded as well-known rivals square off.

Asked about such games, Murphy said that "things might change once we get into Big East play and they start calling it more toward the Big East style."

To prevent rough play during such wars, Stanford University coach Mike Montgomery, whose term on the committee ended in September, said that conference supervisors of officials are going to have to step it up, just like the teams do.

"They are going to have to make sure that the instructions continue to come from the top," Montgomery said. "If they see (the point of emphasis) not being done, they have to jump on it.

"The key is the officials. If the officials keep it up, the coaches will adjust to it because they have no choice."

Campanelli said that he's encouraged by what he's seen.

"I think the players and coaches (in the Pac-10) are adjusting," he said. "Since it's a national point of emphasis, the officials can't back down (during conference play) or the players and coaches will be confused."

Butler University coach Thad Matta agreed.

"I feel for the officials. From what I've seen, they've done a very good job," the Bulldogs coach said. "You hope it just stays consistent. The key is for them to keep doing what they've been doing."

Not every coach is so supportive when the rough play is called on his player. But Williams said that each must endure this and adjust.

Nichols said that this initiative presents the officials with a unique opportunity.

"This is a good thing," he said. "It's the right thing. We just have growing pains because it is a drastic change. It's going to take some adjustment."

Williams already notices that adjustment from all involved.

"I've noticed a difference in not just how the games have been called but how they have been played," he said. "I'm hoping this continues. If it doesn't, something more drastic may be needed."

2001 division i men's basketball midseason trends

Through games of January 14

Midseason Final

CONFERENCE LEADERS

Points scored per game
-- Atlantic Coast -- 82.81

-- Southeastern -- 80.31

-- Western Athletic -- 78.76

Fewest points against per game
-- Mountain West -- 64.46

-- Big Ten -- 66.19

-- Ivy -- 67.29

Field-goal percentage
-- Atlantic Coast -- 46.80%

-- Big 12 -- 46.61%

-- Big East -- 46.44%

Lowest field-goal percentage defense
-- Mountain West -- 40.49%

-- Big 12 -- 40.84%

-- Atlantic Coast -- 40.90%

Three-pointers made per game
-- Atlantic Coast -- 7.07

-- Ivy -- 7.00

-- Independents -- 6.92

Three-point attempts per game
-- Trans America -- 20.45

-- Ivy -- 20.48

-- Southeastern -- 20.05

Three-point field-goal percentage
-- Big Sky -- 37.85%

-- Atlantic Coast -- 37.31%

-- Independents -- 36.98%

-- Western Athletic -- 36.88%

Free-throw percentage
-- Western Athletic -- 71.52%

-- Independents -- 71.36%

-- Atlantic Coast -- 70.19%