Evaluating the state of college basketball heading into 2016–17 Posted Oct 7, 2016 The 30-second shot clock improved college hoops, and there is no going back. Last summer, I was among the skeptics who worried that shortening the shot clock from 35 seconds to 30 would have the unintended consequence of empowering defenses. That didn’t happen. The new shot clock hit a trifecta of increasing scoring, pace and offensive efficiency from ‘14–15—all positive outcomes. (Sports Illustrated)