A large number of college basketball fans cannot stand to watch Zach Edey as he leads Purdue deep into March Madness with his massive presence in the paint. Some of there criticism is warranted.
However, the fans who are frustrated by the 7-footer’s constant three-second violation are not familiar with the rules.
They are not three-second violations. The rule that Edey exploits only applies to the men’s collegiate level of basketball! In no other league would he get away with what he does.
There is no way to deny that Edey is a foul merchant, as proved by an astonishing 54-year-old record on Sunday. It is entirely fair to be frustrated by the whistle that follows him on both ends of the court.
However, the soon-to-be back-to-back National Player of the Year is, believe it or not, very talented. He also does not get away with an illegal presence in the paint.
All of these things can be true.
Fans of Tennessee were furious with the officials during the Elite Eight for a lot of reasons. Those who are misinformed wanted Edey to be called for standing the key throughout the Boilermakers’ entire offensive possession.
The rule in every other league stems from a three-second countdown that begins as soon as a player’s foot enters the restricted area. Just one. It resents when both feet leave the restricted area.
The rule for men’s college basketball is different. Not women’s. Just men’s.
A three-second countdown begins as soon as a player’s foot enters the restricted area. In this instance, though, the clock resets as soon as one foot is lifted from the restricted area. The count is terminated if one foot is touching the outside line and the other foot is in the air. A player just cannot have any part of their body touching the restricted area for more than three consecutive seconds, which is different than the rule for any other league.
More simply stated: one foot out + one foot in the air = reset the count.
Zach Edey is not committing a violation. And if he does, it is because there is so much grey area that the officials are not keeping as close of a watch on the exact moment he enters and/or exits the paint. The occasional 3.1-second stint in the key is not going to be called, no matter who it is.