By David Teel Daily Press Given their teams’ contrasting styles, it’s no surprise that William and Mary’s Tony Shaver and Virginia Tech’s James Johnson differ on the duration of college basketball’s ideal shot clock. But on this they concur: Referees need to rid the game of MMA-style defense. Fortunately, the NCAA rules committee agrees, last week calling for more “freedom of movement” and a change in how the block/charge is officiated.

By Mickey Furfari The Journal MORGANTOWN - Jim Crutchfield, whose basketball program at West Liberty University is among the nation's best in NCAA Division II, insists that there's really no secret to his team's soaring success. The Hilltoppers not only led the collegiate basketball world in scoring with an incredible 103-point average but also were No. 1 in marginal victory at 25-plus. "I try to stay as local as I can in recruiting," the 57-year-old Clarksburg native said.

By Harry Minium The Virginian-Pilot Conference USA athletic officials began three days of meetings Monday in Destin, Fla., the scenic resort city along the Gulf Coast of Florida’s Panhandle, where officials and coaches will discuss scheduling, officiating, finances, championships and other topics.

By John Dell Winston-Salem Journal Bobby Collins, the men’s basketball coach at Winston-Salem State, has been selected to participate in the NCAA Black Coaches and Administrators Achieving Coaching Excellence Program. The ACE program, scheduled June 5-8 in Indianapolis, is designed to provide additional professional development opportunities. “It’s a very big honor, and I’m excited,” said Collins, an 18-year veteran who called his selection the biggest honor of his career.

By Mike Carmin jconline.com B.J. Knauf attempted to inject some humor when discussing a back problem that sidelined him all of last season. “It was like a bad ex-girlfriend, honestly,” the redshirt freshman receiver on Purdue’s football team joked. The nagging injury — a stress fracture to his L5 vertebrae — killed any chance the Florida native had at contributing last season. He initially suffered the injury running track during his senior year at Sante Fe Catholic in Winter Haven, Fla.