NCAA Basketball Experimenting With Tech on the Bench

The NCAA is offering 10 conferences the opportunity to experiment with technology during the 2019-20 basketball season.

The NCAA announced Monday that the Men’s and Women’s Basketball Rules Committee approved 10 waiver requests permitting the use of electronically transmitted data to the bench during the conference season.

The National Association of Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame Classic is also using the technology this week in Kansas City, Mo. The data can be used in a coaching role only, with laptops and tablets – but not cellphones – being permitted in the bench area to receive live data and statistics. The NCAA has previously prohibited all electronic devices on the bench, although they are allowed in locker rooms.

Men’s basketball teams won’t be allowed to use video on the bench during games, while women’s basketball can use only preloaded video. All outside apps and communication modes must be deactivated during games.

The following conferences are able to use the technology during men’s and women’s games in the regular season and conference tournament: the Atlantic Coast, Atlantic 10, Metro Atlantic, Mountain West and Sun Belt. The American Athletic, Big Ten and SEC will use it during conference tournaments only, while Conference USA will use it during the regular season, and the Big 12 will use it throughout the conference schedule for women’s basketball only.

Every conference member agreed to use the electronically transmitted data before each waiver was approved. If one team’s device fails during a game, the opponent must shut down their equipment.

The conferences have agreed to share the collected data with the rules committee, which will make a later determination on if the technology will carry over into future seasons.