KANSAS CITY, Mo. — It could be easy for Missouri to gripe about the new rule changes.

The NCAA is cracking down on fouls, specifically hand checks, in an attempt to return the game to a more finesse style. However, the transition to the new, stricter style of officiating has not been a smooth one, coaches say. The referee’s whistle has been piercing the air of arenas far more than before, disrupting the flow of the game.

In Missouri’s game Saturday night, there were 44 fouls called between the two teams, 23 in the first half.

But, for the Tigers (3-0), the new rule is a double-edged sword. They saw both edges in a 92-80 victory over Hawaii (2-2) in Kansas City.

The dark side came first.

Junior guard Jordan Clarkson juked his man at the top of the key and slipped in a layup for his fourth point three minutes into the first half.

Moments later, Clarkson walked off the court, shaking his head after being called for his second foul, a technical penalty for taunting after the shot. His first foul came only 60 seconds into the game on a hand check at the top of the key. Clarkson missed the remainder of the first half.

“It was a heated game. We were doing some yanking, and I just kind of took it too far,” Clarkson said. “That was on me. I won’t do anything like that again.”

He said afterward missing playing time was not worth protesting the infraction.

“It’s always tough sitting on the sidelines when you’re in foul trouble,” Clarkson added.

But Clarkson doesn’t have too many negative things to say about the new rules.

In fact, he kind of enjoys them.

“I like them a lot,” he said.

Clarkson, who is averaging 19.3 points per game, thinks they give him an edge when he’s heading to the rim. He’s already a tough guard to stay in front of, and the strict rules will only make it harder. Officials won’t allow defenders to place a hand on him, or “hand-ride,” on his way to the basket.

Guards like Clarkson, and senior Earnest Ross and junior Jabari Brown give teams fits with these new hand check regulations. The three are taller and stronger than most perimeter players in the country and keeping them out of the paint without fouling is near impossible, according to Hawaii coach Gib Arnold.

“I think Jordan Clarkson should send a lot of his scholarship money to the new rules committee,” Arnold said.

In his view, the new rules give a distinct advantage to a very athletic Missouri backcourt. He joked that the only time it was easy to guard Clarkson is when he was playing assistant coach for the last 16 minutes of the first half. Arnold lavished praises on the Missouri guard, saying that he is near impossible to stop.

“He’s just relentless,” he said.

Missouri coach Tim Fuller can see both sides of the issue as well.

“The new rules do make it hard. It makes it hard for us to guard, and it makes it harder to guard us,” Fuller said.