This is one of those things that makes the world wonder. Why do most basketball games run in four quarters, but men’s college basketball still plays with two halves? The NBA, WNBA, and women’s college basketball are all played in four quarters. The reason goes all the way back to the person who invented the sport.
When Dr. James Naismith drew up the first-ever basketball rules back in 1891, he imagined two 15-minute halves with a break in the middle. Just a way to keep athletes in shape during the winter. Now, a century later, men’s college basketball has only changed that slightly. The halves are now twenty minutes long, but the idea is the same.
Why Hasn’t Men’s College Basketball Gotten on the Quarter Train Like Everyone Else?
It almost did. In 1951, both the NBA and NCAA tried playing with four ten-minute quarters. It seemed like a nice middle ground. But three years after this, the NCAA decided to go back to halves. Meanwhile, the NBA doubled down and even extended each quarter to twelve minutes. And that’s where the roads diverged.
I wish Men’s college basketball was four 12-minute quarters instead of two 20-minute halves.
— Garrett Hill (@GarrettHil78809) March 9, 2025
Many hoop fans do believe that the two-half system simply makes the game more competitive. Longer stretches of play without all the quarter-time breaks lead to a smoother rhythm and give underdog teams a better chance to keep up. When there are fewer stoppages, the game flows better and comebacks become more possible. It’s basically Cinderella’s best friend.
When you look at the March Madness hype, it looks like the two-half pace works. But it’s not just about the pace; this format also changes the rules, especially for fouls and free throws.
In men’s college basketball, each team starts fresh every half. If the team gets seven fouls, the other team gets a shot at a “one-and-one.” Make the first free throw, and you earn the second. If missed, then it’s tough luck. But once a team hits ten fouls, the other team automatically gets two free throws. That structure means coaches have to be extra careful managing fouls throughout a half.
Meanwhile, in the NBA and other quarter-based formats, team fouls reset after each quarter. Once a team hits five fouls in a quarter, it’s two free throws every time. It’s tidier, sure, but it also resets the strategy clock more often.
And here’s another thing, there’s TV Timeouts. Games with halves get four media breaks. Meanwhile, quarters get three. Now, the extra break might not seem like much, but when dealing with broadcasting deals and sponsor money, every break counts.
The fandom is split on the formats. Some love the two-halve style since it feels more traditional and dramatic and keeps the tension building. Others argue that switching to quarters would create more consistency with the pros and women’s game while also reducing the drawn-out foul fest at the end of each half.
In fact, the NCAA’s own rules committee has thought about this. At a 2021 meeting, there was even a proposal to break each half into “unofficial quarters” by resetting fouls at the 10-minute mark. The goal was to eliminate the “one-and-one” situation and smooth out the bonus system. But that did not happen.
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Whether it’s tradition, strategy, or just plain stubbornness, two halves still reign. The madness wouldn’t feel quite the same without it.
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