Collegiate men's basketball is the only remaining division of the sport to compete in halves rather than quarters.
It didn't used to be that way, though. NCAA women's basketball also featured two 20-minute halves before making the switch several years ago.
During the 2015-16 season, the format for women's college basketball changed through a proposal to the NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel. The proposal was also endorsed by the WBCA's Board of Directors.
Here's everything you need to know about how a women's college basketball game is timed in 2024.
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How long is a women's college basketball quarter?
Women's college basketball has transitioned to mirror the WNBA and FIBA. The games are compromised of four 10-minute quarters, with a 15-minute halftime.
The format was originally recommended because it was believed that a four-quarter format would enhance the flow of the game, with fewer TV timeouts and fewer bonus free throws awarded.
Why isn't men's college basketball played in quarters?
There are two main consequences that would come with moving the men's play clock to mimic the women's, according to Sports Illustrated.
The first is how team fouls would be processed.
In a four-quarter game in women's basketball, the team fouls reset to zero at the end of each quarter. After the fourth team foul in each quarter, the opponent reached the bonus and shoots two free throws on each subsequent foul.
On the men's side, a team reaches a one-and-one bonus on the seventh team foul of each half and the two-shot bonus on the 10th team foul.
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The second change is a reduction in the number of of media timeouts. If a game is televised, there are eight media timeouts, four in each half. On the women's side, there is one media timeout in each quarter, occurring either at the first dead ball at or below the five-minute mark of each period, and at the end of the first and third periods.
Did converting women's games to quarters decrease free throws?
Looking at the statistics records from the 2014-2017 seasons, it appears there was not much of a change when it came down to the average number of fouls and free throws per game, nor in the length of the game itself.
In fact, in 2016-17, the second season after the change, the free throw percentage was at an all-time high of 69.48%.
| Year | Free throw attempts | Fouls per game |
|---|---|---|
| 2014-15 | 18.19 | 17.57 |
| 2015-16* | 18.13 | 17.52 |
| 2016-17 | 17.28 | 17.52 |
*The year the clock system changed.
