Alright, let’s talk about how many periods are there in college basketball. I remember when I first got into watching college hoops, I was a bit confused about the whole timing thing.
So, I started to dig around. I opened my browser and punched in “how many periods in college basketball” into the search bar. Many search results showed up, but most of them are talking about NBA, FIBA, or WNBA, which are not what I am looking for.
Then I changed my search words to “NCAA basketball periods” because I learned that NCAA stands for National Collegiate Athletic Association. The search results were much more helpful this time.
I found out that, unlike the pros who play four quarters, college basketball games are split into two halves. Yep, just two. I read through some articles and watched a few videos to be sure. Each of these halves lasts for 20 minutes, making the total game time 40 minutes. Of course, that’s just the playing time.
- First half: 20 minutes of play.
- Second half: Another 20 minutes.
But, you know how it is with games, there’s always more than just the time on the clock. I noticed that the games actually take about two hours to finish. This is because of all the other stuff that happens, like timeouts, when players take a breather or when the coach needs to talk strategy. Then there are video reviews, where they check if a play was legit or not, fouls, and of course, if the game is tied at the end, they go into overtime.
What really got me was realizing that women’s college basketball is different. They actually play four quarters, each lasting 10 minutes, similar to the WNBA. It’s cool how the rules change between the different leagues, but for men’s college basketball, it’s definitely two halves.
So, there you have it. If you’re ever watching a college basketball game and wondering about the time, just remember: two halves, 20 minutes each. But expect to be there for about two hours if you’re watching the whole thing live!
