Could a major change to the structure of men’s college basketball games be coming down the pipeline?
According to The Athletic’s Chris Vannini, it’s a distinct possibility. Per Vannini, the NCAA men’s basketball committee is considering moving from two, 20-minute halves to four, 10-minute quarters — a system that is already used in women’s college basketball.
The committee recommended that Division I basketball conferences form a working group to explore the possible change and gather feedback.
Men’s college basketball is the only level of basketball, men’s or women’s, that uses halves instead of quarters. High school basketball, women’s college basketball, the NBA, and the WNBA all use quarters.
While such a decision would prove to be controversial, the logic is that it could speed up the pace of play by limiting time teams spend in the bonus, as Vannini pointed out.
College basketball using halves is ultimately a relic of the past. When James Naismith invented basketball, he prescribed two, 15-minute halves — expanded to the current 20 minutes in 1905. In 1951, both the NBA and college basketball moved to quarters, but while college basketball reverted to halves just three years later in 1954, the NBA never went back.
It remains to be seen if such a change will actually be implemented, but it could significantly alter the viewing experience as well as game management strategy in men’s college basketball.
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