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NCAA men's and women's basketball may look quite different next season. A NCAA rules committee is looking at changing the men's game format from halves to quarters, per The Athletic. That is one of several proposals the NCAA is examining this offseason, that may go into effect for the 2025-26 campaign.
Another idea being thrown around is allowing coaches to have at least one challenge per game, to use in particular circumstances. Coaches would be able to use it against out-of-bounds calls, basket interference and whether a secondary defender was in the restricted area, per the outlet.
A coaching challenge could go into effect in both women's and men's basketball. Women's hoops already uses a quarters game format, while the men still play two halves. Both the men's and women's committees are looking at implementing the challenge rule.
The men's basketball committee reportedly was concerned with long stoppages near the end of games, when plays are reviewed. The women's NCAA committee is also looking into this.
“The committee was concerned with pace of play and the number of reviews occurring at the end of games,” said Nicki Collen, rules committee chair and coach at Baylor, per ESPN. “This was also an experimental rule in this year's WBIT. By removing the option for officials to review called out-of-bounds violations and allowing coaches to challenge the call, you increase flow at the end of games while still allowing for the opportunity to get the call right.”
Time will tell how the NCAA handles this. Many NBA players including Kevin Durant have called for men's college basketball to go to quarters.
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NCAA basketball is also looking at other rules changes
There are other proposals on the table for the NCAA to look at this offseason. In men's basketball, one proposal would allow officials to call a Flagrant 1 foul if a player makes contact with another player's groin. That is currently called as either a personal or a Flagrant 2 foul, per The Athletic.
In women's basketball, another idea is to axe the requirement that players tuck in their jerseys. Teams could also be assessed a technical foul for having six players on the court at the start of play, per ESPN.
The NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel meets on June 10 to vote on all the recommendations. If adopted, several of the changes would go into effect for next season.
