Scotttfujita.com is an informative blog for readers. The products in the article contain affiliate marketing links. We may receive a small commission when you make purchases through our links. You do not need to pay any additional fees for us. See our full disclosures here
When watching a basketball game, spectators often pay attention to the remaining time of the match. Usually, there will be a clock to show the time. However, not everyone knows its mechanism of action and calculation. These watches are associated with “periods.”
So How many periods are in basketball? The rules for periods in basketball also vary depending on the tournament. There are four periods in an NBA game lasting for 12 minutes each.
The women’s NCAA basketball and FIBA basketball tournaments will have four 10-minute periods total. The period is also called a quarter because it represents a quarter of the game
Not all basketball leagues use the same time ivision, though. Let’s explore with Scott Fujitathe differences in the periods of the tournaments in this article.
Periods in basketball matches
Contents
How Many Periods Are In Basketball?
When it comes to a basketball game, we will immediately remember the NBA game. An NBA basketball game consists of four periods lasting 12 minutes each.
This number is usually only correct in theory. When playing in real-time, a period may take longer due to external factors. A good example is when a team calls for a timeout.
Different tournaments will also have different timings and periods. Before continuing to explore the timing of varying basketball matches, let’s review the definition of periods.
View more:
How many rounds are in the NBA draft
How many kids does NBA youngboy have
How many players are on a basketball team
What Are Periods In Basketball?
A period in a basketball game means a specific block of time. The time taken by the sum of all periods in a match is called regulation time. If the two teams still have a draw after the end of the official time, they will continue to play in the extra time.
There will be a short break between each period. If the match consisted of four quarters, there would be two short breaks between the first and second periods and the third and fourth periods. Between the second and third halves, there will be a sizeable 15-minute break. It’s called a halftime break.
In NCAA men’s basketball games, there will only be a halftime break.
How Many Periods Are In College Basketball?
The NCAA men’s basketball matches consist of only two periods, with each halves lasting 20 minutes. There is a two-minute interval between the first and second periods and the third and fourth periods.
The regulation games run total is about 40 minutes. After that time, if the two teams are still tied, they will continue with overtime periods lasting 5 minutes each. The number of overtime periods is unlimited, so you can decide who wins.
How Many Quarters Are In The WNBA Games?
The women’s college basketball plays four quarters, each period lasting ten minutes. The total time for a match is 40 minutes.
Meanwhile, men’s college basketball plays two halves of 20 minutes each. Although the division is different, the total playing time of the two tournaments is the same.
A shot clock in basketball
How Many Periods Are In A High School Basketball Game?
Like NBA games, high school games consist of four quarters. Each quarter lasts 8 minutes. The total game time is 32 minutes.
There will be extra time in the event of a tie after the end of the fourth period. Overtime lasts 5 minutes each period. Two teams will play until a winner is found.
How Long Is The Halftime Break In A Basketball Game?
The most extended break in a match is called the halftime break. Its duration is the same in every tournament. Whether it’s NBA games or an NCAA tournament, the break period lasts 15 minutes.
Usually, the players will sit back and relax while waiting for the next game. Coaches also use this time to re-evaluate the game and the team’s previous performance. The whole team will have meetings or brainstorms to discuss strategies for the rest of the game.
What Is The Longest Game Ever In NBA History?
The longest NBA game
On January 6, 1951, the Rochester Royals played a basketball match against rival Indianapolis Olympions. It is the longest NBA game of all time as it lasted for six periods. The final score of this match was relatively low. The Olympians defeated the Royals 75-73.
The allotted time of a basketball game is 63 minutes on average, but it is often longer in practice because of delays, errors, or stoppages. Not only was the 1951 game long-lasting, but there were also a few other examples in history.
The second-longest game in NBA history took place on November 9, 1989. The Seattle Supersonics had to accept their defeat to the Milwaukee Bucks after five extra time periods. At that time, the score was extremely close, 155-154.
Supersonics’ Dale Ellis sets the record for the most playing time in a game. He played 69 out of 73 minutes. Six different players scored over 20 points in this match.
You can re-watch this match here
Final Thoughts
Hopefully, this article has helped you gain helpful information about periods in basketball. Contrary to popular belief, periods can be quarters or halves depending on the time division of the different tournaments.
Tracking and understanding the duration of the match is also the best way for the audience to understand more about the current situation between the two teams.
In addition, you should also pay attention to short breaks and halftime breaks. It will help you keep up with the pace of the game and feel more attractive.
Do not forget to share this article if you find it helpful and exciting. If you are interested in basketball or other sports, follow Scott Fujita for the latest information and constant updates.
Thank you for reading!
How Many Periods Make Up a Basketball Game? NBA vs NCAA
Have you ever noticed that basketball games are made up of either four periods or two halves, depending on the level of basketball?
This can be confusing, especially if you are new to the game and not familiar with each league. Our goal with this article is to clear up any confusion about how many periods each league plays.
A basketball game typically has two halves of two periods each. Teams get a quick breather in between periods and a longer halftime break after the second period. Learn more about basketball’s periods here.
Table of Contents
How Many Minutes Total in a Basketball Game?
How Many Periods are There in a Basketball Game?
Does College Basketball Have Four Periods Too?
How About High School Basketball?
How Long is Overtime?
How Long Does it Take to Complete a Basketball Game?
How Many Minutes Total in a Basketball Game?
The total number of minutes played in a basketball game varies from league to league. There are different rules for high school, college, and the NBA. We’ll dive into the minutes for the NBA, WNBA, NCAA, and high school basketball.
NBA games last 48 minutes, the longest of any basketball league. Both men’s and women’s NCAA games last 40 minutes. WNBA games are also 40 minutes long.
Any games sanctioned by the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) are 40 minutes long, including basketball games for The Olympics. The majority of high school basketball games are 32 minutes long but that also depends on the league rules.
How Many Periods are There in a Basketball Game?
NBA
NBA games are divided into four separate periods (often called quarters) and each period is exactly 12 minutes long. The players get a quick two and a half to three and a half minute breather after the first and third periods are completed. The length of the break depends on if the game is nationally televised or not.
After the second period ends, players get a halftime break of 15 minutes before the third period begins. Halftime breaks give the players a chance to rest up and get hydrated as the coaches strategize for the second half.
NCAA Men’s
College basketball games are a little bit different from NBA games. In NCAA Men’s Basketball games, there aren’t four periods but simply two halves of basketball. This different format often challenges the players’ endurance level since there aren’t as many stoppages of play to rest off the court.
Each half lasts for twenty minutes and there is a 15-minute break for halftime before the second half starts. A men’s college game is 40 minutes long unless the game is tied and goes to an overtime period.
NCAA Women’s
Women’s college basketball has different rules from men’s college basketball. NCAA Women’s games are made up of four 10-minute quarters. This new rule took effect in the 2015-2016 NCAA Women’s season. Before this change, women’s college basketball played two twenty-minute halves just like the men do.
Halftime for women’s games is also 15 minutes long. Like the men’s games, women’s games are also 40 total minutes long unless overtime is needed.
Does College Basketball Have Four Periods Too?
Only NCAA Women’s basketball games have four periods. All NCAA Men’s basketball games are made up of two halves.
Interestingly enough, NCAA Men’s basketball experimented with four periods during the 1951-52 and 1954-55 seasons. The rule was changed back to two twenty-minute halves shortly after each season.
How About High School Basketball?
Most high school basketball games are 32 minutes long. Four periods of eight minutes each are played. After the second period has ended, a halftime break of 10 to 15 minutes takes place.
How Long is Overtime?
The NBA, WNBA, NCAA Men’s, and NCAA Women’s all have five-minute overtime periods if the game is tied at the end of regulation. High school basketball uses an overtime period that is four minutes long.
How Long Does it Take to Complete a Basketball Game?
Have you ever noticed that you can watch a high school game in person a whole lot faster than you can watch an NBA game on TV? A high school game is usually over in only an hour and a half while an NBA game can take up to two and a half hours to watch. Here are some of the reasons for that.
1. Number of Minutes
Like we mentioned above, NBA games are 48 minutes long while high school basketball games are only 32 minutes long. That 16 minutes may not sound like a big difference.
However, when we break it down math-wise, that equates to the NBA games being 50% longer than high school games.
2. TV Timeouts
Another reason NBA games take so much longer than high school basketball games is TV timeouts. All NBA games are televised, so many commercial breaks are needed to run TV ads.
High school basketball games are never televised, with the rare exception of two powerhouse programs on ESPN every once in a great while.
3. Number of Timeouts
During an NBA game, each team is allotted seven timeouts. Each timeout can last up to 75 seconds.
During a high school basketball game, each team is only allotted five timeouts and two of those are only 30 seconds long. That equates to an NBA game having four more stoppages of play than a high school game just due to the number of timeouts alone.
Mike Noblin
Mike has been involved with basketball for over 30 years as a player, coach, and bettor. He has a degree in Sports Psychology and enjoys following both the NBA and College Basketball on a nightly basis.
How long is a quarter in basketball (NBA, FIBA).
Number of halves in a game
Home / All sports / How long is a quarter in basketball (NBA, FIBA). Number of halves in the game
12/22/2018 All sports Leave a comment 106,041 Views
Share with friends
It so happened that some of the rules of basketball in Europe and North America are different, and this primarily concerns the duration of the periods. The number of quarters in FIBA and NBA matches is the same, however, Americans, for whom basketball is considered one of the most popular sports, like to enjoy this wonderful game longer, therefore, in their rules, they increased the duration of each half by two minutes (compared to the International Federation of basketball)
Interesting fact: In the early days of basketball there were only 13 rules, now there are more than 200.
How many periods are there in a basketball game?
A basketball game consists of 4 quarters (1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th) , this applies to both NBA and FIBA. Conventionally, the 1st and 2nd periods are the first half of the match, and the 3rd and 4th are the second. Between each quarter there is a two-minute break, but between the second and third half, the duration of the break is as much as 15 minutes.
According to the officially established rules, there can be no draw in basketball. If after 4 periods the score is equal, another quarter is played lasting 5 minutes. The number of extra periods is not limited, there may be several such five-minute periods until the winning team is determined.
How long is a quarter in basketball (NBA and FIBA)?
In Europe, tournaments held under the auspices of FIBA, the duration of each game is 40 minutes, that is, each quarter lasts 10 minutes .
In the United States of America, where the ruling organization in basketball is the NBA, the duration of the match is 48 minutes, that is, the time of each period is not 10, but 12 minutes. It turns out that in the USA, due to these two minutes added to each quarter, advertisers have more time to show their products to the viewer (the longer the viewer is at the TV screens, the more money the clubs earn on advertising). That is why the NBA is the richest and most popular basketball league on the planet.
Many people are also interested in how long a basketball game lasts in Europe and the USA. In general, taking into account the duration of all quarters, half-time intervals and dead ball situations (eg fouls, free throws and other stoppages), the total duration of the match is 2-3 hours.
The average regular season game in the NBA is 137 minutes.
The duration of basketball matches in the Olympic Games and competitions under the auspices of FIBA is shorter than in US tournaments, since the same match duration is 8 minutes shorter. FIBA also has fewer timeouts. In the NBA, both teams get 14 timeouts per game for two, with 2 timeouts in each period being mandatory (so-called television timeouts). FIBA and the Olympic Games have 5 timeouts, and teams may not necessarily use them.
Do you know how long the longest basketball game lasted?
The record for the length of a basketball game was recorded in 2006 in the United States of America. The duel was held specifically to set a record, the student teams "North Carolina" and "Duke" played each other for more than 58 hours in a row, the victory was won by "Duke" with a score of 3688:3444. All proceeds from ticket sales went to charity.
Conclusion
Some NBA and FIBA basketball rules differ. So, one of the main differences is the duration of the periods, in US tournaments each lasts 12 minutes, and in Europe - 10 minutes. A basketball game can never end in a draw, so there is no limit to the number of added halves. If you are planning to visit a basketball game, please note that it can take as much as 2-3 hours to watch.
Interesting: the tallest basketball players in the world.
2018-12-22
Check also
Share with friendsThe rematch of Usyk vs Joshua will take place on August 20, 2022. The arena for the grand ...
How many periods in basketball | How many periods does basketball consist of, match duration rules
Basketball is one of the favorite and popular sports all over the world. At the same time, the answer to the question of how many quarters there are in basketball, and what is their duration, causes difficulties for many. Such concepts as a quarter, overtime, break, timeout are familiar to all professional athletes, but such terms often raise questions for ordinary people.
Duration of basketball game
The countdown is carried out only during direct play, that is, when the players hold or dribble the ball. The responsibility for the correct count lies with the arbiter, who watches the timer with a stopwatch. When there are pauses, the ball is outside the playing area, the time stops and starts again after the resumption of the game with the ball.
It depends on the organizer of the competition, so it is different for North America and Europe. The US and FIBA interpret differently, and in order to avoid errors in answering the question of how long the match lasts, it is worth clarifying which association is in question.
The NBA is characterized by a slightly longer duration, which exceeds FIBA by 2 minutes. This is due to the more advertising nature of the players in American tournaments.
Period in basketball: how many minutes does it last?
Previously, it consisted of 2 halves of 20 minutes. In 2000 the rules were changed. Today everything is divided into quarters, the length of which may vary slightly depending on the species.
Varieties:
10-minute;
12-minute.
A longer period is typical for the players of the National Basketball Organization, the so-called NBA. In all other tournaments, it is always the same: 10 minutes. The total time is 48 for the US and 40 for the rest of the leagues.
When organizing in universities and school institutions, these rules are often neglected. In this regard, as a rule, it consists of two periods, 20 minutes each, which is unusual for many team players.
Organization of a basketball match. The referee starts everything by performing a jump ball on the central circle of the court. The referee throws the ball vertically upwards between the representatives of each team. The ball cannot be picked up, therefore, to start the countdown, the player must only touch it, after which the game begins on the court.
The first rules did not limit the basketball player in the time of possible possession of the ball.
Today, a certain time is given for the attack:
24 seconds for everyone except NBA;
32 for basketball in the National Association.
When does the countdown start? The countdown starts from the moment the ball hits the player's hands. The team of referees always includes a 24 second operator who monitors compliance with the ball possession rule. After the throw has passed, you need to pass the ball to another member of the team, otherwise the referee blows the whistle and the match is interrupted. There are temporary restrictions on possession of the ball:
for the first 8 sec. it is necessary to carry the ball from your own half to the opponent's field;
when throwing in or taking a free throw, the time may not exceed 5 minutes;
passing under the ring cannot exceed 3 seconds.
The coach of each team may take a time-out. Their number and organization depends on the team coach. Each party can exercise this right no more than 5 times. It can be done once after regular time. There is the following limitation:
twice - in 1 half;
three times - rest of the second part.
How long does the game last? Goals are being counted and the team with the most goals wins. In case of an equal number of goals scored, extra time is assigned, which is additional time: 5 minutes.
It goes until the winner is determined. The practice of holding tournaments shows that dopas are usually assigned no more than 3 times.
The time taken by the sum of all periods in a match is called regulation time. If the two teams still have a draw after the end of the official time, they will continue to play in the extra time.
The number of overtime periods is unlimited, so you can decide who wins.
Whether it’s NBA games or an NCAA tournament, the break period lasts 15 minutes.
The Seattle Supersonics had to accept their defeat to the Milwaukee Bucks after five extra time periods. At that time, the score was extremely close, 155-154.
A men’s college game is 40 minutes long unless the game is tied and goes to an overtime period.
Four periods of eight minutes each are played. After the second period has ended, a halftime break of 10 to 15 minutes takes place.
Number of halves in a game 
Conventionally, the 1st and 2nd periods are the first half of the match, and the 3rd and 4th are the second. Between each quarter there is a two-minute break, but between the second and third half, the duration of the break is as much as 15 minutes. 
That is why the NBA is the richest and most popular basketball league on the planet. 
The duel was held specifically to set a record, the student teams "North Carolina" and "Duke" played each other for more than 58 hours in a row, the victory was won by "Duke" with a score of 3688:3444. All proceeds from ticket sales went to charity. 
At the same time, the answer to the question of how many quarters there are in basketball, and what is their duration, causes difficulties for many. Such concepts as a quarter, overtime, break, timeout are familiar to all professional athletes, but such terms often raise questions for ordinary people. 
This is due to the more advertising nature of the players in American tournaments. 
The referee throws the ball vertically upwards between the representatives of each team. The ball cannot be picked up, therefore, to start the countdown, the player must only touch it, after which the game begins on the court. 
it is necessary to carry the ball from your own half to the opponent's field; 
