How many minutes in a half of college basketball

How Long is Halftime in College Basketball?

It’s something every college basketball fan has wondered about during the March Madness NCAA Tournament. You’d love to know exactly how much time you have to make more of your favorite snacks before the second half begins.

It’s the most frequently asked question during college basketball games. Learn all there is to know about halftime here in this article.

Table of Contents

• How Long is Halftime in College Basketball?
• What Do Teams Do During Halftime?
• What Happens After Halftime?
• How Long is a Full College Basketball Game?
• How Long is Halftime in High School Basketball?
• How Long is Halftime in The NBA?
• Which Sport Has The Longest Halftime Breaks?

The halftime break for both men’s and women’s college basketball during the regular season is 15 minutes. Halftime can last a bit longer than the standard 15 minutes if there’s a special performance or awards ceremony. During the NCAA basketball tournament, the halftime break gets extended to 20 minutes.

Halftime is the best time for the TV networks to run several different commercials for their sponsors. The sports commentators will also issue a halftime report where they assess how each team performed in the first half.

College basketball teams are hard at work during the brief halftime period. Coaches are going over the new game plan with their respective teams and talking with their players about the second-half adjustments that need to be made.

Halftime is a great time for the players to relax and rehydrate with lots of water or sports drinks. In rare cases, extremely dehydrated players will get an IV from the training staff. Injured players are also evaluated at halftime by the team’s trainers and medical doctors.

After the 15-minute halftime break is over, teams jog back out onto the court. Players go through a brief warm-up period where they will shoot jumpers on their new end of the floor. They may also go through another series of stretches to avoid any type of muscle pulls or strains.

After the brief warm-up, coaches will reiterate the team’s new second-half strategy and maybe give the players a small pep talk. Once the buzzer sounds, it’s time for the second half to get underway. The team that did not take possession of the jump ball at the beginning of the game will not start with the ball to begin the second half.

Coaches then start hoping and praying that they made the correct adjustments during the break!

There are 40 minutes of playing time in a college basketball game, split into two 20-minute halves. The majority of college basketball games take a full two hours to complete. Obviously, games that are tied at the end of regulation time will go into an overtime period and last much longer than that.

Did you know that the longest college basketball game in NCAA history went into seven overtime periods and took 75 minutes of game time? The Cincinnati Bearcats took down the Bradley Braves by a score of 75-73 back on December 21, 1981. 

The game was played before the shot clock or three-point shot was invented. The 7,300 fans that were in attendance definitely got their money’s worth.

The length of halftime in high school basketball games varies depending on the particular state or conference rules. Most high school basketball halftimes last anywhere from 10 to 15 minutes. 

Since high school basketball is played in four quarters instead of two halves, the halftime break in high school is often a little quicker than the college ranks. Keep in mind that high school teams get a quick breather after both the first and third quarters.

Like college basketball, the NBA also adheres to a 15-minute halftime break. This gives the NBA players a chance to rest before heading out for the third quarter. The athletic trainers will be busy retaping some of the players’ ankles while the coaching staff will discuss the second-half strategy with the entire team.

Most of the time, players won’t stay in the locker room for the entire 15-minute break. After eight minutes or so, most players will head back out onto the court to shoot some warmup shots before the third quarter begins. Most players prefer to shoot some jumpers on their new side of the court.

There are a few instances where halftime may take a little longer than 15 minutes in the NBA. All-Star games and playoff games may have a popular band or singer entertaining the crowd during halftime. It may take an extra 5-10 minutes to set up and take down the stage.

College football has the longest halftime break of all the sports. College football teams get a 20-minute break after playing two-quarters of football. According to the rule book, college football teams can agree before the game to take a shorter halftime break but this is a rare occurrence.

Interestingly enough, the NFL halftime break is only 12 minutes. However, massive events like the Super Bowl have halftimes of up to 30 minutes in length because of all the festivities and lengthy halftime show.

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 College Basketball Game? NCAA Game Time

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

Basketball games are always attention-grabbing events at any level. Fans are not only interested in professional tournaments but also eager for college basketball.

The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is the organizer of the tournament for young basketball players. Depending on the level of the match, the time will vary.

How long is a college basketball game? The total game time is about 2 hours 10 minutes.

A college basketball game takes place in two halves of 20 minutes each. The half-time interval for NCAA games is 15 minutes. The college basketball overtime is 5 minutes.

If you are still curious about the durations of different tournaments, let’s find out with Scott Fujita in this article.

Men’s college basketball game 

Contents

With just two 20-minute halves each and a 15-minute break, the standard length of a college basketball game should be 55 minutes.

However, the total length of the match when broadcast on television is often much longer than that. Most NCAA matches last for 2 hours and 10 minutes.

With that total, we have 40 minutes for actual play, two 30-second timeouts for each team, and three overall timeouts. The total time is 48 minutes.

One exciting thing you should note is that college games are usually 8 minutes less long than an NBA game. Even so, the average real-time NCAA match duration is less than a few minutes. The number of timeouts and the frequency with which teams take the free throws during and after college basketball games are the main contributors to this problem.

Unlike NBA games, men’s college basketball games have no quarters. It means fouls will last for an inning and not much reset time. The more fouls a player commits, the longer the game lasts and increases the game’s length.

Each men’s college basketball team will have four timeouts in a basketball game. Three of them lasted 30 seconds, and only one timeout lasted 60 seconds.

They had to use a timeout in the first half, or they would have missed it. The second half stipulates that each team can stop the game only three times.

In addition to timeouts and halftime breaks, four sets of TV waiting times are scheduled for each round. Their name is stoppage and appears at 16, 12, 8, and 4 of each game. If there is no stoppage at one of these four milestones, it will be ignored.

View more:

• How long is halftime in NBA
• How long is a basketball court
• How long is a NBA game

Unlike a men’s college basketball game, women’s matches usually last for 2 hours with four 10-minute quarters.

Women’s basketball games used to last as long as men’s. In 2015, new regulations changed the format of the game. The use of four quarters is entirely consistent with other major leagues. These matches also include a break between the 2nd and 3rd half.

During the game, each team is given about four timeouts, similar to the men’s game. Even so, the women’s groups have no limit on when they can use them.

In addition to the longest NBA game, some people are curious about the longest NCAA game in history. Let’s find out in this section.

Bradley Vs. Cincinnati 

The basketball match between Bradley and Cincinnati on December 21, 1981, was the longest NCAA match. After six innings, the two teams still kept the score even. It was only in the 7th extra time that Cincinnati gained the upper hand over Bradley.

This match lasts for about 4 hours, from 19:30 to 11:20. Interestingly, the score of this match was relatively low, 75-73.

On March 12, 2009, Connecticut faced Syracuse in a match that lasted until sixth overtime in the quarterfinals of the Big East Men’s Basketball Tournament.

Syracuse was the winning team with a score of 127-117. The match lasted a total of 3 hours and 46 minutes. You can watch the footage of this college game here.

A typical NBA game usually lasts from 2 to 2.5 hours. This number is not fixed because many factors can directly affect the time of the match.

The National Basketball Association (NBA) rules each round of an NBA basketball game to be about 12 minutes. With four games, the total playing time will be up to 48 minutes. The extra time of these matches lasted 5 minutes.

There will be a 15-minute break time between the 2nd and 3rd rounds, but they are only theoretical. Some issues will cause a basketball game to last longer than expected, up to about 2 hours in actual play. Compared to FIFA games, these matches last longer.

The International Basketball Federation (FIBA) stipulates that each basketball game will have four quarters. With a total playing time of 40 minutes, each basketball quarter will last 10 minutes. We can see that the duration of FIBA ​​basketball games is slightly shorter than that of NBA games.

This tournament also sets the following rules on break time:

• Each team is given 20 minutes to prepare before the start of the competition
• There will be a short break between the first and second half, lasting 2 minutes.
• In order for both teams to have time to change the pitch and move on to the next half, the break between the 2nd and 3rd half is 15 minutes.
• The break between the 3rd and 4th quarters is 2 minutes.
• Extra time will have a break of 2 minutes.
• If both teams play four quarters but still don’t find a winner, they go into overtime periods. The team with the most points in the first extra-time wins.
• In the opposite case, the two teams will continue to play in the following extra time.

When the FIBA ​​alarm clock goes off to end the round, the halftime break will begin.

High school basketball game 

According to NFHS regulations, high school basketball games will consist of four quarters. Each round will last 8 minutes, with a 10-minute break in between.

Usually, people don’t use shot clocks in high school games. However, there is still a rule that mercifully turns the game clock into a running clock if a team leads by a specified number of points in the second half. Only a few states apply this rule.

Each state has different regulations, so there will be other criteria for regulating the time and managing clocks.

A junior high basketball game lasts shorter at 1 hour 30 minutes. These matches also cover four quarters with 6 minutes each quarter. In some states, the game time for each quarter can be as long as 8 minutes.

The break is 10 minutes long, and there is usually no shot clock for junior high basketball games. If the allotted time runs out and the two teams still tie, there will be an extra time of 5 minutes.

Youth basketball games will last for about an hour. These matches usually consist of 2 halves of 20 minutes each. Unlike other leagues, the youth basketball game uses a running clock. This type of clock will not stop except for halftime breaks and timeouts.

The interval between sets is about 10 minutes. Also, when a team calls for timeouts, the match time will be extended by 4 minutes. With the primary audience being children, we have to consider a period to settle down and hold their positions.

Youth basketball games usually do not have over time, so that the score can be a tie in some situations.

On average, how long is a basketball game? It will be challenging to give a general answer as the time of each match will vary based on the tournament rules. A playoff game also usually lasts longer than a regular-season one because of the longer promotional period.

A college basketball game lasts from 1.5 hours to more than 2 hours, depending on many factors. Knowing about the playing time will make it easier for the audience to observe and follow the game.

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 104,327 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 ...

To score 141 points and lose by 117 - the highest scorer game in the NCAA

A long time ago, on January 12, 1992, there was an incredible match in the second division of the collegiate basketball championship, which went down in history forever.

Lead-in

During the 1991/92 season, the Troy State University basketball team was led by Don Maestri, who ended up with the team for over thirty years.

His team played non-traditional basketball that year, which led to incredibly high-scoring matches with their participation. The Trojans that season were in the lead in points scored (121 per game), while also missing a lot - 107.8 per game.

They set the college basketball record for 3-pointers thrown (1303) and hit 444 of them.

The team's playing philosophy was to press the opponent all over the floor throughout the game, trying to intercept the ball and run into breakaways. Maestri regularly changed his players, not letting them get tired, while exhausting opponents. And if his team completed possession without a throw, it was considered very bad. Moreover, the faster his team performed the throw, the better!

Duel against DeVry Hoyas

Troy State entered the next regular season match as the absolute favorite. They had a record of 12 wins with three losses, while their rivals were with a record of 3 wins to 15 losses.

It was against this team that the Trojans set a past NAAA record, having managed to throw 187 points into their ring last season. Even more, DeVry's chances were worsened by the fact that they had only seven players in their roster.

A full 54 seconds after the start of the match, Troy State could not score until Andy Davis opened the opponent's ring. When 3 minutes and 14 seconds had passed, they had "only" 15 points. The pace steadily picked up and by the end of the first half they had already scored 123 points, while conceding 56 (an excellent result for DeVry in any other match).

"When you see one player start hitting a lot, the rest start hitting too. It becomes contagious" rebounds in 15 minutes on the floor.

During the first three minutes of the second half, the Trojans scored 26 points. With the timer at 6:35 from the start of the half, it was the first time they hit the opposing ring without a 3-pointer or a dunk. 10 minutes before the end, Chris Grisham converted another three and brought the score to 189- NCAA record broken.

Two minutes later, Troy State had 200 points. And then an incident happened. It turned out that the scoreboard in the arena is not designed to show numbers from 200, and therefore the operator decided to start the countdown again.

It all ended with Troy State winning 258:141.

The Trojans scored 135 points in the second half, beating their half-time record set less than an hour ago. 30 three-pointers in a half is even more than the previous record for the whole match (25, also belonged to them). In total, during the meeting they hit from behind the arc 51 times, completing 109attempts.

The same Andy Davis who opened the scoring was the only Trojans player who failed to score double digits (these were his only points).

Eight out of eleven Troy State basketball players scored more than 20 points, five - 29 or more. Jack Smith scored a triple-double of 29 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists in 21 minutes on the floor.

Brian Simpson made 11 three-pointers out of 26 attempts (37 points), Terry McCord became the most productive in the team - 41 points (16 of 26, 9out of 14 three). But the player DeVri Dartez Daniel scored the most points (42).

Another interesting fact is that only THREE free throws were made in the whole game. All performed by Tim Faison from Troy.

After the match

This game continues to be one of the highest in NCAA history in terms of the number of records it holds (most points by two teams, points scored by one team, in one half, three-point shots and other).

57 minutes after the final siren, seven special statisticians were counting everything to make the data as accurate as possible.

Troy State quickly moved to Division 1 after this season, but DeVry University decided that their sports teams were not successful, and it was expensive to maintain them, so they simply disappeared from the US sports map.

Video analysis refuting the final score

On March 13, 2017, American journalist John Boyce published a video in which he stated that the final score was somewhat different, namely 253:141.

---

Learn more

• 
  How much do indoor basketball courts cost
• 
  Basketball how to block
• 
  How to install spalding inground basketball hoop
• 
  How to fix a basketball air valve
• 
  How to watch live pba basketball
• 
  How to watch kentucky basketball without cable
• 
  How tall are female basketball players
• 
  How to make money on fantasy basketball
• 
  How to make basketball net string
• 
  How to increase explosiveness for basketball
• 
  How to be a scout for basketball