- Men’s college basketball plays two halves because the sport's creator, Dr. James Naismith, had the rules as two 15-minute halves.
- College basketball played three seasons with four quarters but switched back during the 1950s.
- Women’s college basketball switched to four quarters ahead of the 2015-16 season.
We all know that men’s college basketball plays two halves. At the same time, we know that essentially every other iteration of basketball is four quarters.
With this difference, betting on basketball is slightly different in that you can’t bet on the final score of each quarter for the college game like you can in the NBA.
All that being said, below, I’ll tell you why the men’s game is two halves, why women’s basketball is different and more.
Why Is NCAA Men’s Basketball Two Halves?
NCAA men’s basketball has two halves because college basketball adopted these rules during the 1800s and followed the original rules created by Dr. James Naismith, which called for two 15-minute halves with a five-minute intermission.
They eventually increased the time to two 20-minute halves.
When Did College Basketball Go to Halves?
When college basketball began in the 1800s, it started with the halves system. The sport switched to two 20-minute halves in 1905.
College basketball briefly played four 10-minute quarters from 1951 to 1954 but switched back despite coaches like Kentucky’s Adolph Rupp arguing in favour of the quarters rather than the halves.
Why Does Women’s Basketball Have Four Quarters instead of Two Halves?
In 2015, the NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel approved the switch after the change was raised by the NCAA Women’s Basketball Rules Committee. They thought that the four quarters would help improve the flow of the game.
Is High School Basketball Two Halves or Four Quarters?
High school basketball games are structured into four eight-minute quarters.
