NCAA to allow coach’s challenges for 2025-26 men’s basketball season

Teams will receive one challenge to use at the beginning of each game

Boise State Broncos head coach Leon Rice. | Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

Coach’s challenges are coming to men’s college basketball.

On Tuesday, the NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel approved several rules changes that will be implemented for the 2025-26 season.

Boise State head coach Leon Rice will now be allowed to challenge out-of-bounds calls, basket interference/goaltending infractions and whether a defender was in the restricted-area arc. Coach’s challenges will be allowed at any point in a game. 

Just like football, coaches must have a timeout to challenge a play. If the challenge is successful, coaches will be granted another challenge. If unsuccessful, the coach can no longer challenge a play. 

The new coach’s challenge rule will not impact the officials’ ability to use video review in the final two minutes and overtime of games to look at basket interference/goaltending calls, restricted-arc plays, etc. Officials will still be able to use instant replay to look at 2-point versus 3-point attempts, flagrant fouls, shot clock violations and other standard in-game issues. 

Officials will not be permitted to use video review for out-of-bounds calls unless a coach’s challenge is issued. 

According to a press release from the NCAA, the Men’s Basketball Rules Committee does not believe the standard end-of-game reviews cause substantial interruptions to the flow of play. The committee does expect coach’s challenges to have a bigger impact on the pace of play, which is why coaches will be limited to one unsuccessful challenge. 

Tuesday’s announcement included other rules changes for the 2025-26 season.

The continuous motion rule now states that “an offensive player who ends his dribble going toward the basket and absorbs contact from the defense will be permitted to pivot or complete the step the player is on and finish the field goal attempt,” the release said. 

In another change, officials will now have the option to call a Flagrant 1 foul when a player is contacted in the groin. A Flagrant 1 call awards two foul shots and possession of the ball. 

Previously, officials were only allowed to call a common foul or Flagrant 2 on groin contact plays. Flagrant 2 fouls carry an automatic ejection. 

The NCAA’s press release also stated that the Men’s Basketball Committee has seen “positive momentum” on the possibility of switching from halves to quarters. Women’s college basketball began using quarters in 2015. 

“The committee realizes there are hurdles to implementing the quarter format to the game, including the structuring of media timeouts to accommodate commercial inventory,” the release stated.