NCAA Reveals There's 'Positive Momentum' for Substantial Rule Change in Men's Hoops

The NCAA is considering something that should have been done a long time ago.

West Virginia University basketball / Christopher Hall - West Virginia on SI

In a press release Tuesday afternoon, the NCAA announced several new rules for the 2025-26 men's basketball season, most of which were made to "enhance the flow of the game."

While there weren't any earth-shattering changes, there is one proposal that could make a huge difference in the near future.

"In considering the decisions last month, the NCAA Men's Basketball Committee had conversations about ways to continue this direction in the upcoming years, which includes positive momentum for moving the men's game from halves to quarters. 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 NCAA is the only place you'll find basketball being played in halves instead of quarters. Internationally, the game has pretty much always been in quarters, and the NBA has always played quarters. It's time that the men's college game follows suit, although it should have happened years ago.

This would greatly impact how coaches manage a game and strategize a game plan beforehand, mainly due to the fouling situation. With quarters, the team fouls would reset at the beginning of each quarter, which should significantly limit the free-throw competitions we tend to see at the end of games in college hoops.

Games shouldn't be determined at the free-throw line. If this rule passes in the future, it'll be a huge win for college basketball.

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