Why Did They Change Basketball Periods?
If you’re an avid basketball fan, you’ll notice one big difference between men’s pro and college basketball. The periods.
Let’s dive into how many periods are in men’s pro and college basketball and why they were changed.
Early History of Basketball Game Periods
During the infancy of basketball, both professional and college used two periods consisting of 15-20 minutes each. During the 1940s and 1950s, a few conferences like the Big Ten experimented with 4 quarters, but went back to 2 periods.
The reason that the NCAA uses two periods instead of four quarters is to simplify the flow of the game. Halves create a continuous 20-minute segment, reducing stoppages compared to 4-quarter games.
When the BAA merged with the NBA in 1949, the professional basketball association adopted the 4-quarter system. Professional games would be 48 minutes long and be broken up into 4 12-minute quarters.
Why Did They Change Basketball Periods?
The decision to make professional basketball four quarters instead of two halves was deliberate. The creators of the NBA wanted to distinguish professional basketball from college.
They also chose a 4-quarter format over a 2-period format mainly for the following reasons.
- Fan Engagement: Four quarters create natural breaks and a longer halftime that allows players to rest and fans time to buy concessions.
- Game Flow: Quarters allow for more frequent pauses, enabling teams to reset strategies and maintain intensity for shorter segments.
- Tactical Adjustments: Quarters give coaches more opportunities to make adjustments, substitutions, call timeouts, and adjust defenses. The ability to make these small adjustments in the 4-quarter format gives teams a better chance at winning.
- Commercialization: Having more breaks within the game also gives the NBA the opportunity to make more money from commercialization. Businesses pay the league millions of dollars to buy ad time during their games.
Women’s Basketball Quarters
Women’s college and professional basketball are completely different from the men’s leagues. However, this wasn’t the case until recently.
For decades, women’s college basketball consisted of two 20-minute periods just like in men’s college basketball. The format of women’s college basketball changed in the 2015-2016 season, switching to a 4-quarter system consisting of 10 minutes each.
The NCAA made this change to make women’s college basketball use the rules used in the FIBA league. This change was to help female players adapt to the international rules when they play in the Olympics and the world championships.
Will Basketball Game Formats Ever Change?
Within men’s basketball leagues, it is unlikely that we’ll ever see changes made between pro and college. The main reasons that we will likely never see changes to either league are tradition and being distinct.
Both the NCAA and NBA have been using their game formats for over a century and see no reason to change. The NBA also implemented the 4-quarter system to specifically set itself apart from the college game.
The styles are different on purpose, and you will likely never see men’s professional and college basketball using the same format.
