Have you ever wondered how many different rules NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) and FIBA (International Basketball Federation) have? Louise Pike, basketball writer at Marathonbet UK & Marathonbet Global, a leading basketball betting company, compiled all the rule differences, so that when you are watching an NCAA or FIBA basketball game, you are equipped with all the knowledge about the rules:
| BASKETBALL GAME RULES | NCAA | FIBA |
| DURATION OF GAME | Two 20-minute halves | Four 10-minute quarters |
| SHOT CLOCK | 35 seconds | 24 seconds |
| SHOT CLOCK RESET | FG attempt hits rim | Resets to 14 seconds when FGA hits rim and offensive rebound is given |
| OVERTIME DURATION | 5 minutes | 5 minutes |
| LENGTH OF HALFTIME | 15 minutes | 15 minutes |
| COURT LENGTH | 94 feet x 50 feet | 91-10 x 49-2.5 |
| SIZE OF LANE | 12 feet x 19 feet | 16 x 19 |
| 3-POINT DISTANCE | 20 feet-9 inches | 22-1.75 |
| NO-CHARGE SEMICIRCLE | 0.914 meters from center of basket | 1.25 meters from center |
| ADVANCE BALL TO HALFCOURT AT TIMEOUT | Not allowed | Allowed in final 2 minutes of fourth quarter and OT |
| BACKCOURT VIOLATION | 10 seconds | 8 seconds |
| GAME CLOCK STOPS AFTER FG | Last minute of second half and last minute of OT | Last 2 minutes of fourth quarter and OT |
| PLAYER FOUL LIMIT | Five | Five (or two technical fouls) |
| BONUS FREE THROWS | On seventh foul of half (1-and-1); 10th foul (2 FTAs) | On fifth foul of quarter (2 FTAs); fourth quarter carries into OT |
| NUMBER OF PLAYERS PERMITTED ON FREE THROW LANE | Six (four defensive, two offensive) | Five (three offensive, two defensive) |
| JUMP BALL | Alternating possession after tip-off | Alternating possession after tip-off |
| PLAYERS CAN TOUCH BALL ABOVE CYLINDER | Nope | You betcha |
| FLOPPING RULE | Doesn’t have one | Warning on the first flop; technical on the next flop |
| TIMEOUTS | Four 75-second timeouts, two 30-seconds | 2 60-second timeouts in first and second quarters, three 60-second timeouts in third and fourth quarters; maximum of two timeouts in final 2 minutes of a game |
| TV TIMEOUTS | Four per half | Up to one per quarter |
| OVERTIME TIMEOUTS | One additional 75-second timeout and any unused from regulation | One additional 60-second timeout |
| WHO CALLS TIMEOUTS | Head coach or player on floor | Head coach or assistant coach |
| SIZE OF BASKETBALL | Max circumference of 30 inches / minimum circumference 29.5; max weight 20 ounces / minimum weight 17.99 oz. | Max circumference 29 inches; max weight 20 ounces / minimum weight 17.99 oz. |
| LEGAL JERSEY NUMBERS | 00, 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, numbers ending in 1-5 up to No. 55 | All numbers, 00 (or 0) through 99 |
| Thanks to Marathonbet UK & Marathonbet Global, a leading basketball betting company | ||
