College basketball: 2 halves, or not 2 halves? Coaches weigh in on in-game preferences

The college basketball game has been changing.

This year, college coaches are allowed to challenge calls. Last year, there was the introduction of freedom of movement in the transfer portal. The 2023 season saw the introduction of a "continuation" rule for both men and women, allowing them to finish shots after contact.

Changes to the game happen often. One change to the men’s game that could potentially come to the table in the future is a swap from 20-minute halves to four quarters.

Depending on who you ask, this is either a welcome change or an overdue change.

"I've been beating the drum forever," Northwestern men’s basketball coach Chris Collins said. "We're the only basketball game in the world that doesn't play quarters. Internationally, men, women, high school, we're the only game in the world that plays halves."

Big picture view:

The overwhelming majority of coaches that FOX 32 spoke to before the 2025-2026 season began would prefer to see the college game go to halves.

Only one disagreed. More on that later.

The main reason the coaches want to see the quarter system instead of halves comes down to uniformity.

Men’s college basketball is the only league in the world that plays in halves. FIBA basketball, high school basketball, G-League basketball, NBA basketball and, yes, grade school basketball all play in quarters, ranging from 10 to 12 minutes per quarter.

The coaches who have spent time in the FIBA and NBA systems see the benefits.

"It's ridiculous we don't have it," USC head coach Eric Musselman said. "Quarters is better, for sure. It will change your substitution patterns. I mean, I think the last two minutes of NBA game is the most exciting part of the 48-minute game, advancing the ball. Nobody's opinion counts unless people have done it before."

Other coaches simply want a level playing field across the board, including at the high school level, where the shot clock isn’t a fixture in all 50 states.

"My biggest frustration is we all play by different rules in America," Illinois head coach Brad Underwood said. "Some states have shot clocks. Some don't at the high school level. The courts are a different size. The 3-point lines are different."

The 2025-2026 college basketball season has also included a bigger influx of international recruiting.

Illinois has the "Balkan Boys," with a mixture of transfer portal players and freshmen from overseas. DePaul put a bigger emphasis on international recruiting this offseason, too. Those players are used to playing in four quarters.

It would make for a more seamless transition to the college game.

Beyond that, there’s a belief that it would just improve the quality of the games.

"I think it improves gameplay," Loyola men's basketball coach Drew Valentine said. "You take away a media time out, essentially shorten the game time and I don't think you would affect him much other than that. So I definitely would prefer quarters

The other side:

Only one coach we asked disagreed with the idea that the game should move to halves.

That was UCLA head coach Mick Cronin. 

"I have a big opinion on that: Couldn't care less," Cronin said. "Maybe the dumbest argument in history."

Cronin clearly felt very strongly about a topic he couldn’t care less about.

"Everybody else does it, but that's great," Cronin said. "If everybody else jumps off a roof, we should just jump off the roof?"

Cronin’s point was that the switch to quarters would never happen. The game is built around the half structure, and switching to quarters would lengthen the game and upset the television stations that want to show games within a two-hour time slot.

"TV runs the world, period," Cronin said.

There’s some truth to that. Everything is established within the two-half system, going all the way up to March Madness and the Final Four. There’s no real need to change anything that’s already been working and has no real flaws.

Still, the other coaches see the benefit in the quarter system. Those advocating for it are coaches who have played quarters at other levels of competition and see how it could fit the men’s college game.

"He hasn’t coached at any of those levels," Musselman said when told Cronin was the only coach to disagree.

Cronin may be the only dissenting voice, but he does have a point.

There are more than just basketball factors at play.

"But yeah, who cares?" Cronin said. "Other than resetting the fouls, I mean, ‘because everybody else does it’ is maybe the worst argument in history."

What's next:

If a quarter system were to be adopted, there would need to be a process.

Should the NCAA decide to change a rule, that would require a process involving member institutions, committees and governing bodies to come together. 

A rule-change proposal would need to be submitted. Then, it would be debated. Approval would require a vote from the relevant divisions or the entire membership. 

Time will tell if someone propses a quarter system for men's college basketball. 

What they're saying:

Northwestern men’s basketball coach Chris Collins

"I want quarters. I don't get it. I mean, I've been beating the drum forever. I mean, we're the only basketball game in the world that doesn't play quarters. Internationally, men, women, high school, we're the only game in the world that plays halves.

"I would be a big fan of the 10-minute quarters. I think that's the next progression. We'll see when we can get that in the season. Same thing with advancing the ball at the timeout. I just think it adds to the strategy, right? I mean I like the quarters too, because it could reset the fouls in a 20 minute half. You get in the bonus with 15 minutes to go. Now they're shooting free throws and with quarters, you can reset the fouls every quarter. I like the ability to advance. I think it adds strategy, defense and offense. So, hopefully one step at a time. We got the coaches’ challenges this year, so that's one step I think will be an added help. Hopefully we can get there over the next couple years."

Nebraska men’s basketball coach Fred Hoiberg

"It's obviously a different strategy, but we're the only game in the world that doesn't play on the hardwood that doesn't play four quarters. Again, I don't know the impact on what that would do from a TV revenue standpoint and advertising and all that fun stuff. There's a lot more people in important positions that know those answers better than I do, but from game standpoint, yes, I do think it's good to prepare these guys if they get the opportunity to play professional basketball, whether they do NBA, G-League, international, you're going to play a four-quarter game. The women obviously went to that a couple years ago and I think that they all really enjoyed the change.

"But what the hell, it doesn’t matter what I think."

Loyola men’s basketball coach Drew Valentine

"I’d prefer quarters, for sure. I think it improves gameplay. I mean, you take away a media time out, essentially shorten the game time and I don't think you would affect him much other than that. So I definitely would prefer quarters."

Illinois men’s basketball coach Brad Underwood

"My biggest frustration is we all play by different rules in America. Some states have shot clocks. Some don't at the high school level. The courts are a different size. The 3-point lines are different. And then you add that men's basketball is truly, I think, the only group that plays in halves. Everybody says we need to we can't monetize it because of 16, 12, 8, and four timeouts. Just make everybody use the timeout in a quarter. I wish we would go to NBA 12-minute quarters. It's my personal preference. I wish we would all play by the same set of rules so we can teach the same way. But we're not there yet, but I wish we would get there. And that's just my take on that."

USC men’s basketball coach Eric Musselman

"It's ridiculous we don't have it. I mean, quarters is better, for sure. It will change your substitution patterns. I mean, I think the last two minutes of NBA game is the most exciting part of the 48-minute game, advancing the ball. Nobody's opinion counts unless people have done it before. Like, if you've never been a part of four quarters, your opinion carries very little weight. But – if you've coached in FIBA, if you coach in the NBA, if you're a coach in the G League, you coach in college – I don't think there'll be anybody, and I could be wrong, but I don't think there would be anybody that wouldn't want quarters."

UCLA coach Mick Cronin

"I have a big opinion on that: Couldn't care less. Maybe the dumbest argument in history. Everybody else does it, but that's great. So, if everybody else jumps off a roof, we should just jump off the roof. First of all, it's never going to happen. We're not going to four quarters because it lengthens the game, and TV wants the game in a two-hour time slot. Okay? TV runs the world, period… It's crazy. So, TV wants us in a time slot. and they own everything. And their ownership has only growing by the billions. So it's not happening. But yeah, who cares? 
Other than resetting the fowls, it's really. I mean, because everybody else does it is maybe the worst argument in history. But other than resetting the fouls. 
So you with the penalty situation. What are they doing here? girls going to do? 
Five. How do they get the penalty? Five each one? 
So basically you wouldn't get in. So now you're not getting in. So we wouldn't shoot the penalty to the test. 10th foul. 
So basically, they can foul a lot more before they shoot the bonus. Three more fouls before they shoot the bonus, in the second hand."

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