Basketball
How Long Does a Basketball Game Last? Full Guide!
NBA games are played in four quarters, each lasting 12 minutes. This adds up to a total of 48 minutes of game time.
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How Long is a Professional Basketball Game?
A basketball game generally lasts around 2-2.5 hours. There can be slight variation depending on what competition a game is being played in.
NBA games are played in four quarters, each lasting 12 minutes. This adds up to a total of 48 minutes of game time.
Timeouts, fouls, and commercial breaks contribute to this extended duration. Each team has seven timeouts per game, and there are also mandatory TV timeouts. These breaks allow players to rest and give broadcasters time for commercials.
Games can also go into overtime if the scores are tied at the end of regulation. Each overtime period adds another five minutes of play. With multiple overtimes, an NBA game can last well over three hours.
How Long is a Men’s College Basketball Game?
Men's college basketball games, notably those in the NCAA, are shorter than NBA games. The game is divided into two halves, each lasting 20 minutes, for a total of 40 minutes of play. Despite the shorter game clock, men’s college games typically last around two hours due to stoppages.
NCAA rules allow each team three 30-second timeouts, with two allowed to be carried over into the second half. Each team also has one 60-second timeout. In addition to team timeouts, there are also media timeouts, which occur at the 16, 12, 8, and 4-minute marks in each half. These breaks add time to the game, especially during televised events.
Like the NBA, NCAA Men’s Basketball also comes with five-minute overtime which could extend the game further in case of a tie.
Cincinnati’s away game at Bradley University on 21 December 1981 saw them pick up a 75–73 road win after 75 minutes of game time – the longest NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball game ever played with a record seven overtime periods.
How Long is a Women’s College Basketball Game?
Women’s college basketball games differ from men’s games in format. Instead of halves, they are divided into four quarters, each lasting 10 minutes, making a total of 40 minutes.
On average, women’s college games last around 1.5 to 2 hours. Timeouts and media breaks are structured similarly to men’s games, with each team having three 30-second timeouts. However, they also get two full 60-second timeouts. There are media breaks at set points in women’s college basketball too, as is also the case in the men’s game.
Overtime periods for women’s college basketball are also five minutes.
Leonard Solms is a freelance journalist who has been covering local and international sport from South Africa since 2015. Best known for his work for ESPN, he has also written for Al Jazeera, The Continent, New Frame, Planet Rugby and GiveMeSport among several other publications.