Before you buy your popcorn and all set to go! Hold On!
Do you know how long your favorite basketball match would take? Don’t get in for 40-min and come out at 60! To prevent an experience like this, it’s your time to learn about Basketball Game Length!
Even though it is a bit difficult to figure out the right duration of club games, plus, different leagues having different periods, it might get tough to remember all. But we will try our best to make this article convenient for you.
Let’s not spend any more time with words and get started already.
How Long Do Basketball Games Last?
Basketball games usually take up to 40-60 minutes of your day. However, in case of excessive overtime periods like the one we had with the Indianapolis Olympians Vs. Rochester Royals. The match ended up with 6 overtimes, and in total took 78 minutes to last.
However, you may witness long matches like this once in a while but not always. Thus, we will follow standard periods today officially for NBA, NCAA, WNBA, and FIBA.
Basketball game lengths are usually set up by International Basketball Federations and other governing bodies. They are responsible for different leagues ending up in different periods.
We will start with the NBA first.
How Long Is An NBA Game?
Source: fanbuzz.com
In the NBA, there are four quarters; each of them last for 12 minutes. In total, NBA official matches will take 48 minutes.
Don’t forget about the halftime breaks in between those four quarters. Based on the number of timeouts and fouls committed, halftime breaks vary up to 15-20 minutes.
Due to halftimes, NBA regular matches usually take up to two to two and a half hours to finish.
In addition to that, when both teams end up in a tie after four regular quarters, they enter into the overtime period to determine the ultimate winner. It can end up to three hours in total; or sometimes more than it.
The Longest Match in NBA
The longest NBA game in history is 78 minutes long and had 6 overtime rounds after the end of the regular match. It was between the Rochester Royals and the Indianapolis Olympians in Rochester, New York on January 6, 1951.
The Olympians finally took the lead with 75-73.
How Long Is An NCAA Game?
NCAA stands for National Collegiate Athletic Association. It also includes the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics and other governing organizations.
Whether it is for the NBA or NCAA, the overall infrastructure of baseball is the same throughout different leagues. The NCAA also has specific periods with halftime breaks in between.
Unlike the NBA, college basketball matches only end in two halves with one halftime break. Each half lasts 20 minutes; that’s 40 mins in total.
Similarly, a 15-minute halftime break period adds up to the match; prolonging it up to 60 minutes in total. The Division 1 Tournament, which we call the March Madness, provides an additional 5 min, in total 20 minutes halftime break for the players.
However, we are talking about college games for men. NCAA women’s matches have 4 quarters; each lasting up to 10 minutes; resulting in a 40 min basketball game length.
Additionally, there is a 15-minute halftime break in the middle of the four quarters of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Games.
The Longest Match in NCAA
It took place in 1981, between the University of Cincinnati and Bradley University. There were seven overtime periods in total, and the match ended up 75 minutes long (that’s 1 hour and 15 minutes).
Basketball Game Length for WNBA
Well, WNBA (Women’s National Basketball Association) has a particular approach when it comes to quarters and halftimes.
You will experience four quarters with 10 minutes period; each WNBA games last for 40 minutes in total.
There is a 15-minute halftime break in the middle of the second-third period in WNBA; which may add up to 5 min of commercial break for a live telecast on television.
Plus, the fouls, overtimes (if tied), and time-outs usually deliver a 2 hours long WNBA game from start to finish.
The Longest Match in WNBA
It took place on June 8, 2002. The Orlando Miracles and Cleveland Rockers had the longest match in WNBA history. The game had three overtime periods to finish and took 2 hours and 57 minutes to finish.
Finally, the Miracle claimed victory with 103-99 on the scoreboard.
How Long Is A NFSHSA Game?
High school-level games, in comparison with NBA or NCAA, take less time to wrap up. NFSHSA stands for National Federation of State High School Associations and has a length of thirty-two minutes; split into four – 8 min quarters.
Between each quarter – first and second and third and fourth, you have 10 minutes of halftime intermission. In total, the match would take 90 minutes to finish.
However, overtime is extended up to 4 minutes, which may result in further extension of the game. As for timeouts, each time will have three 60 seconds and two 30 seconds time outs.
Compared to other leagues, NHSHSA is more flexible when it comes to determining the winner. If one team leads by 30 points at any instance of the play, high school games end faster.
It is commonly known as the ‘Mercy Rule.’ Following this rule, the clock continues to run and only pauses after a time-out or in the event of an injured player.
However, should there be any point less than 30, the match shall continue like any other regular match with the normal clock time on the stand.
Basketball Game Length for FIBA
Basketball FIBA game rules are followed throughout international basketball tournaments worldwide. FIBA and NCAA men’s leagues are of the same game periods.
There are four quarters in FIBA; each of them last for ten minutes; that’s 40 minutes in total. With an intermission of 15 minutes during halftime, FIBA games are expected to last 2 hours in total.
Plus, with additional timeouts of 30 seconds each, it can take longer but not more than NBA official periods.
The first half of the FIBA has 2 timeouts; whereas there are 3 in the second half. Additionally, players can take up to 2 timeouts during the last 2 minutes of the FIBA fourth period.
Besides, you also have 1 timeout per overtime period.
Longest Match in FIBA History
The match between Puerto Rico and Yugoslavia in the 2002 FIBA World Championship, has been recorded as the longest match in FIBA.
This game took place on September 2, 2002, and lasted 78 minutes and 33 seconds with triple overtime. Puerto Rico eventually became the victor with a final score of 85-83.
Players of FIBA will be disqualified after five fouls; this includes technical fouls too. Learn more about Basketball Penalties and Fouls.
Hence, players have to keep calm and shouldn’t get hot-headed quickly. It will only result in disqualification and end the match in haste.
Above, we covered pretty much everything about basketball game length for different leagues. Periods in basketball are relative to organizations. To get a clear-eye view of the differences, here’s a top-notch guide for you.
Below, we will take a look at some other aspects of basketball matches. Continue to learn more.
Do Basketball Olympics Have the Same Length?
You don’t have to worry about this! International Olympics essentially adopted FIBA rules. Thus, the basketball Olympics ground is equally the same as FIBA.
However, the length of the quarters may vary depending on timeouts and other factors.
Close Games Are Longer, Why?
The close a game gets to its final, the longer it becomes. There is simply a correlation between how long the game takes and how close it is.
The difference in the final score often contributes to the length of a basketball match. For example, with a score difference between 0-5, the match is likely to take longer than 2 hours and 15 minutes.
For a difference between 15-20, the match is likely to last shorter than 2 hours and 10 minutes.
There can be two possible reasons to define this situation:
- In a close game, coaches are more interested to finish all the timeouts to determine the winner.
- At the end of the game, players are more likely to perform intentional fouling to get a hectic win.
In addition to this, television-supervised games would take additional time. Data proves that, on average, televised games would take at least five minutes more to end.
Care to Learn More About Basketball?
We are almost at the end of our article. So, what do you think of basketball game length for different leagues?
Being a regular spectator will make merely any difference. Whatever league you may attend, it won’t take more than 2-3 hours. All you have to do is prepare for the time and sit tight on the courtside.
But if you are a player or a player-to-be, learning about basketball game lengths won’t be enough. You also have to master the basics of basketball including the rules and regulations.
To get to the depth of basketball, keep in touch with us. We provide regular updates on basketball.
