Apr 5, 2025; San Antonio, TX, USA; A detail view of a basketball going through the net during the second half in the semifinals of the men’s Final Four of the 2025 NCAA Tournament at the Alamodome. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images The NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel approved several proposals on Tuesday that are designed to improve the flow of men’s college basketball games.
Arguably the most notable change is the addition of coaches’ challenges.
Coaches will now be able to challenge out-of-bounds calls, basket interference/goaltending and whether a secondary defender was in the restricted area at any point in the game.
Mirroring challenge rules in the NBA, teams can only challenge if they have a timeout to request a review. If successful, they will earn one additional replay challenge for the remainder of the game. Unsuccessful, and that team will not be able to challenge the rest of that contest.
Officials will still be able to initiate video reviews on goaltending and restricted-area plays in the final two minutes of each game. However, out-of-bounds reviews can now be initiated by only a coach’s challenge.
The rules panel also signed off on a change to the flagrant foul rule surrounding plays in which a player makes contact to an opponent’s groin. Whereas officials could only rule it a common foul or a flagrant foul 2 in previous seasons, officials will now be able to call a flagrant foul 1.
Elsewhere, the NCAA said that there is “positive momentum” for the men’s game to shift from halves to quarters. However, the NCAA Men’s Basketball Committee has recommended the creation of a joint working group to explore such a change before making any alterations.
–Field Level Media
