The NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel has approved significant changes to how replay reviews are conducted in men’s college basketball starting in the 2025-26 season. These changes will introduce coach’s challenges, allowing teams to challenge certain calls during the game.
Beginning this fall, coaches will be allowed to challenge out-of-bounds calls, basket interference, and foul calls involving defenders in the restricted-area arc near the basket. Teams will receive one challenge, but they must have a timeout available to use it. If the challenge is successful, the team retains another challenge; if it fails, the team will be out of challenges for the remainder of the game. This new system mirrors the one used in the NBA, although NBA coaches have the additional ability to challenge foul calls.
However, the introduction of coach’s challenges will not prevent officials from initiating their own reviews. NCAA officials will still be able to review timing errors, scoring mistakes, shot clock violations, whether a basket was a three-pointer, and flagrant fouls. Despite the new challenges, the pace of replay reviews may not decrease, as officials can still initiate reviews for these specific situations. NCAA tournament games in particular have been bogged down by lengthy replay reviews in recent seasons.
Additional Rule Changes for 2025-26 Season
Other major rule changes for the 2025-26 season include the introduction of a continuation rule, similar to the NBA’s. Under this new rule, an offensive player who ends their dribble and absorbs contact while driving toward the basket will be allowed to pivot or complete their step and finish the field goal attempt. Previously, players could only head to the free-throw line for a shooting foul if they were directly fouled during their shooting motion.
Another key change is the modification to how incidental contact to the groin area will be penalized. Officials will now be able to call a Flagrant 1 foul for incidental groin contact, as opposed to the previous rule where all such contact was considered a Flagrant 2 foul, resulting in automatic ejection.
No Change to Game Structure
One element that remains unchanged is the structure of men’s college basketball games. While women’s basketball now uses four 10-minute quarters, the men’s game will continue with two 20-minute halves. This decision largely stems from the current commercial structure, which includes four media timeouts per half.
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