In college basketball, the number of periods (halves or quarters) depends on whether you’re talking about men’s or women’s NCAA games.

NCAA men’s college basketball

  • Games are split into 2 periods , each lasting 20 minutes (two 20‑minute halves).
  • Those 40 minutes of playing time are separated by a 15‑minute halftime break , which is one of the main differences from the NBA’s four‑quarter format.

NCAA women’s college basketball

  • Since the 2015–16 season , women’s college basketball has used 4 periods , each lasting 10 minutes (four 10‑minute quarters).
  • This structure matches the WNBA and international FIBA style , while men’s college basketball remains the outlier with just two halves.

Quick comparison table

League / level| Number of periods| Length per period
---|---|---
NCAA men’s college| 2 periods (halves) 15| 20 minutes each 5
NCAA women’s college| 4 periods (quarters) 13| 10 minutes each 3

So if someone asks “how many periods in college basketball,” the full‑scopewise answer is: 2 halves for men, 4 quarters for women under current NCAA rules.