The 5 main differences between FIBA and NCAA Women's basketball rules
FIBA, for those who do not know its meaning, is the acronym that corresponds to International Basketball Federation. FIBA decides the rules for international basketball as well as the equipment and facilities, international players and referees. FIBA consists of a total of 215 national federations divided in 5 commissions:
Africa, Americas, Asia, Europe and Oceania.
On the other hand, the NCAA stands for National Collegiate Athletic Association. The NCAA is a non-profit association, responsible for athletes from more than a 1,000 institutions, conferences and individuals in the U.S. and Canada. The 3 divisions in which the NCAA is set up are Division I, Division II and Division III.
Now that we know a little bit what FIBAand NCAA are about, we can see that they are not alike. And so, their basketball rules are not either.
Among all the disparities when talking about basketball regulations, these 5 rules are the ones I consider are the most distinct:
1. THE 3 POINT LINE:
The 3 POINT LINE is measured from the center of the basket:
- FIBA: 6.75 m. (22 ft 1.7 in).
- NCAA Women: 6.324 m. (20 ft 9 in).
One of the biggest differences is the 3 point line as we can see, and that is why most of the international players that come to the U.S. are able to shoot farther away beyond the arc. They usuallly have very deep range, because of the fact that the line in Europe is farther than in college.
2. SHOT CLOCK:
- FIBA: 24 seconds.
- NCAA Women: 30 seconds.
Another big difference is when it comes to offense. In college basketball you have a total of 30 seconds to attack the basket and also 10 seconds to pass the half court line when you take the ball out of bounds. However, under FIBA rules, the shot clock is 24 for seconds to attack the basket, and 8 seconds to pass the half court line.
3. TIME-OUTS: NUMBER, DURATION AND HOW TO CALL THEM:
NUMBER OF TIME-OUTS:
- FIBA: 2 time-outs in the 1st half, 3 in second half and 1 per extra period.
- NCAA Women televised games: 4 time-outs per game.
- NCAA Women non-televised games: 5 time-outs per game.
DURATION OF TIME-OUTS:
- FIBA: all time-outs are 60 seconds and don't accumulate.
- NCAA Women televised games: three 30-second timeouts and one 60-second timeout.
- NCAA Women non-televised games: three 30s and two 60s
HOW TO CALL A TIME-OUT:
- FIBA: time-out must be called by the coach.
- NCAA Women: time-out can be called by the coach or a player.
The differences of time-outs under NCAA regulation when a game is on TV or not, is to give space for the commercials when a game is being broadcasted. On the other hand, one of the advantages for games on the NCAA compared to games under FIBA regulations, is the fact that the players can call a time-out in case they see their team is in a dangerous situation. For example: when you are going to lose a ball in a critical situation, or when you are being trapped by the defense.
4. FREE THROW REBOUNDING ACTIVITY:
- FIBA: maximum of 5 players in rebound places around the zone (3 opponents of the shooter and 2 teammates).
- NCAA Women: maximun of 6 players. (4 opponents, 2 teammates).
The NCAA allows more opponents when a free throw occurs so it is harder for the offense to get another chance to get the ball after the free throw occurs. In one side usually when the opponent player is more physical the 2 players pinch to create a "wall" and box out; and the other side would be a 1on1 boxout on the block plus the the player that is left who would boxout the shooter.
On the other hand, FIBA sets the rebounding after free throw as a 1on1 battle due to the fact that there are two people on the blocks fighting for the rebound and the other one boxes out the shooter.
5. TECHNICAL FOUL:
- FIBA: one free throw and possession of the ball at half court.
- NCAA Women: two free throws; possesion of the ball at point of interruption.
It is important to know also that in NCAA, when there is a violation for excess of time-out is penalized with 2 free throws and the possesion of the ball.
In FIBA regulation, if the technical foul happens in warm-ups the possesion would not be at half court. It is important to know these differences because of the strategies of the game and how to handle situations when the game is at a high temperature.
These are 5 of the major differences between NCAA Women's Basketball regulations and FIBA regulations. Those are the important details that International players have to know when playing on the NCAA and when american players want to go overseas.
It is important to note that in 2015-2016 the NCAA changed some rules for women's basketball. Here is a video that explains it (via @youtube):
Hope you enjoyed it and cannot wait to share a new post!! :)
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