Former college basketball coach and current ESPN analyst Fran Fraschilla has ignited discussion about reforming college basketball by proposing several rule changes that would align the sport more closely with international standards.
This proposal addresses fundamental aspects of college basketball that have remained unchanged for decades. His suggestions come from observations of international competition and a desire to improve game flow.
Breaking Down Fraschilla’s Revolutionary Rule Changes
Fraschilla shared his ideas for fixing college basketball on social media while watching the international games. His post listed eight specific changes aimed at improving the games.
“Enjoying watching @FIBA U-19 World Cup, Euro U-18 Championships & @BaylorMBB playing in World University Games. It got me thinking about @FIBA rules & improving college basketball, my way. Here we go,” Fraschilla wrote, before sharing his complete set of rule changes.
Enjoying watching @FIBA U-19 World Cup, Euro U-18 Championships & @BaylorMBB playing in World University Games. It got me thinking about @FIBA rules & improving college basketball, my way. Here we go:
1. 4 Quarters instead of 2 Halves. The flow of the game is better because…
— Fran Fraschilla (@franfraschilla) July 30, 2025
Fraschilla’s first big idea involves changing from two 20-minute halves to four 10-minute quarters.
“4 Quarters instead of 2 Halves. The flow of the game is better because team fouls reset and helps eliminate the parade to the free-throw line. Everyone else in the world plays 4 quarters for that reason,” he said.
In college basketball now, fouls keep adding up for the whole 20 minutes of each half. When teams get too many fouls, every foul sends players to shoot free throws, which stops the game constantly.
His second idea gets rid of live-ball timeouts except during important moments. “No live ball timeouts in the game until two minutes or under in fourth-quarter or overtime.”
This would prevent players from calling timeouts while dribbling or holding the ball during play, which currently disrupts game flow. Under current NCAA rules, players with possession can call timeouts during live-ball situations, though coaches cannot.
He also suggested using FIBA’s 24-second shot clock, saying:
“It’s time for the 24 second shot clock. (Every teenager in the world outside of the United States is already used to this.)” College basketball now uses 30-second shot clocks, making teams play offense slower than international basketball’s quicker style.
For his fourth change, he says, “A team can advance the ball on a timeout in the final two minutes. (Like the NBA.)”
This rule would let coaches move the ball to half court after calling a timeout instead of taking it out from where play stopped. Currently, in college basketball, teams must take the ball out from wherever the action stopped, even if it’s far from the basket during crunch time.
His rim-contact idea, which constitutes his fifth change, could completely alter rebounding: “Once the ball hits the rim, it is live for both teams. It’s an exciting, athletic basketball play.”
This suggests adopting FIBA’s goaltending rules, where defensive players can legally swat away shots after rim contact, even above the cylinder. While offensive players can already tip in shots after rim contact in college basketball, defenders currently cannot touch such shots without being called for goaltending.
His next few fixes suggests the coach’s challenge system as another big change:
“Coach’s Challenge: FIBA allows challenges on situations including out-of-bounds calls, basket interference or goaltending, and whether a secondary defender was in the restricted area. (This is essentially the new NCAA rule for 2025-2026.)”
Currently, college basketball has limited instant replay only for timing situations and shot-clock violations. NCAA recently added similar review systems for the 2025-26 season.
Challenge rules follow specific steps: “Requesting a Challenge: A coach must have a timeout to initiate a challenge. They signal the request to the nearest official.”
Successful challenges offer rewards. “Successful Challenge: If the review confirms the coach’s claim, the team receives an extra challenge.” This system would give coaches more control over game-changing calls.
These proposed changes could transform college basketball by creating faster-paced games with fewer interruptions. The shorter shot clock and four-quarter format would increase scoring opportunities while reducing the fouling strategies that slow games down.
Most importantly, college players would develop skills using the same rules they would encounter in international competition and professional leagues.
His suggestions would bring American college basketball closer to how the rest of the world plays while making games more exciting, but such changes would naturally need to gain approval from NCAA officials and coaches.
