Are games tooooo long?

[orientalnc]

KenPom's newsletter brings up an interesting topic for discussion.

He says games are getting longer and has some data to back up the point:

2020 1:59:38
2021 1:58:49
2022 2:00:33
2023 2:01:03
2024 2:02:21
2025 2:04:35

Games on ESPN are 2:08.

My thoughts are that it takes longer for players to get to the FT line in the last minutes of tight games. KenPom says replays are not the issue. One change I think would speed up games is to let offended teams decline FTs in the final 2 minutes of games on non-shooting fouls.

Our most five recent men's games:

Clem 2:06
FSU 2:12
VT 1:58
ND 2:05
UL 2:02

For the women:

ND 1:40
Clem 1:45
UVA 1:45
Duke 1:52
Miami 1:48

Something is clearly different and it is not the amount of clock time.

 

[GoJacketsInRaleigh]

I would have guessed replays are the issue but trust KenPom more than my own gut.

 

[gte447f]

Having not read the KenPom newsletter, how and why does he conclude that replays are not an issue? Also, what about media timeouts/commercials? My opinion is that games are not too long, but if anything is going to be done to shorten them then the changes should be related to media production rather than actual game play.

 

[Northeast Stinger]

I wonder if this is related somewhat indirectly to the shot clock. Since teams can’t just run the clock they are forced to act quickly which may lead to more out of bounds plays, infractions, and fouls. That might be a stretch but I can definitely see players trying to slow things down after a whistle to collect themselves and get ready for the next play. McCollum even got hit in the face with the ball by the ref trying to speed things up.

Also have a question about TV timeouts (planned and unplanned). Is it like football where they wait for the TV coverage to return to the game before finishing the time out?

 

[gtbeak]

I would have guessed replays are the issue but trust KenPom more than my own gut.

I would have guessed television commercial breaks. Are we certain their hasn't been a change in that regard?

 

[Home Park Jacket]

There is 2 less TV timeouts in women's play. 1 at 5:00 in each quarter and 1 at the end of quarters. Versus 4 per half in men's.

 

[gte447f]

From the kenpom data that @orientalnc posted:

Games in 2025: 2:04:35

Vs

Games on ESPN: 2:08

I would say it’s pretty safe to assume that games on ESPN are 3.5 minutes longer than other games because of factors related to tv production not game play. It would be a shame to change the rules of the game to accommodate big money tv interests. Leave the rules alone.

 

[orientalnc]

There is 2 less TV timeouts in women's play. 1 at 5:00 in each quarter and 1 at the end of quarters. Versus 4 per half in men's.

One more in each half.

 

[gte447f]

One more in each half.

What do you mean? Men’s? Women’s? Are you agreeing? Disagreeing? Agreeing with a correction? Btw, your correction, if that’s what it is, doesn’t seem to be correct, but maybe I misunderstood, because I don’t know what you are trying to say.

 

[Home Park Jacket]

One more in each half.

Yes, one more TV timeout in men's each half. 6 total TV timeouts for women. 8 total TV timeouts for men. That's what I meant by "There is 2 less TV timeouts in women's play". I would bet the tv timeouts last longer than they did a few years ago. Everything else as I age, time moves faster, except for TV timeouts in live sports.

 

[orientalnc]

Yes, one more TV timeout in men's each half. 6 total TV timeouts for women. 8 total TV timeouts for men. That's what I meant by "There is 2 less TV timeouts in women's play". I would bet the tv timeouts last longer than they did a few years ago. Everything else as I age, time moves faster, except for TV timeouts in live sports.

That's a good question. I may crank up my DVR and time TV breaks in both men's and women's recent games. It will be a small sample, but interesting even if somewhat flawed.

 

[bigrabbit]

Football takes too long, basketball flies by relatively speaking.
But off hand, I would guess play reviews by refs becoming more commonplace in basketball are a factor.

 

[AUFC]

I feel like it was a season or two ago that Big East games were routinely going 2:30 because there were so many reviews for flagrant fouls.

I don't have any issues with NCAAB game times. I saw a headline the other day that the NBA is looking into shortening their game from 48 minutes to 40 minutes...that is a product very much on the decline. Regular season NBA is just awful to watch and the decline in interest is affecting playoff ratings as well even when the games are more competitive. CFB run time absolutely needs to be shrunk down as well...they made some efforts to speed up the game this past offseason I believe but runtimes didn't change because they just added more ads.

 

[orientalnc]

I feel like it was a season or two ago that Big East games were routinely going 2:30 because there were so many reviews for flagrant fouls.

I don't have any issues with NCAAB game times. I saw a headline the other day that the NBA is looking into shortening their game from 48 minutes to 40 minutes...that is a product very much on the decline. Regular season NBA is just awful to watch and the decline in interest is affecting playoff ratings as well even when the games are more competitive. CFB run time absolutely needs to be shrunk down as well...they made some efforts to speed up the game this past offseason I believe but runtimes didn't change because they just added more ads.

Media timeouts are fixed at 60 seconds. In the men's game each team gets three 30 second timeouts and one 60 second timeout. It's the same for women.

 

[GT33]

Games are only too long if you’re losing or winning by so much you just need it to end.

We have too much of the former and not enough of the latter.

 

[gte447f]

Media timeouts are fixed at 60 seconds. In the men's game each team gets three 30 second timeouts and one 60 second timeout. It's the same for women.

60 seconds for media timeouts. Really? Seems a lot longer.

 

[gtbeak]

60 seconds for media timeouts. Really? Seems a lot longer.

TV timeouts are approximately 2.5 minutes. I always skip ahead 2 minutes on my recording from the start of the commercial break and usually either catch the tail end of the last commercial or get about 20 seconds of announcer talk.

 

[gte447f]

TV timeouts are approximately 2.5 minutes. I always skip ahead 2 minutes on my recording from the start of the commercial break and usually either catch the tail end of the last commercial or get about 20 seconds of announcer talk.

Thanks. That sounds more like it.

 

[ESPNjacket]

TV timeouts are approximately 2.5 minutes. I always skip ahead 2 minutes on my recording from the start of the commercial break and usually either catch the tail end of the last commercial or get about 20 seconds of announcer talk.

The lengths are in the TV contracts. If a game isn't televised or streamed they are 75 seconds. Since all of our games are televised or streamed, that doesn't apply.

 

[alagold]

I think the NBA is looking at length of games and the season.