While the NCAA has worked to close the differences in men's and women's college basketball in the NCAA Tournament, there are still some disparities when it comes to the rules.

In women's tournaments, they play with a smaller basketball, have more host sites for the first and second rounds of games, and have different rules about getting the ball past midcourt. But the biggest difference notable to fans is likely the difference in formats of playing.

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Men's basketball plays two 20-minute halves with several media timeouts to get players to rest, while the women play four 10-minute quarters. The quarter format is something basketball fans are likely more used to, as most leagues, including the NBA and WNBA, play the same format. The different game format is a newer phenomenon in women's basketball, with the rule change happening within the last decade.

With the Final Four of Iowa, UConn, NC State and South Carolina, here's what you need to know about the rule change, why it was made and how it impacts the game:

When did women's college basketball start playing four quarters?

On June 8, 2015, the NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel approved that women's basketball will play four 10-minute quarters starting in the 2015-16 season. The NCAA Women’s Basketball Rules Committee initially recommended the rule change to enhance the flow of the game. The rule change was also endorsed by the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association Board of Directors. Each quarter is 10 minutes (equaling 40 minutes, the same total time as 20-minute halves in men's) and halftime is 15 minutes.

Part of the reason for the rule change was to move away from the 1-and-1 free throws which are more prevalent in men's basketball after a team reaches seven team fouls. In the four-quarter format, a team will reach the bonus and shoot two free throws on the fifth team foul. Team fouls reset to zero at the start of each quarter.

It was thought at the time that the change would be an experiment that would eventually make its way to the men's game.

Alignment with professional leagues

Another reason for the change was for women's college basketball to align with professional leagues, such as the WNBA and FIBA, in playing four quarters instead of two halves. The change makes for a more seamless transition for players from the college game to the professional ranks.

Why does men's college basketball play two 20-minute halves?

Dr. James Naismith is credited with creating what we know as basketball in December 1891 in Springfield, Massachusetts. His idea of the game was to have two fifteen-minute halves, with a five minute rest in between, which was included in his 13 rules for the sport. Eventually, time was added and each half became 20 minutes.

In 1951, both college basketball and the NBA changed the format of their games to four 10-minute quarters. While the NBA has since kept the format and made each quarter 12 minutes, the NCAA changed back to playing two halves of basketball instead of quarters in 1954. The change was due to coaches worried about stalling in the game with no shot clock. In 1955, Kentucky coach Adolph Rupp argued for four 12-minute quarters, which the NBA continues to play today.

Will men's basketball switch over to quarters?

Could the men's game also benefit from playing four quarters, which is also done at the NBA and other professional leagues? Maybe. But why hasn't it changed? Has it even been discussed? In 2022, Jay Bilas argued in an ESPN article for the four-quarter format.

"Four quarters instead of two halves: Men's college basketball is the only visible form of the game in the world that does not have quarters. It is not a question of remaining unique. Quarters provide more clock plays and allow team fouls to be reset after the first and third quarters. Moving to quarters will reduce the number of free throws on common fouls and will eliminate the one-and-one. A team will reach the bonus upon the fifth foul of a quarter, and two shots will be awarded upon every common foul thereafter. Some argue that the one-and-one is necessary, but I differ. The argument is that a player must 'earn' the second foul shot by making the first. That second shot was earned ... by getting fouled. Remember, the foul limited the offensive team's ability to get two or three points on the possession. This rule change, in my view, is necessary."

Ken Pomeroy has argued for the same. One major difference in the format — aside from the fouls resetting between quarters — is there is a media timeout at the first stoppage under five minutes each quarter for the women's. The men's side has four media timeouts a half, with each spread four minutes apart.

The breaks between the first and second quarters, as well as the third and fourth quarters, also effectively serve as a media timeout. Potential ad revenue lost with fewer TV timeouts available could be hurtful to the bottom line for men's basketball. Adding in more breaks during the quarter format to make up for a potential loss could also hurt the game flow.

This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Explaining why men's, women's college basketball play different formats