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NBA Vs. NCAA Basketball: How Are They Different?

NBA Vs. NCAA Basketball: How Are They Different?
By Craig Harkins

To the untrained eye, a game of pro basketball and a game of
college basketball can appear very similar, if not pretty much
the same. Flip from game to game, and you see pretty much the
same thing: a standard size ball, players on the court, a
10-foot hoop and the foul line 15 feet away from the backboard.
Take a closer look, though, and you’ll start to see differences
in college and professional play.

There are quite a lot of differences given that the history of
the sport. According to Wikipedia, basketball was invented in
December 1891 by Dr. James Naismith, a Canadian-born physical
education professor and instructor at the International Young
Men's Christian Association Training School[3] (YMCA) (today,
Springfield College) in Springfield, Massachusetts, USA, was
trying to keep his gym class active on a rainy day sought a
vigorous indoor game to keep his students occupied and at proper
levels of fitness during the long New England winters.

First off, in the NBA, the game is divided into four 12-minute
quarters. In the NCAA, there are two 20-minute halves. The
length of the game is different, but they both share an overtime
period that lasts five minutes.

The clock is different between college and pro as well, where
the NBA has a 24-second shot clock, and the NCAA shot clock
lasts 35 seconds. This is the primary reason that the scoring in
NCAA games can differ so greatly from team to team, and game to
game. Teams who employ a strong defense strategy with respect to
the shot clock end up with games that score in the 50 to 60
point range. Using a more aggressive offensive strategy, you’ll
see higher scores in the 80 to 100 range – similar to the scores
posted in most NBA games.

NCAA teams have 10 seconds in order to get the ball half-court
after a basket; NBA teams are limited to just 8 seconds.

The court is the same size in both organizations (94 feet long
by 50 feet wide), basket height, backboard distance and the foul
line are all the same, as well. Look closer, though, when
college and pro teams take a 3-point shot. NBA players take a
3-point shot from 23’9” (22” in the corners) and the NCAA’s
3-point shot is from a distance of 19’9”. The lane width in the
NBA is 16 feet wide, and at the collegiate level it’s 12 feet.

Further differences exist between pro and college basketball
beyond variation in the shot clock length and the distance for
3-pointers. The differences discussed here are just the
beginning; read and research more to get a grasp of all the
intricacies of NBA and NCAA play. Getting a handle on the
differences between college and pro basketball rules can help
you gain a better understanding of the strategy and action going
on during any given game.

March is the best month of the year to get acquainted with
basketball as the NCAA tournament is just around the corner,
leading to lots of availability of analysis as well as fan
passion for the sport.

About the Author: Craig is an avid NCAA basketball fan who
follows the ACC and also checks in on the pro game via the
Atlanta Hawks from time to time. Outside of March, Craig runs
http://Fencing.Net (http://www.fencing.net/) and an online store
at http://shop.fencing.net/ helping athletes get started in the
Olympic sport.

Source: http://www.isnare.com

Permanent Link: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=499708&ca=Sports

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