Bruce Pearl Sounds Alarm: College Basketball Faces a Crisis That Could Change Everything

Auburn basketball’s head coach, Bruce Pearl, isn’t shy about shaking things up — this time, he’s advocating for a shift that might just redefine the very rhythm of college hoops. Picture this: instead of the traditional two halves, Pearl wants the men’s college game to adopt quarters, aligning it with the women’s format and pretty much the rest of the basketball world. It’s a bold move, and with the NCAA nudging power conferences to explore this possibility seriously, the 2025-26 season could usher in a fresh era of basketball strategy and pacing. Pearl’s call comes amid other rule changes on the horizon, like coach’s challenges, signaling that the NCAA isn’t afraid to disrupt the status quo. As the Tigers gear up for another promising run this fall, led by Pearl’s proven leadership, the basketball community watches closely — not just to see if Auburn can replicate last season’s magic, but to witness if college hoops will finally split the clock into quarters like the pros. LEARN MORE

The NCAA is calling for power 4 conferences to form a working group that would probe changing the men’s college format to quarters. There are several people other than Pearl who have also called for this change, including NBA star Kevin Durant. Women’s college basketball already follows a quarters format.“Quarters,” Pearl said. “Just like everybody else.”This coming men’s college basketball season, the game will continue to be played in two halves unless the NCAA changes the rules swiftly. The NCAA recently announced there are some other new rules coming to the men’s game, including coach’s challenges.It won’t be easy for the Tigers, since they are losing their best player from last season in big man Johni Broome. Broome is headed to the NBA Draft, after averaging a double-double last season for the Tigers. Broome scored more than 18 points a game, and averaged 10.8 rebounds a contest.Pearl just completed his most successful season at Auburn. He led the Tigers to the NCAA tournament, as the no. 1 overall seed in the field.

Bruce Pearl is hoping for another strong year at Auburn

The college basketball season begins this fall.Article Continues BelowAuburn basketball is hoping for more big things this coming season. The Tigers have a solid recruiting class, with the highlight being four-star freshman forward Sebastian Williams-Adams.The Tigers also have a top 10 transfer class, per 247 Sports. Auburn basketball has four incoming transfers including four star guard Kevin Overton, from Texas Tech. Last season, Overton averaged 7.8 points and 3.7 rebounds a game.Auburn basketball’s 2025-26 season includes non conference matchups with Arizona and North Carolina State in the ACC/SEC Challenge.“Johni Broome wasn’t the best player in college basketball last year and the [NBA] Draft will probably point that out in terms of being a pro prospect, but nobody had a year in college basketball like Johni Broome,” Pearl said on Katz’s show.Auburn basketball coach Bruce Pearl is calling for one major change in NCAA basketball. Pearl wants the men’s game to go from halves to quarters, per Andy Katz’s show The Sideline.