How many fouls do you get in college basketball?

How many fouls does it take in a college basketball game before a player fouls out? The answer is slightly different from the NBA.

So you’re watching March Madness and wondering why your favorite big man just got fouled out when he picked up his fifth foul.

Isn’t it supposed to be six?

Fans who normally watch NBA action might be used to the six-foul rule, but that’s not how it works in the college game.

How many fouls do you get in college basketball?

In the world of NCAA basketball, a player fouls out after committing five fouls.

Does that mean the rules are harder on college players? Not exactly.

BasketballWord.com does a good job of explaining the reason behind the different NCAA and NBA rules:

"The NBA plays 48 mins – 4 x 12 minute quarters.The NCAA plays 40 mins – 2 x 20-minute halves.NBA – 48/8 = 6  in other words 48 minutes divided by 8 equals 6 fouls.NCAA 40/8 = 5 in other words 40 minutes divided by 8 equals 5 fouls.Both leagues give you one foul for every 8 minutes of game time."

So there you have it. The rule is actually consistent between the two leagues. Their timing structure just gives NBA players an extra foul because they play an extra eight minutes.

There is, however, no extension for overtime in each scenario. If you get your fifth foul in overtime, you’re out of luck.

For more NCAA basketball news, analysis, opinion and features, check out more from the FanSided college basketball section to stay on top of the latest action.