What are TV timeouts in college basketball?

It sure feels like we get a lot of commercial breaks during the NCAA Tournament. There are plenty of stoppages during the action for ad breaks, which makes sense since advertisers pay big money to get their products showcased to huge audiences, but there actually is a method to the madness.

Commercial breaks are not only valuable for teams since they can catch their breath while coaches draw up plays, but good for viewing audiences who have an opportunity to run to the restroom or grab another drink from the fridge. How do media timeouts work in college basketball?

College Basketball's Media Timeout Structure

The traditional media timeouts occur after four minute increments of play. With 20-minute halves, these occur at the first dead ball under 16, 12, 8 and 4 minutes to play in the period. If the first stoppage of play during a typical TV timeout window occurs via a coach calling for time, that 30-second break will extend to a full two-minute TV break.

The same structure unfolds in the first and second half, with the second half picking up an additional media break for the first timeout called by a head coach. That break can occur at any time and is known in broadcast parlance as the floater, giving an additional full media stoppage after halftime.

Any timeouts called outside of those windows lead to a 30-second stoppage of play. While most broadcasters tend to stay on the floor during the regular season, March Madness broadcasters will likely go to a single commercial since they can sell the ad time for these brief stoppages of play.

While it may seem random at times, there is a formula you can follow to predict the next TV timeout when you're watching the game. That skill can be very helpful to avoid long waits at bathroom lines in the arena or to make sure you grab that next beer and are back on the couch in time for the resumption of play.

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