What are the NCAA bonus rules? Exploring the difference between bonus vs double bonus in college basketball

As every basketball fan should know, the NCAA has its own set of rules that differ from what the NBA does. But what one might not always know is that NCAA bonus rules (i.e. rules that govern teams going over the penalty) are also different from what happens in the pros.

That said, here are the NCAA bonus rules explained--and how they can affect games whenever teams go over the team foul limit. Similar to how the timeout rules are different in the NCAA.

What are the NCAA basketball bonus rules?

NCAA bonus rules state that any team committing over six fouls would go over the limit. By then, all non-shooting fouls will be awarded a 1-and-1, meaning that teams will only get one automatic free throw and get a bonus second one if they make the first shot (via FanSided).

Clemson v Baylor

On the other hand, shooting fouls will still award either two or three shots. In comparison, the NBA gives two automatic foul shots every time a non-shooting foul is committed. That`s the biggest difference with NCAA bonus rules.

So in a specific situation, any team over the bonus who commits a foul for any reason (i.e. to stop the clock) could give up two points in the worst-case scenario.

But if they foul a terrible free throw shooter, they could get away with an extra possession at most if the foul shooter misses his first shot, or give up just one point instead of two if he hits the first and misses the second.

What is bonus vs double bonus?

Any team that commits its tenth foul of the half will go into the double bonus period, as per NCAA bonus rules. During this time, a team that gets fouled earns two automatic free throws for every non-shooting foul, regardless if they miss the first shot or not.

As one could clearly see, this would be massively detrimental to the team; it`s way beyond the limit. The biggest issue is that this could limit their aggressiveness on defense, giving the team a bit more space to make shots on offense.

Hence, we can safely say that six fouls will put an NCAA team in the bonus via the NCAA bonus rules. Similarly, ten fouls or more would put the team in the double bonus.