A coach's video review challenge was proposed by the NCAA Women's Basketball Rules Committee during its meeting this week in Indianapolis.
After a thorough discussion, committee members voted to recommend the change for the 2025-26 season.
All rule proposals must be approved by the NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel before becoming official. The panel is scheduled to discuss women's basketball rule change recommendations June 10.
Under the proposal, plays that could be challenged at any point during the game include:
- Ruled out-of-bounds violations.
- Ruled backcourt violations.
- Whether a change in team possession occurred before the ruling of a foul where free throws would be involved.
- Whether a foul was assessed to the correct player.
Officials could not initiate reviews on these calls with the exception of whether a foul was assessed to the correct player.
Teams would not be required to have a timeout to make a video review challenge in NCAA women's basketball competition. However, a failed challenge would result in an administrative technical foul for an excessive timeout.
"The committee was concerned with pace of play and the number of reviews occurring at the end of games," said Nicki Collen, rules committee chair and head women's basketball coach at Baylor. "This was also an experimental rule in this year's WBIT. By removing the option for officials to review called out-of-bounds violations and allowing coaches to challenge the call, you increase flow at the end of games while still allowing for the opportunity to get the call right."
Other rules proposals
- Setting the shot clock to 20 seconds when, following a dead ball, the offense is awarded the ball in its front court.
- Eliminating the rule that jerseys need to be tucked in.
- Using excessive timeouts or playing with six players when the ball becomes live will become team technical fouls. These violations would count toward team fouls, and the team will be awarded possession at half court following the free throws.
- Allowing players to complete a jump stop when their feet land approximately at the same time. This will be a legal move and would not be considered a travel. Committee members believe this change can increase the accuracy on traveling rulings.
- Allowing defenders multiple one-hand (hot stove) touches on stationary players holding the ball or on a dribbler. These touches would be legal as long as they are not repetitive and do not affect the rhythm, speed, balance and quickness of the dribbler or reroute the offensive player.
- If a player competes in a game that the player should have missed due to a suspension, the player and the head coach would both have to serve a one-game suspension for the next scheduled game.