What are the overtime rules for March Madness in 2024? The men's NCAA tournament rules, explained

It’s March Madness, folks. You know what time it is. There’s a reason that “madness” is included in the name here.

We’re going to get lots of wild finishes throughout the NCAA men’s tournament. Many of those wild finishes will likely come from close overtime games between opponents.

If we’re going to be watching plenty of overtime games this March, then it’s crucial for us to know the rules and how things go. So let’s dive into the men’s NCAA tournament’s overtime rules.

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The rules are simple:

— When teams are tied at the end of regulation, the two sides go into overtime.

— The NCAA tournament overtime lasts five minutes, just like in the regular season.

— All previous fouls will be taken into the overtime period. The bonus rules carry over into overtime, too, so if your team is in the bonus it will remain there throughout the period.

— Each team gets an additional 30-second timeout for each overtime period played.

— Overtime periods are unlimited. So if the two teams are tied at the end of overtime, they play another until there’s a winner.

— The same rules for reviewing plays that applies in the final minute of regulation apply throughout the overtime period.

There you have it, folks. That’s how OT works in college basketball.

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