How college basketball's new challenge rules work for 2025-26 season

Challenges have arrived in college basketball.

For the first time in the 2025-26 season, coaches can challenge calls, in much the same way they can in the NFL, NBA and MLB.

Division I basketball has had certain replay review scenarios in recent years, but those were all referee-initiated.

Now, the head coach on the sideline can throw the proverbial challenge flag (there's no actual challenge flag).

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How many challenges does a college basketball team get?

A coach gets one challenge to use on a call during a game.

To initiate a challenge, a team needs to have a timeout remaining.

If the challenge is successful, the team retains its timeout and can challenge another call. 

If the challenge fails, the timeout is lost and the team has no more challenges.

What calls can a college basketball team challenge?

College basketball coaches can challenge the following calls:

• Out-of-bounds calls
• Basket interference and goaltending
• Whether a secondary defender (taking a charge) was in the restricted-area arc

Officials can still go to the replay in the final two minutes of games to review goaltending and restricted area calls. But they can't initiate out-of-bounds reviews. Only coaches can do that with a challenge.

Can a college basketball coach challenge a foul call?

There's only one type of foul that can be challenged: the restricted-area circle check.

If a defender is in that circle under the basket, they can't draw a charge. So an initial charge call can be changed to a block if replay shows his feet were touching the circle.

Coaches cannot challenge any other type of foul, though.

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