How many fouls must a team exceed to be in a bonus situation in a half?

In NCAA basketball, a team enters a bonus situation when they accumulate seven team fouls in a half. This means that any subsequent fouls committed by that team will result in the opposing team being awarded free throws. The purpose of the bonus rule is to penalize teams that are overly aggressive on defense, encouraging more disciplined play and allowing the game to flow more freely.

Once a team reaches seven fouls, the opposing team benefits from automatic free throw opportunities for each additional foul. This rule is designed to promote fairness and give an advantage to the team that is being fouled, as it compensates for the increased risk of injury and disrupted gameplay caused by excessive fouling.

The other numbers presented, such as five, six, and eight fouls, do not trigger a bonus situation in NCAA rules. Specifically, five fouls does not lead to any free throw privileges, and at six fouls, teams are typically still in a normal foul situation. It is only at seven that the bonus kicks in. An eight-foul situation typically results in double bonus scenarios in which the opposing team gets two free throws for each foul committed.