Double Bonus

When a player commits a personal foul in a basketball game, it counts towards the total team foul count. If a team commits too many fouls, they enter a penalty situation. If a team commits ten or more fouls in a single half, then the referee puts them in the double bonus penalty situation. Every time they foul, the other team’s free throw shooter gets two free throws.

The double bonus is different from 1 and 1, the bonus, because they don’t have to make the first free throw to get the second one.

When a team is in the double bonus, the opposing team gets two free throws every time a player is fouled.

The team foul count resets after every half and at the start of overtime. So, teams will no longer be in the double bonus at the start of the second half, if they were in the double bonus in the first half.

In college basketball, every foul except an administrative technical foul will count as a team foul. If teams reach ten or more team fouls in a half, they enter the double bonus penalty situation.

However, on the flip-side, a college team may try to start drawing as many fouls as possible against a team who’s prone to fouling. For example, if the game is close or if a team has a lead, they may try to drive the lane more with the hopes of drawing a foul. If they’re able to get their opponent to reach their tenth foul early, then they will have the luxury of the double bonus. In addition, if their opponent is close to reaching their tenth foul, their opponent will more than likely not play as aggressive defense so that they don’t draw that tenth foul.

Teams will often use fouling as a tactic if they are trailing in a game, especially if time is of the essence. Fouling stops the clock, and although it puts the opponent on the free throw line, it also puts pressure on them to make free throws. This tactic can be especially useful if it is used against a player who has a low free throw percentage.

This strategy is known as “Hack-a-Shaq” because of its widespread use against center Shaquille O’Neal. As long as the fouling team can sustain scoring, putting a poor shooter on the line gives a numerical advantage in a short amount of time. It is used before and throughout the double bonus.

Example of how Double Bonus is used in commentary: After that foul, Duke is now in the double bonus. With the team down by only four points, they have to play more cautious so that they don’t give their opponent anymore free throws and a chance to pull away.