Shot clock The Shot Clock Monument in Syracuse , New York . Close-up of Syracuse 's Shot Clock Monument . In basketball , the shot clock is a timer designed to increase the pace ( and subsequently , the score ) in games . The offensive team must attempt a field goal before the shot clock expires , and the ball must then either touch the rim or enter the basket , or the offensive team will be assessed a violation resulting in loss of possession . History Coach Howard Hobson , who coached at the University of Oregon and later Yale University , is credited with the idea . It first came to use in 1954 in Syracuse , New York , where Danny Biasone , the owner of the National Basketball Association 's Syracuse Nationals , experimented using a 24-second version during a scrimmage game . Biasone came up with 24 seconds by dividing 2 , 880 ( the number of seconds in a game ) by 120 ( the average number of shots in a game at that time ) . He then convinced the NBA to adopt it . His team went on to win the 1955 championship . Some say that this invention `` saved the sport of basketball '' as it had begun to lose fans before its inception . This was largely due to the stalling tactics used by teams once they were leading in a game ( killing the clock ) . Without the shot clock , teams could pass the ball nearly endlessly without penalization . Very low-scoring games were common . When the shot clock first came into play , it made many players so nervous that the clock hardly came into play , as players were taking fewer than 20 seconds to shoot . Operation A see-through shotclock at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia , manufactured by Daktronics . The NBA has been experimenting with clear shot clocks at several arenas in the league to increase basket visibility for spectators In professional men 's basketball ( both NBA and FIBA ) , the shot clock counts down 24 seconds , thus often being called the `` 24-Second Clock. '' Failure to attempt a shot that hits the rim within this time results in loss of possession . A buzzer goes off when the shot clock reaches zero . Women 's basketball , both college and professional , uses 30 seconds , although the WNBA adopted the 24-second clock prior to the 2006 season . Men 's college basketball in the United States uses a 35-second clock , and a 30-second clock is used in Canada . Organization Duration CIS Men 30 seconds CIS Women 30 seconds FIBA 24 seconds NBA 24 seconds WNBA 24 seconds NCAA Men 35 seconds NCAA Women 30 seconds NHFS 35/30 ( some states only ) See also Play clock , used in American and Canadian football Notes ^ For example , the Boston Celtics averaged an average of 79.7 points per game from 1946–47 to 1953–54 ; from 1954–55 to 1961–62 , after the introduction of the shot clock , they averaged an average of 113.1 points per game . See databaseBasketball.com entry . Categories : Basketball terminology | Rules of basketball | Clocks In other languages : Deutsch | Svenska 