# NCAA API (henrygd)

> Open-source MIT API that returns scores, stats, rankings, standings, schedules, brackets, box scores and play-by-play from ncaa.com as JSON; use the rate-limited public instance or self-host.

Canonical page: https://sportdex.net/providers/ncaa-api/  
Last checked: 2026-11-03  
SportDex Score: 44/100 (rank 96; popularity 18, community n/a, transparency 75, developer experience 59)

## Facts
- Type: Free / open data
- Website: https://github.com/henrygd/ncaa-api
- Documentation: https://ncaa-api.henrygd.me/openapi
- Pricing page: unknown
- Sports: College sports, Basketball, American football
- Data types: Fixtures, News, Play-by-play, Live scores, Standings, Team stats
- Protocols: REST
- Delivery: Polling only (REST)
- Live / in-play: yes
- Free tier: yes
- Cheapest public paid plan: not public
- Key competitions: NCAA football, NCAA basketball
- Authentication: none
- OpenAPI spec: https://ncaa-api.henrygd.me/openapi

## Plans
| Plan | Price | Requests | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Public demo instance | Free | 3 / second | Free, 3 requests/second per IP; self-host for reliability |

## Who it is for

Best for: Developers who need free JSON for NCAA scores, stats, rankings and brackets, ideally self-hosted.

Not ideal for: Teams that need guaranteed data rights or reliability on the public instance; it scrapes ncaa.com and is rate-limited.

Use cases: College scoreboards; Bracket and ranking pages; Self-hosted stat proxy

Limitations:
- Public instance allows 3 requests per second per IP
- MIT licence covers the code, not the NCAA data
- Author advises self-hosting for reliability

## Quick answers

**What is NCAA API (henrygd) best for?** Developers who need free JSON for NCAA scores, stats, rankings and brackets, ideally self-hosted. Not ideal for: Teams that need guaranteed data rights or reliability on the public instance; it scrapes ncaa.com and is rate-limited.

**How much does NCAA API (henrygd) cost?** NCAA API (henrygd) does not publish prices on the pages we checked.

**Does NCAA API (henrygd) have a free tier?** Yes. NCAA API (henrygd) lists a free plan called "Public demo instance" (3 requests per second).

**What does NCAA API (henrygd) cover?** NCAA API (henrygd) is a free / open data. Its sports: College sports, Basketball, American football; data: Fixtures, News, Play-by-play, Live scores, Standings, Team stats. Live / in-play data is offered.

**Does NCAA API (henrygd) have a WebSocket or streaming API?** No streaming is listed. NCAA API (henrygd) delivers data by REST, so you poll for updates.

**What do developers say about NCAA API (henrygd)?** Open-source MIT wrapper that serves ncaa.com data as JSON, with a rate-limited public instance or self-hosting. The only genuine usage evidence is a Cloudflare tutorial video on March Madness analysis. Most digest hits concern the author's unrelated monitoring tool and nothing about reliability, limits or data quality is known.

**What are the alternatives to NCAA API (henrygd)?** Close alternatives in the SportDex catalog: MySportsFeeds, DunkAPI, Statorium, NHL Web API (unofficial docs), StatPal.

## What developers say

Open-source MIT wrapper that serves ncaa.com data as JSON, with a rate-limited public instance or self-hosting. The only genuine usage evidence is a Cloudflare tutorial video on March Madness analysis. Most digest hits concern the author's unrelated monitoring tool and nothing about reliability, limits or data quality is known.

## Method
Facts were read from the provider's own pages on 2026-11-03. Empty fields mean the provider does not say, not that a feature is missing. Method: https://sportdex.net/methodology/