Surprising Rules College Basketball Players Have to Follow

Players have exactly 20 seconds to take care of anything from a badly scraped knee to a bloody nose, otherwise they have to leave the game. The rule also applies to an irritated (or lost) contact lens.

The NCAA only offers players a total of 37 jersey numbers to choose from—and none of them include 6, 7, 8, or 9. Why? Those digits require two hands to sign, which complicates things for referees.

We’d file this one under things that should be able to go unsaid, but there’s an actual rule that states “climbing on or lifting a teammate to secure greater height” is not allowed.

Well, most of the time. The one exception in the rule book? “To spontaneously react to an outstanding play, immediately sitting down on the bench afterwards.”

This is a safety concern. If your team wins, you can rock your finest jewelry at the afterparty—just not on the court.

Both the men’s and women’s leagues follow the same rule to 1. Stop sweat from dripping onto the court. 2. Prevent injuries, like tripping over loose fabric or catching yourself on an opponent. 3. Give players more movement while shooting a ball.

Okay, okay, this isn’t exactly a rule, but it definitely helps. In NCAA Division 1, the average male player is just under 6’5″, while the average female player is 5’6″.

Division I students must earn at least six credit hours each term and meet their school’s GPA requirement for graduation. They also have to complete 40 percent of their degree by the end of the second year, 60 percent by the end of the third year, and 80 percent by the end of the fourth year.

Many teams travel with an adviser who’s responsible for keeping players on track academically, with tutoring and helping set studying schedules. “That’s what the coaches sell to their parents and to them on recruiting visits, that we will be doing homework on the road,” Xavier University’s assistant director of student-athlete academic support services, Chris Barbour, told WCPO.

During the regular season, it’s up to the schools to decide how they want their students to travel—some spend big bucks on private planes, while others fly coach.

But who wouldn’t want to live with peers who have the same busy schedule as you? A whopping 60 percent of men’s Division I basketball players live exclusively with teammates.

These best players might be on the road to the NBA, but they won’t be treated like LeBron James just yet. Even if universities build housing specifically with student athletes in mind, NCAA rules “require that residence halls for student-athletes house at least 51 percent general population students and not offer special treatment to athletes.”

In 2021, the Supreme Court sided with student athletes over the NCAA in a case about educational benefits. Now, schools can recruit players with just about anything, as long as it’s tied to education. A former top NCAA official, Oliver Luck, told NPR that could mean a year abroad, internships, law or medical school tuition, and more.

Eating simple or “quick” carbs—ones that can be digested easily—is key to feeling ready to take on the second half of a game. It’s common for players to scarf down a snack during halftime. For Duke, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are a team favorite.

Why? The NCAA tries to keep amateurism in the sport. Internationally, things work differently and many teens grow up being paid by clubs. When they reach college age and apply to top U.S. universities, many are ineligible.

In a sad turn of events, Colorado freshman Evan Battey was ruled academically ineligible by the NCAA for the 2017-18 season after it was found he repeated the ninth grade. He took a redshirt year and was able to practice with the team, but not compete or travel.

The NCAA offered a “free year” to athletes because of the COVID-19 pandemic and disrupted 2020-21 season. Because of that, super seniors are becoming more common.

According to a Stanford social media guide, current athletes can follow potential recruits online, but aren’t allowed to comment or congratulate them on any commitments before the news is officially announced. They also aren’t supposed to post or retweet pictures of the prospect’s recruiting visit.

Before 2021, players weren’t allowed to accept brand deals or sponsorships. When the ban was lifted, some athletes turned into full-fledged social media stars. Shareef O’Neal (yes, Shaquille O’Neal’s son) of Louisiana State University has over 2.5 million Instagram followers and an earning potential on social media of $3.5 million annually.

UConn player Paige Bueckers has a social media earning potential of $1 million—and she cashed in on her “Paige Buckets” nickname by launching an athletic apparel line.

In 2021, Ohio Bobcats guard Michael Brown Jr. landed in hot water for posting a TikTok video about the NCAA tournament bubble in Indianapolis. It showed his personal credentials, as well as the tracking devices everyone had to wear inside. He later deleted the video and re-uploaded it without the security concerns.

Getting to the semifinals of the NCAA tournament isn’t easy, but athletes can bring some support. In 2015, the NCAA launched a program that pays each player $3,000 total to cover travel, hotel, and meal expenses for two family members. That gets bumped up to $4,000 for the championship games.

This resulted in a big controversy in 2021, when several women’s teams complained about not having equal equipment and workout space compared to the men.

In 2021, the Oregon State Beavers were kicked out of their hotel following their Elite 8 loss and told to get on a 1:15 a.m. flight home. Brutal.

Need help moving? Sorry, staff can’t offer any favors to players outside of the game. In 2000, UNLV’s Chris Richardson was famously hit with a violation after his assistant coach helped him move a mattress.

In a sadder story, in the 1980s North Carolina State head coach Jim Valvano bought one of his players a round-trip plane ticket to attend his grandmother’s funeral. When he returned, everyone faced consequences.

Being a Division I athlete is no joke. Players could spend at least 25 hours a week at the arena for things like practice, film breakdown, rehab, and more. Factor that into the time you need to go to class, do homework, travel for games and you’ve got one busy schedule.

With such a busy lifestyle—plus jet lag from all that traveling—there’s just not much time to sleep. According to an NCAA study, one-third of student athletes get fewer than seven hours of sleep per night.

Tobacco is an absolute no-go for student athletes, and using it can result in being disqualified from competitions. Makes sense to be honest.

Ever noticed it’s super easy to tell who’s the home team when you watch a game? There’s a reason for that. Visitors wear dark colors and hosts wear light colors.

At least, at Rutgers. The school’s guide says “all meals are to be with the team unless specified by the coaching staff.” Players also have to show up to meals repping their school’s athletic gear.

While on the road, every little expense is monitored. An Oklahoma player once spent $9.95 for internet service, but later incurred a violation of the NCAA code. After another player from UNC-Asheville tweeted about needing Wi-Fi to do homework during 2016’s March Madness, the NCAA announced it would provide those in the tournament with it free of charge.

Men’s teams are banned from using any video during the game or time-outs for coaching (except for certain “experimental” cases), however women’s teams are allowed to use preloaded tapes on the sidelines.

Before 2015, pregame dunking earned players a penalty. While it used to be viewed as “showboating” and a sign of bad sportsmanship, it’s now seen as a way to get the crowd pumped for the upcoming game.

The men’s rule book doesn’t mention a specific consequence for dunking on a deal ball, but it does say a technical foul can be issued “when the ball is dead and involves contact that is unnecessary, unacceptable or excessive.”