ncaa-manual

17.3.2.4.1 Exception—Team Promotional Activities. Team promotional activities (e.g., autographsessions, fan picture sessions, meeting with fans) per Bylaw 12.5.1 are permissible prior to the start of oncourtpreseason basketball practice per Bylaw 17.3.2, provided these promotional arrangements do notinvolve any of the practice activities prohibited under the provisions of Bylaw 17.3.2.4. (Revised: 1/11/94,1/14/97 effective 8/1/97)17.3.2.4.2 Exception—Officiating Clinic. Prior to the start of on-court preseason basketball practiceper Bylaw 17.3.2, student-athletes may observe an officiating clinic related to playing rules that is conductedby video conference, provided no student-athlete misses class time to observe the clinic. (Adopted: 1/9/96,Revised: 1/14/97 effective 8/1/97)17.3.3 First Contest. An institution shall not play its first contest (game or scrimmage) with outside competitionin basketball prior to the second Friday of November (see Figure 17-2). (Revised: 4/27/06 effective 8/1/06)17.3.3.1 Exceptions. The following basketball contests (games or scrimmages) are permitted prior to the firstcontest dates specified under Bylaw 17.3.3:(a) Practice Scrimmage. An informal practice scrimmage with outside competition exempted per Bylaw17.3.5.3-(h) may occur at any point during the permissible playing and practice season (see Bylaw17.3.1), provided it is conducted in privacy and without publicity or official scoring. Individuals otherthan athletics department staff members and those necessary to conduct a basketball practice scrimmageagainst outside competition may not be present during such a scrimmage. The institution shall ensurethat the scrimmage is free from public view. No class time shall be missed by basketball student-athletesin conjunction with such a scrimmage, including all associated activities (e.g., travel, pregame and postgameactivities); and (Revised: 10/27/98 effective 8/1/99, 5/12/05, 1/17/09 effective 8/1/09, 3/2/09)(b) Exhibition Against a Non-NCAA Division I Four-Year Collegiate Institution. An exhibition contestexempted per Bylaw 17.3.5.3-(g) may occur after the date on which an institution may commenceon-court preseason practice (see Bylaw 17.3.2). (Adopted: 1/10/95, Revised: 1/11/97, 4/22/98, 10/28/99,4/29/04 effective 8/1/04, 1/14/08 effective 8/1/08, 1/17/09 effective 8/1/09; contracts signed before 8/15/08may be honored)17.3.4 End of Playing Season. A member institution’s last contest (game or scrimmage or postseason tournamentcontest) with outside competition in basketball shall not be played after the respective Division I BasketballChampionship game. However, an institution may not continue to practice (or compete against outsidecompetition) in basketball beyond its last regular-season contest, including the conference championship (if any),unless it has reason to believe it is under consideration for selection to participate in an NCAA championship orother postseason national championship event. An institution not selected to participate in the championship oran institution that loses in the championship may not continue to practice until the conclusion of the championshipevent.17.3.5 Number of Contests.17.3.5.1 Maximum Limitations—Institutional. An institution shall limit its total regular-season playingschedule with outside competition in basketball during the playing season to one of the following (except forthose contests excluded under Bylaw 17.3.5.3): (Revised: 4/27/06 effective 8/1/06)(a) 27 contests (games or scrimmages) and one qualifying regular-season multiple-team event per Bylaw17.3.5.1.1; or(b) 29 contests (games or scrimmages) during a playing season in which the institution does not participatein a qualifying regular-season multiple-team event.17.3.5.1.1 Qualifying Regular-Season Multiple-Team Event. A qualifying regular-season multipleteamevent is one in which: (Revised: 4/27/06 effective 8/1/06)(a) The event is sponsored by the NCAA, an active or affiliated member or a member conference of theAssociation and must take place in the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, Canada, Mexico or theUnited States or one of its territories; (Revised: 4/26/07 effective 8/1/07, 1/15/11 effective 8/1/11)(b) The event includes not more than four contests per institution and concludes not later than 14 daysafter the first contest of the event;(c) Participation is limited, by conference, to one team per conference and, by institution, to not morethan once in the same event in any four-year period; and(d) Each participating institution is using Bylaw 17.3.5.1-(a) as its maximum contest limitation for theplaying season in which it participates in the event.17.3.5.1.1.1 Hawaii/Alaska/Puerto Rico Exception. An active Division I institution locatedin Hawaii, Alaska or Puerto Rico that serves as the sponsor of a qualifying regular-season multipleteamevent is not required to count its participation in the event as its one qualifying regular-seasonmultiple-team event pursuant to Bylaw 17.3.5.1-(a), provided the event is conducted in the institution’sstate or territory and the institution counts all contests of the event in which it is a participanttoward its maximum contest limitations. Such an event qualifies as a qualifying regular-season17Playing Seasons241