Just in case it happens this year - you have to continue with 4 players

[Big Fan]

Are you ever able to START a game with only 4 players? Not legal in Fed per 3.1. 1 Note (emphasis added): A team must begin the game with five players, but if it has no substitutes to replace a disqualified or injured players, it must continue continue with fewer than five.

It's possible UConn will have less than 5 players available during a game this year. I hope not, but in case anyone was wondering about the rules.

 

[Centerstream]

Are you ever able to START a game with only 4 players? Not legal in Fed per 3.1. 1 Note (emphasis added): A team must begin the game with five players, but if it has no substitutes to replace a disqualified or injured players, it must continue continue with fewer than five.

It's possible UConn will have less than 5 players available during a game this year. I hope not, but in case anyone was wondering about the rules.

Is there a rule on when a team can cancel or postpone a game due to the number of available players?

 

[hoopsfan22]

Is there a rule on when a team can cancel or postpone a game due to the number of available players?

Isn't that just a forfeit?

 

[maple]

Isn't that just a forfeit?

Depends on the situation I guess. Lafayette and ND just postponed their game the other day (issues with Lafayette’s COVID protocol iirc). Maybe UConn could work something out with MD.

 

[Centerstream]

Isn't that just a forfeit?

As I posted in a different thread, the Notre Dame v Lafayette game this week was postponed due to "health issues". So, what is the rule?

 

[hoopsfan22]

As I posted in a different thread, the Notre Dame v Lafayette game this week was postponed due to "health issues". So, what is the rule?

It was due to Covid and I assume we're still operating under Covid rules which carves out an exception. It does make me think what's the difference between not having enough players because they have Covid versus having other injuries? In the former the NCAA has created a way to reschedule while in the latter you forfeit.

 

[hoopsdiva]

It was due to Covid and I assume we're still operating under Covid rules which carves out an exception. It does make me think what's the difference between not having enough players because they have Covid versus having other injuries? In the former the NCAA has created a way to reschedule while in the latter you forfeit.

I suppose the difference is that Covid is contagious and the NCAA wanted to discourage transmission of the virus. Injuries are not contagious (although they sure seem to be spreading amongst our players). If the still-standing players develop overuse injuries from playing too many minutes, I don't think the NCAA really cares about that.

 

[Sargassoc]

I'd actually prefer a forfeit to our playing (or over-playing) players due to numbers.

 

[LwrcasefaN]

Depends on the situation I guess. Lafayette and ND just postponed their game the other day (issues with Lafayette’s COVID protocol iirc). Maybe UConn could work something out with MD.

lol. Brenda will be like sure we'll work something out. We won!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Phil]

I know this is going to sound a little pedantic but the heading to this thread is misleading.

Imagine someone asking you what happens if you can only dress four players for a game. If you now read the heading, it sounds like the answer is you have to play but that's not true. Luckily the OP started the post with saying that no you cannot start again with only four players.

While someone might say I'm being overly pedantic and it's obvious that the intention was to say you must start with five but if you only have five and one files out you have to continue with four, that sort of true but incomplete. Suppose you start with five, and two foul out? The correct answer is play on, and it is not true that "you have to continue with 4 players"

In fact, if you start the game with five players, and three foul out you continue on. However if a fourth one fouls out, The team with only one player left may have to forfeit. There's a caveat, what to confess I don't totally understand. Here is the rule: "When there is only one player participating for a team, that team shall
forfeit unless the referee believes that both teams have an opportunity to win."

 

[Audi1954]

So if a team could play with one player, I wonder how they would inbound the ball?

 

[TCC Kid]

So if a team could play with one player, I wonder how they would inbound the ball?

Rebounding isn't the REAL problem, how does ONE player in bound the ball to themself?

 

[TCC Kid]

I know this is going to sound a little pedantic but the heading to this thread is misleading.

Imagine someone asking you what happens if you can only dress four players for a game. If you now read the heading, it sounds like the answer is you have to play but that's not true. Luckily the OP started the post with saying that no you cannot start again with only four players.

While someone might say I'm being overly pedantic and it's obvious that the intention was to say you must start with five but if you only have five and one files out you have to continue with four, that sort of true but incomplete. Suppose you start with five, and two foul out? The correct answer is play on, and it is not true that "you have to continue with 4 players"

In fact, if you start the game with five players, and three foul out you continue on. However if a fourth one fouls out, The team with only one player left may have to forfeit. There's a caveat, what to confess I don't totally understand. Here is the rule: "When there is only one player participating for a team, that team shall
forfeit unless the referee believes that both teams have an opportunity to win."

As concerned as you are with trivia and rules, with this posting, I don't you are Overly so. The question remains ---how does one player LEGALLY inbound the ball to themself?

 

[stamfordhusky]

There was a boys high school game in Arkansas in 2020 where a team had to finish the second overtime with only one player. They ended up losing by only two points and actually had a three pointer for the win at the buzzer. Unfortunately it came up just short.

 

[genzhusk]

Doesn’t NCAA require there to be 7 available players to be able to start a game? Or was that just a COVID thing? We had exactly 7 at the end of last game (Aliyah, Amari, Caroline, Aubrey, Lou, Ines, Ayanna) so we should be good (able) to go!

 

[stamfordhusky]

Doesn’t NCAA require there to be 7 available players to be able to start a game? Or was that just a COVID thing? We had exactly 7 at the end of last game (Aliyah, Amari, Caroline, Aubrey, Lou, Ines, Ayanna) so we should be good (able) to go!

The NCAA rules require five players to start a game. It has been that way for many years.

 

[genzhusk]

The NCAA rules require five players to start a game. It has been that way for many years.

must’ve been a new COVID rule then because i know for sure that was a stipulation that season.

 

[stamfordhusky]

must’ve been a new COVID rule then because i know for sure that was a stipulation that season.

A number of leagues put forth a Covid policy that allowed teams that didn’t have seven healthy players to postpone a game without having to forfeit. It was not an NCAA rule however.

 

[Phil]

Rebounding isn't the REAL problem, how does ONE player in bound the ball to themself?

I was wondering about the in bounding and I agree it seems impossible to inbound because I don't believe you're allowed to inbound to yourself. Imagine a situation where one team is much better than another and gets a 30 point lead. They only have five players and some of them start to foul out. The other team is catching up, but still 10 points behind when the leading team loses their fourth player and has only one left. Imagine there are only 20 seconds left in the game. The team behind scores, the winning team can't inbound it's a turnover so the team behind gets the ball, but the single player might create enough havoc so that it takes them a few seconds to score. Rinse and repeat, and the team behind might not be able to score fast enough to catch up, so the referee allows the game to continue.

In contrast, if the team down to one player is behind, they can't possibly catch up, so the game is declared over and over and a forfeit.

 

[Phil]

There was a boys high school game in Arkansas in 2020 where a team had to finish the second overtime with only one player. They ended up losing by only two points and actually had a three pointer for the win at the buzzer. Unfortunately it came up just short.

That's amazing. If I'm correct that you can inbound to yourself, my guess is that the other team took a shot, missed in the single remaining player managed to rebound it despite there being five rebounders for the other team. I managed to get down the court with five defenders and get a shot off. Amazing story as is but would've been quite the story if he had hit the three to win the game.

 

[meyers7]

So if a team could play with one player, I wonder how they would inbound the ball?

Just throw it in.....start playing defense.

However 1v5, inbounding the ball is the least of the worries.

 

[tkaes]

Absent info on the 3 questionable players due to injury which leaves as I'm sure everyone realizes leaves only 6 healthy players, it seems like it's time to find a walk-on or two (as another posted suggested, apologies for not remembering who) who is currently enrolled. Perhaps an athlete from another sport like soccer, volleyball, field hockey, or softball who played basketball in HS

 

[stamfordhusky]

I was wondering about the in bounding and I agree it seems impossible to inbound because I don't believe you're allowed to inbound to yourself. . . .

In contrast, if the team down to one player is behind, they can't possibly catch up, so the game is declared over and over and a forfeit.

That's amazing. If I'm correct that you can inbound to yourself, my guess is that the other team took a shot, missed in the single remaining player managed to rebound it despite there being five rebounders for the other team. I managed to get down the court with five defenders and get a shot off. Amazing story as is but would've been quite the story if he had hit the three to win the game.

Actually the one remaining player intentionally fouled and the other team missed the free-throw, which he was able to rebound. Then somehow he dribbled through four players to get a relatively open three.

High School Basketball: Arkansas player forced to play 1-on-5 as all his teammates foul out

Basketball can be a crazy sport sometimes. And nowhere was that more so the case than at a recent high school basketball game at Bay High School in Bay, Arkansas.

www.sportskeeda.com

 

[Dublin]

I suppose the difference is that Covid is contagious and the NCAA wanted to discourage transmission of the virus. Injuries are not contagious (although they sure seem to be spreading amongst our players). If the still-standing players develop overuse injuries from playing too many minutes, I don't think the NCAA really cares about that.

My cousin's pharmacy gives COVID and Flu shots because they are "medical necessities". Her pharmacy will NOT give her a B-12 shot (prescribed by her PCP) because it is NOT a medical necessity.

 

[faithfulfan]

Is there a rule on when a team can cancel or postpone a game due to the number of available players?

ND just had their game after their UCONN game cancelled cause of illness, so can't see the difference between illness and injury!