All The Rules You Didn't Realize Women's College Basketball Players Have To Follow (2024)

We get it—tensions can run high during an intense game. Despite this, players must keep their cool on the court. After all, fighting results in an automatic ejection from the game and can completely throw off the game's momentum. During the 2024 SEC Championship game, players from LSU and South Carolina got into a brawl that ended up delaying the game for 20 minutes while officials decided who to eject.

When athletes are taking a breather on the sidelines, they, too, can be penalized for getting too rowdy. Case in point: During the 2024 SEC Championship, several South Carolina players got involved in an altercation on the court. Because NCAA rules state that players cannot leave the bench, they were all ejected from the game and weren't allowed on the court to celebrate their team's tournament win. The one exception for joining teammates on the court? Celebrating an amazing play.

The women's game features "unsportsmanlike" and "disqualifying" fouls. An unsportsmanlike foul is called when there is either "excessive or severe contact," or when a player commits a technical foul during a dead ball. These result in two free throws for the opposing team. Things get a little more serious during a disqualifying foul, which are called when the official deems the foul to be an "even more severe infraction." Should a player commit a disqualifying foul, she is ejected from the game.

A player accused of "flopping," or falling to the ground after little to no contact from an opposing player in order to draw a personal foul call, will now end up hurting their entire team. Per a new rule, after a player is given their first flop warning, any subsequent infractions will add to the team's total foul count. Let's all agree to keep the game flop-free, shall we?

...as seen here, with Ole Miss players sporting navy shirts under their jerseys. There's no rule when it comes to sleeve length, however: Some players choose to go long, while others prefer short sleeves. In fact, an individual player can choose to wear one long sleeve and one short sleeve if they wish.

Although slam dunks are much more common in the men's game, collegiate women have racked up some pretty impressive dunks! In 1984, West Virginia's Georgeann Wells became the first women's college basketball player to dunk in a game. Meanwhile, Tennessee's Candace Parker became the first woman to dunk in an NCAA Tournament game and Baylor's Brittney Griner currently holds the record for most career dunks in women's college basketball history at 18. The most recent player to dunk was Stanford's Francesa Belbi in 2020.

Although a few sports leagues allow players to accessorize their uniforms with necklaces, earrings, or bracelets, the NCAA rulebook states that jewelry on the court presents a safety concern. Luckily, there are no rules against sporting your finest gems during post-game celebrations!

Although college athletes are free to rock whatever nail art they choose, as seen here with LSU star Angel Reese's white polish, NCAA rules prohibit "excessively long fingernails."

When a national championship is on the line, things can get a little heated on the court and accidents happen. If a player starts bleeding, they have 20 seconds to clean it up, or else they must leave the game until it subsides. Should that blood get on their uniform, it's up to medical personnel to decide if they need to swap it out for a new one.

Ever had to deal with a pesky contact that just won't stay put? LSU's Angel Reese was spotted popping her contact lens back in her eye during a matchup against Arkansas. If a player can't fix their contacts within 20 seconds, they must come out of the game. (Stanford star Cameron Brink recently underwent a vision correction procedure to avoid this kind of mishap.

While not all players choose to sport a headband, the ones that do must ensure it follows the NCAA's uniform guidelines. Players are only allowed to wear one headband, which must be a single color. Headwear also must comply with rules regarding logos, thickness, and fabric type.

While the men's tournament has gone by the March Madness moniker for decades, the women's tournament didn't get to adopt the name until 2022. The NCAA said their decision was made after a "comprehensive external review of gender equity issues in connection with NCAA championships." The decision notably came on the heels of several controversies surrounding disparities in the treatment of men's and women's teams during the 2021 tournaments.

Although the NCAA's uniform guidelines don't explicitly prohibit players from rolling the waistbands of their shorts for a better fit, they have to ensure that no manufacturer logos are visible when doing so. "With our shorts down to our knees, we look like boxes," Gonzaga player Zhané Templeton told USA Today in 2017 when asked why she adjusts her shorts. "Especially as a female, when you have shorts and they're all the way down to your knees, it's not that cute."

While some players go for the roll, others have said they prefer tucking the bottom of their shorts into their compression shorts for a tighter fit, as seen here on Alabama's Aaliyah Nye. WNBA player Sophie Cunningham told AZ Central that she's been tucking her shorts since her college days because she dislikes how longer shorts ride up when she sweats.

Although players have some freedom when it comes to their shorts, there isn't any leeway concerning jerseys. Players must keep their jerseys tucked in for a few reasons. Not only does it maintain a uniform look, but the tuck prevents potential injury caused by a player getting caught in loose fabric. If an athlete is caught with their jersey untucked, they first get a warning from officials. Upon future offenses, they're sent to the sidelines.

While it's easy to forget that these superstar players are students, they still have to keep up with homework and academic deadlines like any other collegian. In fact, Princeton's Kaitlyn Chen opened up to The Athletic about completing her senior thesis during the 2024 NCAA Tournament. "I've still got a lot of editing," she said.

To ensure players are keeping up with their schoolwork, most programs enforce study sessions. Maria Hickman, the women's basketball administrator at the University of South Carolina, said the squad participated in 90-minute homework sessions in between practices while prepping for the NCAA tournament.

While GPA requirements vary by school, student-athletes must maintain a solid GPA in order to remain eligible to play. NCAA rules also state that Division I players must earn at least six credit hours a semester to stay on the squad. Although players have five years of eligibility, this can be in jeopardy if they don't hit degree progress benchmarks. Second-year players must be at least 40% through their degree, third years at least 60%, and fourth years at least 80%.

Ever wondered if players have a say in talking to the press? During the tournament, press conferences are conducted before and after every game. NCAA rules state: "The host media coordinator will have the authority to request any student-athlete to attend any press conference." In fact, every team must send their head coach and a minimum of two players to dish on the game. Prior to the National Championship, teams must make all five of their starters available to the media.

NCAA Division 1 coaches can reach out after June 1 following an athlete's sophom*ore year of high school. But there's a catch: Recruits and coaches can communicate via phone if the athlete is the one initiating the contact. As a result, many talented players informally commit to their college of choice before their junior year.