Spring Tournament 2020 rules and info

Coaches info

The initial coaches meeting will be held at 7:30 a.m. on Thursday, October 24, in the President's Dining Room at Union Market (dining hall).

The scores will be kept up-to-date on the main tournament page.

Coaches information

Coaches booklet for the soccer tournament (PDF) - Available soon
Coaches booklet for the volleyball tournament (PDF) - Available soon

Tournament pools - Men's and women's

Tournament brackets (These are live documents that will be filled in as the tournament progresses)

Free throw and three-point contest

Coaches may select one player from your team to participate in each event.

Free throw contest

Participants will have 30 seconds to make as many free throws as possible. The rules governing free throw apply.

Three-point contest

Participants will have 30 seconds to make up to 15 shots from behind the three point arc. There will be a total of five shooting locations. The rules governing 3-point shots apply.

The top five participants from both the men’s and women’s contests will shoot again Friday at 1:15 p.m. in the Union College gym.

Tournament general rules

  • Eight-minute quarters with stop time
  • Time-outs: three full and two thirty second

Intermission

  • 60 seconds after quarters one and three
  • Five minutes at half time

Overtime

Overtime will be a four-minute stop time period. If the score is tied after the first overtime period, a second overtime period of one minute will be played. Any overtime period after the first will be one minute each.

Tournament seeding tie breaker

  1. Head to head competition
  2. Point differential (maximum of 15 per game)
  3. Points allowed
  4. Coin toss

Uniform colors

Team listed first on the schedule wear light uniforms and the teams listed second on the schedule wear dark uniforms.

Basketballs for warm-up 

Teams are responsible for providing basketballs for warm-up.

Tournament seeding

Men 

  • Teams finishing first and second place of each pool will play in the Red Division (see tie breakers rules for seeding 1-8). The bracket diagram showing the place and time of playoffs games on Friday will be posted at ucollege.edu/springtournament2020 when pool play has concluded. 
  • Teams seeded third and fourth on each pool will play in the Gold Division bracket. Seeding for Gold Division will be as follows: 9th seed overall will become the 1 seed for Gold Division, 10th overall seed will be the 2 seed, etc., and 13th overall will be 5th seed. 
  • Only games versus the same pool teams will count for determining placement in the Red or Gold playoff division. All games and point differentials (up to 15 points) will count for seeding within the division bracket.

Women 

  • Teams finishing in first place in each pool and the best two teams finishing second in their pools (see tie breakers rules for seeding), will play in the Red Division playoff bracket and be seeded 1-6 based on those rules. The bracket diagram showing the place and time of playoffs games on Friday will be posted at ucollege.edu/springtournament2020 when pool play has concluded. 
  • Teams seeded 7 to 12 will play in the Gold Division bracket. Seeding for Gold Division will be as follows: 7th seed overall will become top seed for Gold Division, 8th overall will be the 2nd seed, etc., and the 12th overall seed will be 6th seed. 
  • Only games versus the same pool teams will count for determining placement in the Red or Gold playoff division. All games and point differentials (up to 15 points) will count for seeding within the division bracket.

High school mercy rule

The mercy rule will go into effect any time a team holds a 30-point lead in the third quarter or a 20-point lead in the fourth quarter. At that point, the clock will run for the remainder of the game. It will only stop for time outs, injuries and intermission between the third and fourth quarter. Normal clock rules will not be restored, even if the lead shrinks below 30/20 points. 

Unsportsmanlike technical foul policy

In February 2006, Mid-America academy coaches approved the revision for the Union College Basketball Tournament. This policy was put into place to improve sportsmanship and emphasize to the athletes that sportsmanship comes first. 

A player who receives an “unsportmanlike” technical foul will be dealt with by the coach of that team. No other involvement will be administered. 

A player who receives a second “unsportsmanlike” technical foul must be removed from the game immediately and sit the remainder of that quarter. He or she must also sit out the following two quarters. (In some situations this will be part of the next game.) 

A player who receives a third “unsportmanslike” technical foul during the tournament Tournament seeding rules

must be removed from the game immediately and will not be allowed to play in any more games for the remainder of the tournament.

Unsportsmanlike technical fouls include, but are not limited to, acts or conduct such as:

  • Disrespectfully addressing or contacting an official or gesturing in such a manner as to indicate resentment.
  • Using profane or inappropriate language or gestures.
  • Baiting or taunting an opponent.
  • Obstructing the vision of an opponent not in control of the ball by waving hands near his or her face.
  • Climbing on or lifting a teammate to secure greater height.
  • Knowingly attempting a free throw or accepting a foul to which the player was not entitled.
  • Excessively swinging his or her arm(s) or elbow(s) even if there is no contact with an opponent

Union College Christmanship Award

The Union College Christmanship Award will be presented each year to the team that best displays the values of positive Christian sportsmanship and demonstrates that commitment through the actions, words and attitudes of players, coaches and fans. Christmanship Award recipients should demonstrate qualities such as friendliness, courtesy, graciousness in winning and losing, fair and honest dealing during the competition, and overall admirable conduct of everyone associated with the team.

Nominations

The head coach from each team participating in the tournament will be asked to nominate another team for the award. Union College Athletic Committee will make the final determination based on their own observations and the votes of the coaches.