Intramural Sports - 5 v 5 Basketball Rules

Intramural Sports 

5v5 BASKETBALL RULES Updated: November 13, 2025 

 

OVERVIEW: 

Teams will play games on the days and times they have signed up for on Fusion Play. All games will be played on the 3rd floor courts of the Hamel Recreation Center, Sunday through Thursday in the evenings. It is expected that players will wear athletic shoes and activewear. While you are welcome to bring your own jerseys with numbers on the back, we do provide pinnies for teams who need them. You must wear a shirt with sleeves underneath loaner pinnies. Please arrive 15 minutes before scheduled game time to check in with the supervisor using UNH ID. You MUST bring your UNH ID. 

PLAYER AND ROSTER REQUIREMENTS: 

This is a 5 v 5 league. You may start the game with 4 players if you do not have enough of your team in attendance. For mixed leagues, teams may play down, but there can be no more than 3 players of the same gender on the court at a time. 

Mixed Gender Ratio 

  • When playing, no more than 3 players of the same gender are permitted to play on the court at a time. 

You may add players to your roster on site and on Fusion Play all season until playoffs. They just need to bring their UNH student ID to be added at check in. If your team does not have enough players, you may temporarily borrow players from another team or bring temporary players for that night. This is ONLY during regular season. Rosters become locked at the start of playoffs. 

Division 1 Athlete Eligibility 

  • Division 1 basketball athletes are not eligible to play intramural basketball. Division 1 athletes from other sports may play intramural basketball. 

EQUIPTMENT REQUIREMENTS: 

All players will be given pinnies to wear after being checked in with the supervisor. You must wear a shirt with sleeves underneath loaner pinnies. Prohibited apparel includes but is not limited to: dangling jewelry of any kind, sandals, work boots, dress shoes, street clothes, or anything that could make play unsafe for players. 

RULES: 

National Federation of High School (NFHS) rules will prevail with the following modifications: 

  • Games will consist 2 20-minute halves. 
  • Game clocks will remain running with the exception of the final minute of the first half and the final two minutes of the second half where the clock will stop on officials’ whistle only. The clock stops after a basket made in the last 30 seconds of the second half and won't start again until a player makes contact with the ball on the court. 
  • A jump ball will begin to signal the start of the game and overtime if necessary. 
  • Each team will have two (30 second) timeouts per game and must be requested by a player on the court. 
  • Substitutions must be initiated by referee—no on-the-fly subs. Subs can occur on referee whistle during timeouts, free throws, and when the ball is out of play. 
  • There is no limit on the number of substitutions. 

MERCY RULE: 

  • A game will end if a team is winning by: 20 points or more with 2 minutes or less remaining 
  • 30 points or more with 5 minutes or less remaining 
  • Teams may choose to continue play; however, this is solely at the discretion of the winning team. 

FOULS: 

Again, National Federation of High School (NFHS) rules will prevail with the following modifications: 

PERSONAL 

  • Illegal contact with an opponent while the ball is live, which hinders an opponent from performing normal defensive or offensive movements 
  • Players shall be disqualified when committing their 5th personal foul 
  • All personal fouls accumulate as team fouls 

 

INTENTIONAL 

  • A personal or technical foul that neutralizes an opponent’s obvious advantageous position Contact away from the ball or not making a legitimate play to play the ball for player 
  • While playing the ball, a player causes excessive contact with opponent 
  • Contact away from the ball on opponent clearly not involved 
  • Contact not a legitimate attempt to play ball/player 
  • Excessive contact with an opponent 
  • Contact with a thrower-in 
  • The offended team will be automatically awarded two free points and the ball 

 

TECHNICAL 

  • The offended team will automatically be awarded 2 points plus the ball out of bounds at mid-court, opposite the scorer’s table. Any person committing 2 technical fouls (or one flagrant foul) in one game will be DISQUALIFIED from the game and must leave the playing area within 5 minutes. In addition, the player will be subject to Intramural disciplinary procedures. The same rule goes for fans. 
    • Technical fouls include but are not limited to: A foul by a nonplayer; i.e. Someone from the crowd or bench violating an Intramural policy. 
    • An intentional or flagrant contact foul while the ball is dead 
    • Unsportsmanlike foul 
    • Disrespectfully addressing official (or gesturing) 
    • Profane/inappropriate language 
    • Baiting or taunting opponent 
    • Spiking or punching the basketball in a way that is out of control i.e. ball goes over their head 
    • Dunking or hanging on rim or attempting to dunk 
    • Intentionally slapping backboard (not an attempt to block the shot) 
  • Goaltending a free throw 
  • Reaching through throw-in boundary-line plane and touch ball while being held by thrower-in 
  • Having more than 5 players on the court at a given time after the whistle has been blown to signal the resume of the game. 
  • A technical foul is registered as a personal foul and a team foul. 

FLAGRANT 

  • Flagrant foul may be personal or technical foul of aggressive nature, or a technical noncontact foul which displays unacceptable conduct It may or may not be intentional 
  • Fighting is a flagrant act 
  • Teams are responsible for the behavior of their crowd and can be issued a flagrant and team foul depending on the nature of the violation from the nonplayer(s). 
  •  
  • Results in ejection and player is asked to leave the gym - one and done 

DISQUALIFICATION 

Players 

  • Upon receiving their 5th personal foul, 2nd technical foul, or one flagrant foul that player is barred from further participation that night. 
  • Depending on the nature of the violation or foul (and for all flagrant fouls), players are subject to additional disciplinary action or suspension. 

Teams 

  • Teams will be disqualified from further participation when: A player or bench personnel is continuously disrespectful toward other players or officials 
  • A player or bench personnel intentionally physically or verbally harasses a referee 
  • Fighting or other acts which deliberately injure or attempt to injure 
  • A player continues retaliation 
  • A non-involved player joins an altercation 
  • A player leaves the team bench and becomes involved in an altercation 
  • Anyone is found to be intoxicated in any way which includes but is not limited to: alcohol, nicotine, marijuana, etc. Including fans and “coaches” 
  •  
  • A suspension from intramurals is at the discretion of the intramural coordinator 

Nonplayers 

  • Teams are responsible for their fans and crowds. Unruly crowds can influence the disqualification of a team if not controlled by said team. 

PLAYOFFS: 

Games will be scheduled at different times than regular season to accommodate seeding and facility schedule. Single elimination bracket. Schedule is subject to change. Check Fusion Play daily. ROSTERS ARE LOCKED. Champion teams will be awarded shirts and a Domino's pizza party. Only players who have played in the final game will get shirts. Updated: November 13, 2025 

 

OVERTIME 

  • There is no overtime during regular season. 
  • If necessary, a five (5) minute overtime period will be played. If the game is still tied after the first OT, there will be a second three (3) minute overtime period played. The clock will stop on the officials’ whistle during the last minute of each overtime. 
  • Each team receives one timeout for overtime. 
  • Fouls carry over, and the bonus stays the same. 

 

FORFEITS: 

If a team forfeits in week 1, they will be removed from the league. Week 1 is considered commitment week. 

When a team forfeits a game, they will be emailed by the intramural staff. It is required that the team captain replies to the email within 24 hours. If intramural staff does not receive a reply within 24 hours, the team will be removed from the league and replaced by a team on the waitlist. 

A team that forfeits twice will be automatically removed from the league. 

If your team is unable to play and must forfeit, please email unh.intramurals@unh.edu by noon on game day so we can try to find another team to fill your spot. 

Teams with any number of forfeits ARE NOT ELLIGIBLE FOR PLAYOFFS. 

Don’t have enough players? There are options! You can play down players, bring new players on the night of your game, and/or borrow players from another team when you get to your game. New players should check in like any other player would with intramural staff. 

If a team fails to have the required number of participants at the scheduled game time, the opposing team who is present will have the following options: 

  1. Choose to wait 10 minutes until the opponent arrives to compete with the official game running as scheduled. The waiting team has the option to lead the game 20-0. 
  2. If the opposing team is still not ready to play 10 minutes after the scheduled game time, the intramural staff will declare a forfeit win for the waiting team. No game will be played. 
  3. If both teams do not have the minimum number of players at game time and/or arrive late but get enough players within ten minutes of the scheduled game-time, the game shall commence with a starting score of 10-10 

 

SPORTSMANSHIP: 

Following each game, the intramural staff will rate each team on their sportsmanship with a 0-5 score. The default score for all teams successfully completing a game is 4. Teams receiving a 0, 1, or 2 rating twice in the same season, will be removed from the league or playoffs. Depending on the severity of the incident, a team may be removed from the league and/or face additional sanctions for only one unacceptable rating (0-2). 

  • Teams will receive a 0 rating for a game that is forfeited. This includes for reasons of no-show, disqualification, or misconduct. 
  • Teams are required to have an average sportsmanship of 3 or higher to be considered for playoffs. 
  • Scores are given based on the discretion of intramural staff and cannot be contested. 

Good sportsmanship is required of all participants. Players and spectators are always to conduct themselves respectfully. UNH Campus Recreation reserves the right to suspend or disqualify groups or individuals for unsportsmanlike conduct at any time. Unsportsmanlike conduct before, during, and/or after a game will not be tolerated. 

By participating in intramural sports, players agree to follow all Campus Recreation policies and those outlined in the UNH Student Rights, Rules, and Responsibilities. Prohibited behavior includes but is not limited to: consuming or being in possession of alcohol, nicotine, and other prohibited substances, physical or verbal altercations, vandalism, theft, or unauthorized participation. 

The decision of an official or intramural staff member to eject a player or spectator for any unsportsmanlike conduct (be it verbal or physical) will be firmly upheld by UNH Campus Recreation. All ejected players must leave the playing area/facility. Individual players’ conduct may impact team eligibility to remain in the league. 

If you have any questions regarding intramural policies or rules, please contact unh.intramurals@unh.edu or Gabby Merrill (Intramural Sports Coordinator) Phone: (603) 862-2038 or email: gabby.merrill@unh.edu