Updated January 2025

Note--Except in the case of emergencies or approval by the conference office, changes to sport regulations by sport committees must be proposed no later than 30 days prior to in-person conference meetings, and approved by the Advisory Board meeting held prior to the start of each subsequent season--May meetings for Fall sports, October meetings for Winter sports, January meetings for Spring sports.  (Updated May 2022)

These regulations are mandatory for all PacWest Basketball Games.

SECTION 1.0 PLAYING SEASON AND SCHEDULING

1.1 Scheduling shall be proposed by the conference office and approved by the Athletic Directors. Changes to the approved schedule need written signatures from the competing teams involved and written approval from the Commissioner (through the schedule change approval process). (Updated May 2022)

1.1.1. Agreements for conference contests shall be initiated by the athletic representative of the host institution to the visiting institution for approval no later than 30-days prior to the official start of the NCAA season. (Agreements may be contracts or other forms of written confirmation.) (Updated June 2013)

1.3 Weekend getaway times may be agreed upon between institutions with approval from the Commissioner. Weekend getaway dates are defined as the final game of a road series outside the pod (or geographical region, i.e. Hawai'i, NorCal/San Francisco Bay area, Southern California). Requesting weekend getaway times is the responsibility of the visiting school and must be made by July 1 for fall sports, September 1 for winter sports, and December 1 for spring sports.  Weekend getaway dates must be accommodated by the home school, as long as the visiting team is making a flight (or departing) that same day/night.  A request may be denied by the Home school if they have multiple home events scheduled on that same date.  (Updated May 2013, revised May 2014, May 2022)

Times for such weekend getaway dates shall be mutually agreed upon between schools in writing with written approval by the Commissioner.  Weekend getaway dates are Saturday or Sunday, and federal holidays that fall on Mondays (Updated June 2011). The final home game of the season (traditionally known as Senior Night) is exempt from the Weekend Getaway Date Rule. (Updated February 2011)

SECTION 2.0 GAME MANAGEMENT/CONDITIONS OF COMPETITION

2.1 PacWest Conference games are to be governed under the NCAA Men's and Women's Basketball Rules and Interpretations for the current season.

2.2 Rules that govern the conduct of the game and its surroundings shall be in accordance with the NCAA Championship Handbook General Regulations. 

2.3 A minimum of 20 seats are to be provided on each team bench for PacWest games. (Updated May 2022)

2.4 The visiting team shall have opportunity equal to the host team for pregame practice, including equipment usage.

2.4.1 Practice and shoot around schedules should be set and communicated in writing to all conference institutions at least one week prior to the start of the conference season (except in cases where an institution is not in control of their own facilities). Institutions with facility-issues should make their best effort to reserve appropriate gym space and time, communicated in writing to visiting teams, and work with the conference office to ensure that visiting conference teams are accommodated.

2.4.2 The host institution will make every effort to provide the visiting team quality practice time on the day before and/or the day of the game, with consideration give to the health, safety, and welfare of the student-athlete and respect and consideration for visiting teams. The length of the practice time should be a minimum of 90 minutes on the day before and one hour on the day of the game. The home team shall provide a minimum of six leather balls, same specifications as the game ball, at practice time.

2.4.3 Shooting around on the game floor at halftime of the first contest of the doubleheader by participants of the second contest is not allowed.

2.5 The home team shall notify the visiting institution at least one-half hour prior to the start of the game which basket will be used for pregame warm-ups and the first half of the contest.

2.6 Player or coach ejections resulting from unsportsmanlike conduct, including in-game, pre-game, and post-game, may result in suspension upon review by the Commissioner.

2.7 A seating area consisting of three (3) rows located behind the visiting team bench shall be held for the visiting team. The area shall remain vacant at all times in the absence of visiting fans and/or visiting administrators. The host team shall use the same bench for both games of a PacWest doubleheader.

2.8 No complimentary tickets shall be provided to visiting team.

2.9 Schedules/ logistics for pre-game practices and shoot-arounds shall be established by the host school no later than two weeks prior to the contest and communicated in writing to their opponent so that the visiting teams can finalize their travel plans. Once these schedules and times are set, and verified in writing (via email or other means) they cannot be changed unless both schools mutually agree to the change.

2.10 All game arrangements, including but not limited to the visiting team radio and/or television broadcasting crews and special groups, should be approved by the host institution athletic director 72 hours prior to the event.

2.11 Visiting Cheerleaders in uniform, including a mascot, are to be admitted free for conference contests.

2.12 It is the responsibility of the host institution to ensure the following requirements are met:

2.12.1 Provide the visiting team(s) a secured meeting or locker room, including a private lavatory nearby. If the visiting team requires shower access, they are to request shower access at least 48 hours prior to the scheduled contest.

2.12.2 Provide the visiting team(s) with 20 towels to use both on the bench and after the game if shower access has been requested, or is available in the locker room.

2.12.3 Provide the visiting team(s) and assigned officials with necessary van/vehicle or bus space as designated parking spots. The space should be as close to the venue as possible. (The location/logistics of parking should be communicated to the visiting team and officials in writing.) (Updated January 2025)

2.12.4 Provide all personnel necessary for the conduct of the games, including, but not limited to:

• Administrator in Charge - The Host School Administrator in Charge should be available at all times throughout the event and should not be a coach involved in the game.  The administrator in charge shall be on site throughout the competition and must introduce themselves to the opposing coach and/or opposing administrator prior to the contest. (Updated May 2022)
• NATA certified Athletic Trainer/Physician
• Sports Information Director or designee
• Official Scorer* - Needs to wear a black and white striped shirt
• Official Statistician
• Scoreboard
• Clock Operators*
• Public Address Announcer

*Duties of official scorer, timer and shot clock operator are defined in the NCAA Basketball Rules.

2.12.5 Ensure adequate security, and for enforcing all crowd control standards per NCAA Championship Handbook General Regulations. Additionally, team personnel shall have unimpeded access to and from their respective meeting rooms. At facilities in which there is only one common entry and exit to the court, the host institution shall assist and/or escort the teams, as necessary.

2.12.6 Provide ice, water and cups/bottles to both competing teams team prior to and during the game as well as or during pregame practice.

2.12.7 Provide the following to all game officials before, during and after each contest:

• a) private dressing room
• b) adequate security
• c) water
• d) an escort to the officials' dressing room
• e) towels
• f) a clock monitor to notify the officials when 3 minutes remain before the end of the intermission.

2.12.8 Report all instances of misconduct and unsportsmanlike behavior in any PacWest athletic contests to the Commissioner. All ejections resulting from unsportsmanlike conduct are to be reported to the PacWest Commissioner in writing by host personnel immediately following the contest.

2.13 Media timeouts for Men's Basketball games with electronic media present shall occur at the first dead ball after the 16-, 12-, 8-, and 4-minute marks when the clock is stopped. In games with no electronic media present, the timeouts shall conform with NCAA rules. Media timeouts for Women's Basketball games shall conform to official NCAA quarter rules used by Women's Basketball. (Updated 2016).

2.14 The visiting institution is responsible for communicating its broadcast type to the host institution at least 48 hours prior to game time. After receiving notification, the host institution shall determine which timeout procedure is warranted and shall state the procedure to be used on its pregame timing sheet.

2.15 TIMING COUNTDOWN SHEETS

2.15.1 The host institution must distribute a timing countdown sheet to the administrator in charge, each head coach, the head referee, official scorer, public address announcer and scoreboard operator prior to 90 minutes before the start of the game.

2.15.2 Timing prior to each PacWest doubleheader is as follows (Updated Oct. 2014):

Game 1 Countdown

Countdown/Time (Example)/Notes

• 60:00/4:25 PM/Countdown Clock Begins, Warm-Ups Begin
• 10:00/5:15 PM/Team Captains Meet with Game Officials at center court
• 1:00/5:24 PM/Warning horn
• 00:00/5:25PM/Warm-ups end, teams return to benches
• 00:00/5:26 PM/National Anthem, Player Introductions (Visitors followed by Home)
• 20:00/5:30 PM/Tipoff - Game 1

Game 2 Countdown

Countdown/Time (Example)/Notes

• 25:00/7:00 PM/Countdown Clock (When Floor is Clear)
• 10:00/7:15 PM/Team Captains Meet with Game Officials at center court
• 1:00/7:24 PM/Warning horn
• 00:00/7:25 PM/Warm-ups end, teams return to benches
• 00:00/7:26 PM/National Anthem (optional), Player Introductions (Visitors followed by Home)
• 20:00/7:30 PM/Tipoff - Game 2

2.15.4 The time between Game One and Game Two of a PacWest Doubleheader shall be 25 minutes when the two games of a doubleheader are on schedule, so as to provide for adequate warm-up time for both teams in the second game. All personnel involved in the first game shall clear the floor immediately following the post-game opponent handshake before the countdown clock begins. In the case that a first game ends early, the time between games shall be at least 25 minutes. The second game shall not start before its regularly scheduled time. (Updated October 2013)

2.16 PUBLIC ADDRESS POLICIES

2.16.1 The exact same information (e.g. roster information, scoring sequence credits, etc.) must be provided for both the home and visiting teams at all times.

2.16.2 The following public address announcement shall be made prior to each game.

"The PacWest promotes good sportsmanship by student-athletes, coaches and spectators, and requests your cooperation by supporting the participants and officials in a positive manner. Profanity, racial or sexist comments, or other intimidating actions directed at officials, student-athletes, coaches or team representatives will not be tolerated and are grounds for removal from the site of competition."

SECTION 3.0 CHAMPIONSHIPS

3.1 The winner of the PacWest regular season as determined by winning percentage shall be declared the PacWest Champion.

3.2 In the case of a tie for first place in the conference standings, all teams tied for first place shall be declared co-champions. (Updated May 2016).

3.3 The tie-breaker criteria for the conference tournament, or for the conference automatic berth (if the conference does not have a tournament), shall be (Updated August 2018):

1. Head-to-head results in conference games *
2. Record versus conference teams in descending order **
3. Coin-flip supervised by Commissioner

* Head-to-head results based on winning percentage. In the event of a multiple-team tie, each team's record against the other teams involved in the tie will be compiled and winning percentage determined. The team with the highest winning percentage will be chosen.

** The tied teams' head-to-head records against the top team in the conference standings will be compared. The comparison will proceed down the standings until the tie is broken. If multiple teams are tied, they will be compared as a group.

3.4 If the conference has a tournament, the winner of the conference tournament shall earn the automatic berth to the NCAA Regionals. If the conference does not have a tournament, the winner of the conference regular season championship shall earn the automatic berth to the NCAA Regionals. (For years without a tournament, if the conference regular season championship is won by a PacWest school still in the NCAA DII Membership process, then the AQ goes to the PacWest NCAA DII Active member school next highest in the final standings --i.e. runner-up or next highest DII Active member team in final standings.

3.5 Only NCAA active teams may participate in the conference tournament. The winner of the conference tournament shall be declared the PacWest Tournament Champion and earn the Automatic Qualifier to the NCAA Championships. (If an AQ Replacement Team is necessary, then the Replacement Team shall be the runner-up in the conference tournament, but if the regular season champion does not win the conference tournament, then the conference regular season champion shall be designated as the AQ Replacement Team). (Updated October 2022)
 

SECTION 4.0 EQUIPMENT

4.1 Equipment provided for warmup and competition shall be in accordance with NCAA minimum standards stated in the playing rules.

4.2 The basketballs provided for pre-game practices should be the same balls used for pre-game shooting and the game ball.

4.2.1 The official ball used for all conference games shall be the official ball of NCAA Championships. (Updated May 2022)

4.3 Facilities shall be in accordance with NCAA minimum standards and restrooms shall be accessible at all sites to teams and spectators.

4.4 Every school shall certify use of a rim tester and submit results to the conference office prior to the start of the regular season. (Updated May 2016)

4.5 The conference office shall certify use of rim tester at tournament host school prior to the start of the conference tournament. (Updated May 2016)

SECTION 5.0 OFFICIALS

5.1 Game officials must be certified by an accredited collegiate association or governing body.

5.2 No current faculty, staff or student of a member institution may officiate a contest in which his or her institution is competing in with the following exception: officials may officiate a contest if 5 years have elapsed since their enrollment at, or affiliation with, a competing institution.

5.3 When one (1) official reports to the event site, the game shall be played.

5.4 In 2024-25 institutions are required to use instant replay through the PacWestTV Production Truck platform except in exigent circumstances. (Revised May 2024)

5.5 There shall be a conference supervisor of basketball officials. Responsibilities of the conference supervisor of officials shall include:

1. Establishing an evaluation process for review and rating of PacWest conference officials in men's and women's basketball.
2. Maintaining knowledge of NCAA basketball rules and officiating techniques.
3. Scheduling and conducting annual seminars and/or clinics directed toward the development of PacWest officials.
4. Recommending the PacWest basketball officials who are under consideration to the NCAA for participation in the Division II Basketball Championships.
5. Annual evaluation of each PacWest basketball official. Evaluations will be based on personal observation, video, written reports and other appropriate input, including input from assignors and coaches.
6. Establishing and maintaining channels of communication with PacWest basketball officials and assignors regarding updating knowledge, improving skills, and providing NCAA interpretations, and other officiating areas as considered appropriate.
7. Reporting to the Commissioner in a timely manner any observed or reported misconduct by an official, a coach or any other institutional representative.
8. Recommending to the Commissioner appropriate disciplinary action for officials deemed guilty of misconduct following a thorough investigation by or at the request of the Commissioner.
9. Preparing, in writing, an annual review of PacWest basketball officiating.
10. Serving, when requested, on NCAA Officials Evaluation Committee at NCAA Division II Basketball Championships.
11. Attention to any other concerns related to basketball officiating, as directed by the Commissioner.
12. Serving as the Central Assignor for all regions of the conference.