17.4.6.3 Annual Exemptions. The following basketball contests each year may be exempted from an institution's maximum number of contests: (Adopted: 4/14/08)

(a) Conference Championship. Competition in one conference championship tournament or playoff;

(b) Independents Championship. Competition in one championship meet or tournament among independent member institutions that are not members of an intercollegiate athletics conference in all sports, or for a specific sport that is not part of a conference, conducted at the end of the championship segment and prior to the NCAA championship;

(c) Season-Ending Tournament. Competition in one season-ending tournament (e.g., NCAA championship, NAIA championship). A season-ending tournament involves competition after the end of the regular season between teams that are not identified until the close of the regular season;

(d) Alumni Game. One contest with an alumni team of the institution;

(e) Fundraising Activity. Any activities in which student-athletes from more than one of the institution's athletics teams participate (or in individual sports per Bylaw 17.02.16.2, in which team members of that sport participate) with and against alumni and friends of the institution, the purpose of which is to raise funds to benefit the institution's athletics or other programs, provided the student-athletes do not miss class as a result of their participation;

(f) Celebrity Sports Activity. Competition involving a maximum of two student-athletes from a member institution's team who participate in local celebrity activities in basketball conducted for the purpose of raising funds for charitable organizations, provided:

(1) The student-athletes do not miss class as a result of the participation; and

(2) The involvement of the student-athletes has the approval of the institution's athletics director;

(g) Tip-Off Classic. Games in the Division II Conference Commissioners Association's Tip-Off Classic; (Revised: 7/28/15, 5/19/20 Immediate, for the 2020-21 academic year, 4/12/21 effective 8/1/21)

(h) National Invitation Tournament (NIT) Season Tipoff. Games in the NIT Season Tipoff; (Revised: 7/22/14)

(i) U.S. National Team. One date of competition against a U.S. national team as selected by the appropriate national governing body in that sport; and

(j) Region Challenge Event. A maximum of two contests played as a part of a region challenge event in which: (Adopted: 1/18/14 effective 8/1/14, Revised: 5/19/20 Immediate, for the 2020-21 academic year only, 4/12/21 effective 8/1/21, 8/26/21)

(1) Two or more conferences from the same region (or institutions in the same region, including independent institutions) organize contests at one or more site(s) under the following conditions: (Revised: 7/19/16, 8/26/21)

(i) Contests played against an out-of-region opponent from a contiguous state may not be exempted;

(ii) Contests played between teams from the same conference may not be exempted; and (Adopted: 7/19/16)

(iii) Participation of an out-of-region institution in an event makes the event no longer a region challenge event and an institution may not exempt any contests played as a part of that event under the region challenge exemption. (Adopted: 7/19/16, Revised: 8/26/21)

(2) Contests must be played during the weekend (Friday, Saturday or Sunday) of the first permissible contest date. (Revised: 4/25/14 effective 8/1/14)