The game is played by two alliances, red and blue, of three teams each. No alliances are ever purposely the same. When the alliances are picked it is totally random, and you can be on either red or blue alliance. Each team has bumpers made from cloth and pool noodles, with their numbers on it, one set painted blue and the other red. Each team will use certain bumpers according to the color alliance they will be on. Alliances compete in 135-second matches to earn as many points as possible by scoring basketballs into hoops or by balancing tilt bridges.[