something sneaky. The rules are there to make the game understandable and playable. Yes, there are penalties when people break the rules and that's part of the game.
What about something like pinching a guy every time he posts up or stepping on his Achilles tendon? Refs can't see that. Is that okay just because a foul could get called?
Maybe "gaming the system" would be a better term. "Cheating" is for something like what Michigan did, right? Breaking the rules and hoping not to get caught?