March Madness is here! And as exciting as it is to watch and hear about these games, not everyone is up to date with their basketball terms. So here’s a Her Campus guide to all the important vocab to keep you sounding like you’ve been watching basketball for years.
OFFENSE
Field Goal– A shot made. I know, simple, so why the term? Sounds more professional I guess?
Shooting Percentage– How many shots a player makes out of how many they take. These can be taken from the 3 point line, free throw line, and the field.
Shot Clock– Once each team gets possession of the ball they have 30 seconds to shoot a basket.
Cinderella Story– When teams who were never expected to make a “run” (go far) in the tournament end up doing just that. These are some of the most exciting times in the NCAA tournament, upsets are scattered throughout brackets every year but when a team gets hot it guarantees that there’s no guarantees during March Madness.
DEFENSE
Zone– When players guard a certain area of the court on defense.
Man-to-Man– When players guard a specific other player on defense.
Tempo– How fast the game is being played.
VIOLATIONS
Turnovers– When a team loses the ball during offense to the other team. A lot of these usually don’t make for a very successful game.
Traveling– When a player takes 3 steps without dribbling the ball and the player picks up their pivot foot.
Fouls– A violation of game play, which is usually done through physical contact. Each team gets 7 fouls until they are in the BONUS (every time a foul is committed they shoot 1 free throw; if the player makes it they get another one). After 10 fouls a team is in the DOUBLE BONUS (every time a foul is committed they get to shoot 2 free throws).
POSITIONS
Power Forward– A tall player who can also shoot from the perimeter (outside the free-throw line) and rebound.
Small Forward– The most versatile of the five players on the court, they usually can shoot from the perimeter and play well down low gathering rebounds.
Point Guard– The main ballhandler. They bring the ball up the court and are usually in control of the offense.
Shooting Guard– A main ballhandler after the PG; usually specialize in 3 point shooting and shooting off the dribble.
Center– The big guy on the court. Usually the tallest player of the five who specializes in rebounds and stopping shots.