Glossary contains everything you need to better understand the NCAA Basketball Championships
It is an indispensable aid for casual and seasoned fans alike to better understand the NCAA Men's and Women's Basketball Championships.
| Final Four Term | Final Four Glosary Description |
| 1. Air Ball | A ball passing through the air while making contact with neither the rim, the net, nor the backboard. |
| 2. Alley Oop | A shot that takes its name from the irrepressible comic-book caveman, reinforced by a '60s hit single. It involves a high pass to a point just over the rim from which point a second player "stuffs" the ball into the net. |
| 3. Bank-Shot | A shot that careens off the backboard. (See also, Bonnie & Clyde.) |
| 4. Big Dance | Semi-formal dance attended by Big Dogs and their ilk |
| 5. Big Dogs | Players who are invited to the "Big Dance". Also, players footwear size 16 or over. Alternative Atlanta spelling. 'Big Dawgs'. |
| 6. Bounce Pass | A lame pass made at a cheerleader who bounces his efforts. |
| 7. Brackets | The unofficial form of thousands of office-betting pools. |
| 8. Brick | (1) A ball thrown so hard that it ricochets wildly off the backboard. (2) The construction material in the Yellow Brick Road that the Jayhawks took to the final four. |
| 9. Bubble | The somewhat ephemeral boundary separating the 'haves' from the 'have-nots'. (See also President Bush's tax proposal.) |
| 10. Cinderella Team | A dark-horse team that seemingly is living a charmed life throughout the tournament. Cinderella teams usually make a glass slip or two before the Final Four. |
| 11. Choke | To fear you have bitten off too much to chew in the playoffs. It results in too many air balls and not enough points. |
| 12. Dead Ball | A ball that is out of play or what a team plays with that is choking. Tony Soprano is implicated. |
| 13. Doggin' it | Not giving it one's all in a game. |
| 14. Hoggin' it | Taking all the shots and not giving anything. |
| 15. Draft | Historically, involuntary enlistment in the Armed Forces; now something every player can't wait to enlist in. |
| 16. Dribble | (1) The principle means of passing the time between shots. (2) Players' reaction after watching the cheer-leaders' routine. |
| 17. Double dribble | Players' reaction to the Oklahoma cheerleaders' routine. |
| 18. Dunk | Slamming the ball into the basket from a very short distance (or a Krispy Kreme into a cuppa java.) |
| 19. Dunk-a-chino | A shameless advertising tie-in. |
| 20. Elite Eight | The survivors of the Sweet Sixteen Shake. |
| 21. Fast Break | Quick getaway after a steal. (See also, Bobby Knight) |
| 22. Final Four | The last men standing, the anointed few, the last four teams in the tournament. It is all about the final four fighting for the final. |
| 23. Foul | Overly aggressive contact by player with opponent (not for chickens). Also applies to Enron's accounting system. |
| 24. Geography Lesson | The Selection Committee should have attended that optional geography class. How else can one explain the placements of Southern Cal in the South Regional (played in Sacramento), Boston College in the Midwest Regional (played in Dallas), Cincinnati in the West Regional (played in Pittsburgh), and Texas Tech in the East Regional (played in Chicago). |
| 25. Glass | The backboard. This term is more poetic and easier for the announcers to pronounce than what it really is: acrylic polycarbonate plastic |
| 26. Goal Tending | Illegal block of a shot as the ball is descending into the basket. |
| 27. Gold Tending | Contract negotiations of a first round draft pick. |
| 28. A Good Look | A clear view of the basket before a shot. |
| 29. A Good Looker | A clear view of a co-ed through the glass while taking a shot. |
| 30. Graduation Rate | A 'dirty little secret' seldom mentioned during March Madness. Schools like Fairfield and Colgate lead the nation. 'Nuff said. |
| 31. Hook Shot | A one-hand shot where the player arcs the ball over the head of the opponents. P. J. Carlisimo is often credited with the perfection of this technique. |
| 32. Hoop-la | Playing hoops amidst all the glamour and glitter of LA (see USC, UCLA, and Pepperdine). |
| 33. Hoosier | Originally, folks from Indiana were taunted as hoozers (large uncouth rustics) by outsiders. But no one is insulting the Hoosier basketball team today since nipping the Blue Devils from competition and becoming insiders at the Final Four. |
| 34. Hoops | Slang term for the game of basketball invented by James Naismith in Springfield, Massachusetts, or the earring worn by many players these days. |
| BracketContest 2009 Prizes | |
|
Perfect Bracket 2 Semi Winners Final Four (4) Final Eight (8) |
$1,000.000 $250.000 $100.000 $25.000 |
| CLICK HERE for Bracket Prizes! | |