March Madness: Terminology Explained

The NCAA college basketball tournament, also known as "March Madness", is a classic college basketball tournament adored by fans, particularly in the US. It has grown over time to be one of the major sporting events in the basketball calendar year.  It was a huge disappointment for sports fans when the 2020 men's and women's college basketball tournaments were cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

March Madness is unique in many aspects, including some of the terminology used. If you are new to or unfamiliar with the tournament, you may have a rough time keeping up with the March Madness community.  When it comes to March Madness terminology, let us help explain some of the common terms you ought to know.

   

Seeding

During the tournament draw, the 68 participating teams are divided into four regions, with each region carrying up to 17 teams. Most of the teams in each region are assigned specific "seeds" from 1-16. The number 1 seeds are considered the strongest teams, followed by the number 2 seeds, and so on. In the first round, the strongest seed (number 1) plays the weakest seed (number 16), while the number 2 seed plays the number 15 seed, then number 3 plays number 14, etc.  The idea is that the top seeds are "rewarded" for their regular season and conference tournament play by playing a weaker opponent in the first round.  

The First Four

Following the expansion of the NCAA March Madness tournament to 68 teams, the First Four terminology found its way into the NCAA matrix.  This refers to the first four games of the tournament, often played on Tuesday and Wednesday after the Selection Sunday.  The games are played between the four lowest seeded automatic bids and the four lowest seeded at-large bids.  One "First Four" game takes place in each region.  Although these are considered official tournament games, they serve more as "play-in" games, with the winner earning an official seed in the first round of the tournament.  

Sweet Sixteen

The Sweet Sixteen refers to the third round of the NCAA March Madness tournament, also known as the Regional Semifinals.  During this round, sixteen teams remain, four from each region.  Each team at this point has won two tournament games (three if the team played in the First Four).

Elite Eight

The Elite Eight refers to the fourth round of the NCAA March Madness tournament, also known as the Regional Finals.  During this round, only eight teams remain, two from each region.

The Final Four

The Final Four refers to the last four remaining teams in the March Madness tournament after the field is narrowed down through single elimination. Each of these four teams represents a specific region (i.e. East, West, Midwest, South) and are considered regional champions.

 

Bracketology

This sounds more like college slang, right? Yes, bracketology is akin to gambling. Before the tournament gets underway, fans gather to predict the teams that will make it to the 68-team competition.  Once the seedings are in place, fans fill out their "brackets" to pick who will win each game and which team will ultimately take the crown.  The process of filling brackets is factors in a lot in math, analytics, statistics and the likes. Pretty much everyone wants to make the right picks and win big!

 

Automatic bid

Division 1 comprises up to 32 basketball conferences ,with each conference having its own tournament. Each conference has their own tournament, with the winner earning an automatic bid to the 68-team NCAA March Madness tournament.

At-large bid

The remaining 36 slots are determined by at-large bids. This is where the selection committee uses various criteria to choose 36 teams that caught their eye throughout the regular season and conference tournament games but did not win the respective conference tournaments. There is no restriction on the number of teams of the same conference who can earn a slot via the at-large bid. It is fully dependent on the decision of the selection committee.

The Bubble

Much like a bubble that can pop at any instant, the bubble team is a team whose chance to qualify for an at-large bid for the NCAA tournament is borderline, or "on the bubble". The team has a record that is good enough to qualify, along with other teams with similar records.  However, since there are only a certain number of at-large slots in the tournament, they have to wait until the brackets are revealed to find out if they will be a part of the March Madness tournament. Because no one knows which criteria the selection committee will use to fill the final open slots in the tournament, the bubble "bursts" for some teams on Selection Sunday when they find out their team was not chosen.    

AP Ranking

AP ranking stands for Associated Press ranking. A group of 65 sports journalists cast their votes to select their current top 25 teams that participated in Division 1 tournaments. This practice has been around since 1948 and is a relative ranking of the strongest teams, but does not determine the teams chosen to participate in the NCAA tournament.

BPI

BPI refers to the College Basketball Power Index created by ESPN. It represents the disparity of a team’s performance to the average performance. It technically quantifies whether the team is above or below average and gives a projection of the team’s performance going forward. By finding the difference between the BPI Offensive and BPI Defensive, BPI estimates are obtained.

Upset

No one hates this term like the higher-ranked teams that are considered the favorites in the tournament. The term upset is used when the lower-ranked teams, known as underdogs, surprisingly beat a higher-seeded or stronger team. If it happens in an early round of the tournament, it is commonly referred to as "bracket buster".

Cinderella

When the tournament starts, scores of fans bet on certain teams to do well while others flop. However, some teams shock the NCAA March Madness tournament by stringing together wins over higher seeds. This kind of team is what is referred to as Cinderella as they try to turn their tournament run into a magical fairy tale with a happy ending!

Cutting down the Net

If you have watched NCAA March Madness then you probably have seen a coach or player of the team that lifts the tournament trophy cutting the basketball net after the final whistle. The next time you see it, don't think it is mischief. No this is purely NCAA March Madness tradition!

Wrap up

We have certainly not exhausted the list of March Madness terminology, but these should help put you on the same wavelength with other fanatics of the tournament!

Mei 2020 - Hallo sahabat News to Sports, Pada Artikel yang anda baca kali ini dengan judul Mei 2020, kami telah mempersiapkan artikel ini dengan baik untuk anda baca dan ambil informasi didalamnya. mudah-mudahan isi postingan yang kami tulis ini dapat anda pahami. baiklah, selamat membaca.

Judul : March Madness: Terminology Explained
link : March Madness: Terminology Explained

Mei 2020

The NCAA college basketball tournament, also known as "March Madness", is a classic college basketball tournament adored by fans, particularly in the US. It has grown over time to be one of the major sporting events in the basketball calendar year.  It was a huge disappointment for sports fans when the 2020 men's and women's college basketball tournaments were cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

March Madness is unique in many aspects, including some of the terminology used. If you are new to or unfamiliar with the tournament, you may have a rough time keeping up with the March Madness community.  When it comes to March Madness terminology, let us help explain some of the common terms you ought to know.

   

Seeding

During the tournament draw, the 68 participating teams are divided into four regions, with each region carrying up to 17 teams. Most of the teams in each region are assigned specific "seeds" from 1-16. The number 1 seeds are considered the strongest teams, followed by the number 2 seeds, and so on. In the first round, the strongest seed (number 1) plays the weakest seed (number 16), while the number 2 seed plays the number 15 seed, then number 3 plays number 14, etc.  The idea is that the top seeds are "rewarded" for their regular season and conference tournament play by playing a weaker opponent in the first round.  

The First Four

Following the expansion of the NCAA March Madness tournament to 68 teams, the First Four terminology found its way into the NCAA matrix.  This refers to the first four games of the tournament, often played on Tuesday and Wednesday after the Selection Sunday.  The games are played between the four lowest seeded automatic bids and the four lowest seeded at-large bids.  One "First Four" game takes place in each region.  Although these are considered official tournament games, they serve more as "play-in" games, with the winner earning an official seed in the first round of the tournament.  

Sweet Sixteen

The Sweet Sixteen refers to the third round of the NCAA March Madness tournament, also known as the Regional Semifinals.  During this round, sixteen teams remain, four from each region.  Each team at this point has won two tournament games (three if the team played in the First Four).

Elite Eight

The Elite Eight refers to the fourth round of the NCAA March Madness tournament, also known as the Regional Finals.  During this round, only eight teams remain, two from each region.

The Final Four

The Final Four refers to the last four remaining teams in the March Madness tournament after the field is narrowed down through single elimination. Each of these four teams represents a specific region (i.e. East, West, Midwest, South) and are considered regional champions.

 

Bracketology

This sounds more like college slang, right? Yes, bracketology is akin to gambling. Before the tournament gets underway, fans gather to predict the teams that will make it to the 68-team competition.  Once the seedings are in place, fans fill out their "brackets" to pick who will win each game and which team will ultimately take the crown.  The process of filling brackets is factors in a lot in math, analytics, statistics and the likes. Pretty much everyone wants to make the right picks and win big!

 

Automatic bid

Division 1 comprises up to 32 basketball conferences ,with each conference having its own tournament. Each conference has their own tournament, with the winner earning an automatic bid to the 68-team NCAA March Madness tournament.

At-large bid

The remaining 36 slots are determined by at-large bids. This is where the selection committee uses various criteria to choose 36 teams that caught their eye throughout the regular season and conference tournament games but did not win the respective conference tournaments. There is no restriction on the number of teams of the same conference who can earn a slot via the at-large bid. It is fully dependent on the decision of the selection committee.

The Bubble

Much like a bubble that can pop at any instant, the bubble team is a team whose chance to qualify for an at-large bid for the NCAA tournament is borderline, or "on the bubble". The team has a record that is good enough to qualify, along with other teams with similar records.  However, since there are only a certain number of at-large slots in the tournament, they have to wait until the brackets are revealed to find out if they will be a part of the March Madness tournament. Because no one knows which criteria the selection committee will use to fill the final open slots in the tournament, the bubble "bursts" for some teams on Selection Sunday when they find out their team was not chosen.    

AP Ranking

AP ranking stands for Associated Press ranking. A group of 65 sports journalists cast their votes to select their current top 25 teams that participated in Division 1 tournaments. This practice has been around since 1948 and is a relative ranking of the strongest teams, but does not determine the teams chosen to participate in the NCAA tournament.

BPI

BPI refers to the College Basketball Power Index created by ESPN. It represents the disparity of a team’s performance to the average performance. It technically quantifies whether the team is above or below average and gives a projection of the team’s performance going forward. By finding the difference between the BPI Offensive and BPI Defensive, BPI estimates are obtained.

Upset

No one hates this term like the higher-ranked teams that are considered the favorites in the tournament. The term upset is used when the lower-ranked teams, known as underdogs, surprisingly beat a higher-seeded or stronger team. If it happens in an early round of the tournament, it is commonly referred to as "bracket buster".

Cinderella

When the tournament starts, scores of fans bet on certain teams to do well while others flop. However, some teams shock the NCAA March Madness tournament by stringing together wins over higher seeds. This kind of team is what is referred to as Cinderella as they try to turn their tournament run into a magical fairy tale with a happy ending!

Cutting down the Net

If you have watched NCAA March Madness then you probably have seen a coach or player of the team that lifts the tournament trophy cutting the basketball net after the final whistle. The next time you see it, don't think it is mischief. No this is purely NCAA March Madness tradition!

Wrap up

We have certainly not exhausted the list of March Madness terminology, but these should help put you on the same wavelength with other fanatics of the tournament!

Read More

Things to Know Before Using Your Ping Pong Paddle: The Ping Pong Basics

Ping pong, better known as table tennis, is a fun game. All you need is your ping pong paddle, a small celluloid ball, a net, and, of course, a table. All these pieces of equipment have their official specifications, but can sometimes be overlooked when you are up for a friendly match. 

One thing that should not be overlooked is the basics. Like every other game, table tennis has its own set of rules. These rules are what makes a game competitive and fun. This article aims to tell you all about the basics of table tennis so you can start right away.

Equipment for the game: The Right Ping Pong Paddle

As we mentioned before there are some specific rules when it comes to the equipment being used. 

The ball is generally orange or white in color and the ping pong paddle comes in black or red color. The best ping pong paddle is made to control the overall speed and control of the ball. 

The length of the table has to be 274 cm and the width has to be 152.5 cm. The height of the net has to be 15.25 cm. There is a center line that divides the table. This line is used in games while played by doubles only. 

The Point System

First, let’s get familiar with the point system of the game. The winner is the one who gets 11 points first. 

However, in order to win the game you need to have a 2 point lead. For example, if you reach a deuce, meaning both the players have 10 points then the game goes to extra. The game continues until one player can get that 2 point lead. If there is already a 2 point difference then the first to reach the 11 point mark wins. You will gain a point when your opponent fails to return the ball successfully. 

The number of matches has to be odd for every game. It can be 3, 5 or 7. This depends on the number of games the players have decided to play but it has to be odd. The one who gets the best 2 out of 3, 3 out of 5, or 5 out of 7 wins. 

Serve away! 

Before swinging your ping pong paddle, you must know how to serve properly. The right serve can make or break a match. There are a few things to consider while serving. First, the ball must be resting freely on the palm of your hand. The ball must be above and behind the table and when serving, it should be tossed vertically and then struck by the paddle. Serve the ball with your bat (also known as a paddle) over the net and on to your opponent’s side of the table. The ball must hit your side of the table before crossing the net. 

When the opponent returns, he/she also has to make sure that the ball first hits their side and then comes to you, meaning the ball must bounce on each side for the serve to be considered as legal. 

Single serves 

Table tennis can be played in singles or doubles. While playing singles, a player gets two serves and after that, the ball switches to the opponent, and then he/she gets two serves. Meaning both players get two serves before switching. 

This changes, however, when the game goes to extra play. Then each player will get only one serve before switching. While playing singles, the serves have to be in straight lines. 

Double serves 

The serves have to be diagonal when playing in doubles. The table will have a white marker line that makes a left court and a right court. The serve must be from your right court to your opponents’ right court. It should never start with the left court. 

Like the singles, you also get two serves each while playing doubles, but there is a slight change. 

Suppose you are A1 and your partner is A2. Your opponent is B1 and B2. Let’s say B1 is your diagonal opponent. So now you serve 2 times to B1. Then you swap your position with your partner A2. Now, B1 serves two times to A2. After that, they swap their position and now A2 serves two times to B2, then B2 serves two times to A1. 

To put it simply after two serves you swap positions with your partner. 

Rotate and sync 

While playing in doubles, the players must swap their positions and hit alternatively. For example, let’s say A1 is the first to serve. A1 serves to B1. When B1 returns the ball, A2 has to hit back, then B2 returns. This is how by alternative rallying you have to hit the ball. 

Things you should not do 

It might seem easy to gain a point just by making your opponent miss but there are plenty of ways you can also lose your points. 

Here are the things that you can not do in tennis:

• You can not hit the ball twice in succession. 
• You can not allow the ball to bounce more than once on your side of the table. 
• You can not hit the ball before it has bounced on your side of the table. (Even if the ball hits the edge of the table it will count) 
• You can not hit the ball into the net and allow it to land on your half of the table.
• You can not touch the ball with any part of your body except the paddle      
• In doubles, you can not hit the ball out of turn 
• You can not put your non-playing hand on the table or the net 

If you commit any of the above error,s your opponent will be awarded with a point. 

Final Thoughts 

As you can tell, table tennis is an extremely fast sport and you will need good reflexes to play it properly. The rules might seem a bit confusing at first, but over time the rules get easier to follow and it becomes a really fun sport to play.

Mei 2020 - Hallo sahabat News to Sports, Pada Artikel yang anda baca kali ini dengan judul Mei 2020, kami telah mempersiapkan artikel ini dengan baik untuk anda baca dan ambil informasi didalamnya. mudah-mudahan isi postingan yang kami tulis ini dapat anda pahami. baiklah, selamat membaca.

Judul : Things to Know Before Using Your Ping Pong Paddle: The Ping Pong Basics
link : Things to Know Before Using Your Ping Pong Paddle: The Ping Pong Basics

Mei 2020

Ping pong, better known as table tennis, is a fun game. All you need is your ping pong paddle, a small celluloid ball, a net, and, of course, a table. All these pieces of equipment have their official specifications, but can sometimes be overlooked when you are up for a friendly match. 

One thing that should not be overlooked is the basics. Like every other game, table tennis has its own set of rules. These rules are what makes a game competitive and fun. This article aims to tell you all about the basics of table tennis so you can start right away.

Equipment for the game: The Right Ping Pong Paddle

As we mentioned before there are some specific rules when it comes to the equipment being used. 

The ball is generally orange or white in color and the ping pong paddle comes in black or red color. The best ping pong paddle is made to control the overall speed and control of the ball. 

The length of the table has to be 274 cm and the width has to be 152.5 cm. The height of the net has to be 15.25 cm. There is a center line that divides the table. This line is used in games while played by doubles only. 

The Point System

First, let’s get familiar with the point system of the game. The winner is the one who gets 11 points first. 

However, in order to win the game you need to have a 2 point lead. For example, if you reach a deuce, meaning both the players have 10 points then the game goes to extra. The game continues until one player can get that 2 point lead. If there is already a 2 point difference then the first to reach the 11 point mark wins. You will gain a point when your opponent fails to return the ball successfully. 

The number of matches has to be odd for every game. It can be 3, 5 or 7. This depends on the number of games the players have decided to play but it has to be odd. The one who gets the best 2 out of 3, 3 out of 5, or 5 out of 7 wins. 

Serve away! 

Before swinging your ping pong paddle, you must know how to serve properly. The right serve can make or break a match. There are a few things to consider while serving. First, the ball must be resting freely on the palm of your hand. The ball must be above and behind the table and when serving, it should be tossed vertically and then struck by the paddle. Serve the ball with your bat (also known as a paddle) over the net and on to your opponent’s side of the table. The ball must hit your side of the table before crossing the net. 

When the opponent returns, he/she also has to make sure that the ball first hits their side and then comes to you, meaning the ball must bounce on each side for the serve to be considered as legal. 

Single serves 

Table tennis can be played in singles or doubles. While playing singles, a player gets two serves and after that, the ball switches to the opponent, and then he/she gets two serves. Meaning both players get two serves before switching. 

This changes, however, when the game goes to extra play. Then each player will get only one serve before switching. While playing singles, the serves have to be in straight lines. 

Double serves 

The serves have to be diagonal when playing in doubles. The table will have a white marker line that makes a left court and a right court. The serve must be from your right court to your opponents’ right court. It should never start with the left court. 

Like the singles, you also get two serves each while playing doubles, but there is a slight change. 

Suppose you are A1 and your partner is A2. Your opponent is B1 and B2. Let’s say B1 is your diagonal opponent. So now you serve 2 times to B1. Then you swap your position with your partner A2. Now, B1 serves two times to A2. After that, they swap their position and now A2 serves two times to B2, then B2 serves two times to A1. 

To put it simply after two serves you swap positions with your partner. 

Rotate and sync 

While playing in doubles, the players must swap their positions and hit alternatively. For example, let’s say A1 is the first to serve. A1 serves to B1. When B1 returns the ball, A2 has to hit back, then B2 returns. This is how by alternative rallying you have to hit the ball. 

Things you should not do 

It might seem easy to gain a point just by making your opponent miss but there are plenty of ways you can also lose your points. 

Here are the things that you can not do in tennis:

• You can not hit the ball twice in succession. 
• You can not allow the ball to bounce more than once on your side of the table. 
• You can not hit the ball before it has bounced on your side of the table. (Even if the ball hits the edge of the table it will count) 
• You can not hit the ball into the net and allow it to land on your half of the table.
• You can not touch the ball with any part of your body except the paddle      
• In doubles, you can not hit the ball out of turn 
• You can not put your non-playing hand on the table or the net 

If you commit any of the above error,s your opponent will be awarded with a point. 

Final Thoughts 

As you can tell, table tennis is an extremely fast sport and you will need good reflexes to play it properly. The rules might seem a bit confusing at first, but over time the rules get easier to follow and it becomes a really fun sport to play.

Read More