Basketball/March Madness Crossword (March 2026)

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Across
  1. 4. Men's college basketball program that holds the most tournament championships with eleven.
  2. 6. City in Massachusetts where Basketball was first played. Also served as home to the Basketball Hall of Fame.
  3. 8. Famous women's college basketball coach whose program, Tennessee, won eight NCAA tournament titles between 1987 and 2008.
  4. 9. Basketball has been an Olympic sport since 1936 when the Summer Games were played on tennis courts in this city.
  5. 11. A two-point shot attempt made by leaping from the court near the basket and lifting the ball, bouncing off the backboard, and into the basket.
  6. 12. Under the Three _________ Rule, players are prohibited from remaining near their opponents' basket for beyond this amount of time.
  7. 16. Penalty in basketball resulting from an infraction of the rules, usually the result of illegal physical contact. They can be classified as personal, technical, or flagrant.
  8. 17. Famous Men's college basketball coach whose Bruins won ten NCAA tournaments between 1964 and 1975.
  9. 19. Famous women's basketball head coach who led his program, UConn, to twelve NCAA tournament championships between 1995 and 2025.
  10. 20. In 1966, the University of Texas-El Paso (then known as Texas Western College became the first school to win the NCAA Tournament with an all-black starting lineup. They had to beat this perennial power program in the Championship Game.
  11. 21. This line on a basketball court, often called the Arc, permits players to score this many points for a successful shot behind it.
  12. 22. This city has hosted a combined eleven Final Four from both Men's and Women's tournaments. Home to the NFL's Chiefs and MLB's Royals.
  13. 23. Sometimes called the Pivot and has historically been the team's tallest player with responsibility for tipoffs and rebounding missed shots.
Down
  1. 1. Basketball player historically charged with scoring and rebounding the ball. They come in small and power versions.
  2. 2. Canadian-American professor of Physical Education credited with creating the sport in 1891.
  3. 3. A countdown timer in basketball to regulate the amount of time a team may possess the ball before attempting to score. The NBA and WNBA permit 24 seconds while the NCAA permits 30 seconds.
  4. 5. Introduced into basketball in 1901, this method of conveying the basketball requires the player to bounce the ball on the court while moving forward.
  5. 7. Basketball player historically charged with matching up with the opposing team's forwards. These players can sometimes be described as being point, running, stationary, or shooting versions.
  6. 10. Sometimes referred to as a "board", this play occurs when a player who the ball following a missed field goal or free throw.
  7. 12. The total number of teams left in the NCAA tournament following the playing of all games during the first round. It is considered a sweet number indeed.
  8. 13. A ______ ball a the method used to begin or resume play, sometimes refer to as the tip-off.
  9. 14. The most common number of points player can score from a successful basket.
  10. 15. Penalty in basketball resulting in loss of possession.
  11. 18. A rival postseason tournament to the NCAA Tournament with this three letter acronym, historically played its Championship Game in New York's Madison Square Garden.