Basketball squares: NBA, college, and WNBA
Squares started as a football game, but it works on any game with a score. Basketball adds two things: games almost every night of the week, and numbers that are much fairer than football's. Here is how a basketball board works and what changes from the football version.
The board
Same 10x10 grid. One team's digits run across the top, the other team's down the side, and the digits are drawn at random once the squares are claimed. When a scoring period ends, take the last digit of each team's score and find where they cross. That square wins. The squares rules guide covers the basics in detail; none of it changes for basketball.
Quarters or halves
- NBA: four 12-minute quarters, so four payouts.
- WNBA: four 10-minute quarters, so four payouts.
- Men's college basketball: two 20-minute halves, so two payouts, at halftime and on the final score.
Boxpick sets this up for you. Pick a college basketball game and the payout split shows Halftime and Final, with a standard 40/60 split. Pick an NBA or WNBA game and it shows the usual four quarters.
Why the numbers are fairer
Football scores climb in chunks of 3 and 7, so a handful of digits win most of the time and some squares are close to dead from the start. Basketball scores climb a point or two at a time and usually finish somewhere past 100, so the last digit could be anything. No square is a lock, and none is hopeless. That makes basketball a good board for groups that complained about drawing a 2 and a 5 in football.
Finding the game in Boxpick
Open the Games tab or Create a board and tap NBA, College (the basketball one), or WNBA. Basketball is listed one day at a time; use the arrows to move between days. College basketball has a search box, since some nights have well over a hundred games.
What is free and what is not
Every regular season game is free to host, as many boards as you want. March Madness, the NBA playoffs and Finals, and the WNBA playoffs are part of the Basketball Pass, $9.99 for the season with no subscription, or the All Sports Pass, $14.99 for football and basketball together. Joining and claiming squares is free on every board, always.
How do basketball squares work?
The same way football squares do. A 10x10 grid, one team's digits across the top and the other's down the side, drawn at random after the squares are claimed. At the end of each scoring period, the square matching the last digit of each team's score wins.
Are some numbers better in basketball squares?
Much less than in football. Football scores move in 3s and 7s, so 0, 3, and 7 dominate. Basketball scores move in 1s, 2s, and 3s and run past 100, so the last digit lands close to evenly across 0 through 9. Almost every square has a real chance.
Do college basketball squares pay by quarter?
No. Men's college basketball plays two 20-minute halves, so a board pays twice: at halftime and on the final score. Boxpick's standard split for college basketball is 40% at halftime and 60% on the final. NBA and WNBA games play four quarters and pay four times, like a football board.
What happens in overtime?
The final payout uses the final score, overtime included. Say so before tip-off so nobody argues about it later.
Is it free to host a basketball board in Boxpick?
Regular season boards are free to host in every sport, as many as you want. March Madness, the NBA playoffs, and the WNBA playoffs are part of the Basketball Pass ($9.99 for the season) or the All Sports Pass ($14.99, football and basketball). Joining any board is free for everyone.
Pick a game, share the link
Boxpick lists every NBA, men's college basketball, and WNBA game by day and lights up the winners from the live score.
