How basketball squares works
Basketball squares works just like the football version. A board is a 10×10 grid of 100 squares, with one team across the top and the other down the side. Everyone claims their squares first. Then the digits 0 to 9 are drawn at random across the top and again down the side, so every square ends up with one number for each team.
When a quarter ends, take the last digit of each team's score. At Hawks 102, Wolves 98, the Hawks digit is 2 and the Wolves digit is 8, and the square where they meet wins. Everything in front of the last digit is ignored, so a three-digit score works exactly like a two-digit one. Nobody knows which square gets which numbers when they pick, so the friend who can't name a single player has the same chance as the one who never misses a game.
When squares win
- Every quarter
- Winners at the end of Q1, at halftime, at the end of Q3 and at the final buzzer. The classic for NBA, WNBA and women's college games, which all play four quarters.
- Halftime and final
- Two winners. Men's college games play two halves, so this is how their boards work: one winner at halftime and one at the final.
- Final only
- One winner, decided by the final score, overtime included.
- Reverse winners
- The square with the two digits swapped wins too, so at 102–98 both the 2–8 and the 8–2 squares win. It works with any of the above.
- New numbers each quarter
- The digits are reshuffled before every quarter (every half in men's college), so a cold start doesn't sink anyone's night.
- 10×10 or 5×5
- 100 squares for a big group, or 25 squares, with two numbers per row and column, for a small one.
Football boards can also have a winner on every score. Basketball boards don't: a game has well over a hundred baskets and free throws, far too many winners to follow, so a basketball board sticks to the quarters, the half and the final. The rules guide covers reverse winners, board sizes and what to do when a winning square is empty.
Why every digit has a shot
In football, scores come in sevens and threes, so some digits turn up all the time and others hardly ever. Basketball is different. Points arrive in ones, twos and threes, dozens of times a game, so by the end of a quarter the last digit of a team's score could be anything. Over a season, the digits 0 to 9 come up close to evenly.
That makes basketball squares one of the fairest boards there is. No square is a lost cause, and the winning square can change hands in a few seconds: a late three or a pair of free throws right before the buzzer changes everything. The board shows whose square is winning right now and how close yours is, a basket, a three or a free throw away, so the last minute of every quarter is worth watching.
Link an NBA, WNBA or college game
When you make a board, pick Basketball and then the league: NBA, WNBA, men's college or women's college. The next seven days of games are listed by day, and you can pick a date to look further ahead. Link your board to a game and the scores keep themselves up to date: the scorebug ticks over, the square that's winning right now glows, and the winner lights up the moment each quarter or half ends. Overtime counts toward the final.
Watching a game that isn't listed, like a high school game or a rec league final? Type in any two teams instead and the host enters the scores. The score pad takes a three-digit score in a few taps, and the host can correct a score or pick a winner by hand.
- Opening night: the first night of the NBA season is a natural first board for the group chat.
- Holiday games: the Christmas Day slate gives the whole family something to follow between courses.
- Summer nights: the WNBA season brings a full schedule and plenty of close finishes.
- College hoops: conference rivalries all winter, then the tournament in March. See the March Madness squares guide for planning a board for every tournament game.
- The playoffs: a board for every game of a series, for the group that watches them all.
Why run your board on JaxSquares
A live board
Every pick, the draw and every score land on every phone within a second. No refreshing, and nobody has to send a photo of the sheet.
Scores on their own
Link a real NBA, WNBA or college game and the scores fill in as it's played. Typing in your own matchup? A score takes a few taps.
Free to set up
Making a board, inviting your group and picking squares cost nothing. Players never pay to join.
No app needed
Friends tap the link and they're in, with no download and no account. Same room? Show a QR code or a six-character board code.
Running a football board too? The football squares guide has everything for the NFL and college football seasons.
A printable basketball board
Basketball squares board
A 100-square board with winner lines for each quarter, halftime and the final.
Download PDFIt prints on one Letter page, with team lines, number boxes, lines for each quarter's winner and a QR code that turns it into a live board. The printable templates page has the football boards, an A4 board and a prize sheet.
Prizes without the awkward part
JaxSquares never collects, holds or sends money, and nobody pays anyone through the app. If your group likes to play for something, the host can show a square price and prizes on the board as plain information, in dollars or in points, so everyone sees the rules before they pick. Any settling up happens among yourselves.
Plenty of groups skip amounts entirely. Mark the board Just for fun, or add a prize note like “Loser brings the wings” or “Winner picks the next game we watch.”
Questions people ask
Which basketball games can I link?
NBA, WNBA, men's college and women's college games. When you make a board, the next seven days of games are listed by day, and you can pick a date further ahead. Any other game can be typed in, and the host enters the scores.
Why is there no every-score option for basketball?
A basketball game has well over a hundred scoring plays, so a winner on every one would bury the board. Basketball boards have winners at the end of each quarter, at halftime and at the final, or at the final alone.
How do men's college games work?
Men's college games are played in two halves instead of four quarters, so their boards have a winner at halftime and at the final, or at the final alone. NBA, WNBA and women's college games are played in quarters.
Does overtime count?
Yes, toward the final. The final winner is decided by the score when the game ends, however many overtimes it takes. Quarter and halftime winners use the score at the end of those periods.
What about scores over 100?
Only the last digit of each score counts, so 102 is a 2 and 110 is a 0. Everything in front of the last digit is ignored, on the board and on paper.
Is JaxSquares affiliated with the NBA, the WNBA or the NCAA?
No. JaxSquares isn't affiliated with or endorsed by the NBA, the WNBA or the NCAA. We use those names only to describe the games your board can follow.
Make your basketball board
Pick the game, text the link, and let the scores do the rest. Free to set up, and friends join from a link.
Free to set up and invite. Players never need an app or an account.