Playing the Game: Basketball Analogy

Think of studying for a long test like playing a game like basketball: each team takes the lead at different times, but the only score that matters is the final score.  When you get practice test scores back, remember that’s just part of the game – don’t get discouraged, don’t stress and don’t freak out.

Real life example #1: March Madness 2019: Duke (first place in their region) vs. University of Central Florida (9th place in the same region).  The safe bet: Duke wins because they have a better record.  In fact, they are number one seed in the country.

The breakdown:

About seven minutes into the game, UCF is up. Why? Duke is the best team in the country.

Near the end of the first half, the teams are tied and the lead has changed hands eight times.

Five minutes into the second half, Duke is up by eight. They should be up by more, but at least they are winning.

With four minutes left in the game, UCF is winning. How? Why?

Final score: Duke wins by one point. Lesson to learn: neither team gave up. UCF gave Duke a run for their money, making this a close game when it “shouldn’t” have been.

Real life example #2: March Madness 2018: University of Virginia (first place in their region) vs. University of Maryland-Baltimore County (16th place in the same region).  The safe bet: Virginia wins because they have a better record and they are playing the lowest-ranked team in their region.

The breakdown:

About three minutes into the game, Virginia is up, no surprise.

In the middle of the first half, the lead has changed hands about four times, but Virginia is up by 6.  They should crush UMBC.

At halftime, the game is tied. Why?  How?  UMBC must be getting lucky.  Virginia will come back and finish this.

Final score: UMBC crushes Virginia in the most shocking upset in NCAA Tournament history, becoming the first No. 16 seed to ever beat a No. 1 seed. (You may recall this wrecking your bracket…) 

Take away: upsets happen.  Momentum is real.  Virginia was the superior team, but they were humiliated by the lowest seed in the tournament because they couldn’t change their play to get back in the game.  At this point it was all mental and emotional: UMBC had nothing to lose and used their momentum; they led the entire half, outscoring Virginia by 20 points.  Virginia was overconfident: their arrogance prevented them from handling adversity on an emotional level, which translated into the breakdown of their play.

Don’t forget: Men’s college basketball games consists of two 20-minute halves with multiple breaks and time-outs when players have the advantage of getting coached and talking to their teammates.  Your child’s test is between two and four hours with few breaks and no coaching. This is why we need to set the pace while training for game day: keep things balanced and follow the game plan. Your student looks to you on how to react, so use the experience of preparing for the test to model the kind of demeanor you know they need on test day: cool, calm, confident in work they’ve done.

 Moral of the Story: Don’t call the game before it’s over.  It takes many months to hone your abilities and mental fortitude needed on game day.  If you have the skills and stay in the game, anything can happen.  No one is too good to fall or too small to win.  There is no should’ve or could’ve…  Stay in the game, never give up.  (True for test-taking, sports, and life.)