Guide

25 prompts for college basketball coaches

Every question below runs on real NCAA box scores, play-by-play, and charted shots. Swap [Team] for your program — or a rival’s — and paste it straight into magisterial. Works for men’s and women’s basketball.

Coverage: NCAA D1, D2 and D3, men’s and women’s, with 2025-26 the deepest season — including charted shot locations for nearly every D1 and D2 game and most of D3. Earlier seasons are being backfilled. NAIA and JUCO have rosters and season stats but not play-by-play, so the timing, shot-chart and halftime questions are NCAA-only for now.

Close games and game states

What happens when it tightens up — and who folds first.

  • 01

    What was [Team]'s record in games decided by five points or fewer last season?

  • 02

    How did [Team] do when leading at halftime vs trailing at halftime?

  • 03

    How many times did [Team] win after trailing at the half, and how many halftime leads did they give away?

  • 04

    What was [Team]'s record in overtime games, and how did they score in the extra periods?

Scoring profile

Where the points actually come from — on both ends.

  • 05

    Where did [Team]'s points come from last season — paint, mid-range, three, and the free-throw line?

  • 06

    What share of [Team]'s field goals were assisted, and who created them?

  • 07

    How many fast-break and second-chance points did [Team] score and allow per game?

  • 08

    How did [Team]'s bench production compare with their opponents' benches?

Shot charts

Every field-goal attempt, mapped to the floor.

  • 09

    Show me the shot chart for [Team]'s leading scorer last season.

  • 10

    Show me where [Team] shot from as a team — and where opponents shot from against them.

  • 11

    Split [Team]'s shooting by distance — at the rim, short mid-range, long twos, and threes. Who was best in each zone?

By the half

First-half team vs second-half team.

  • 12

    How did [Team] shoot in first halves vs second halves last season?

  • 13

    In which half did [Team] outscore opponents most, and by how much?

Possession game

Turnovers, the glass, and the possessions they're worth.

  • 14

    How did [Team] handle the ball — turnovers forced vs committed per game, and points off turnovers on both ends?

  • 15

    What was [Team]'s rebounding margin, and who owned the glass — offensive and defensive boards by player?

Opponents and schedule

Results weighted by who was on the other bench.

  • 16

    Split [Team]'s results by opponent strength — how did they do against top-100 opponents vs everyone else?

  • 17

    What was [Team]'s best win and worst loss last season, going by the rankings?

  • 18

    How did [Team] perform on the road vs at home — record, scoring margin, and shooting splits?

Players

Efficiency, volume, and who actually moved the needle.

  • 19

    Who were [Team]'s most efficient scorers — points per field-goal attempt, with volume for context?

  • 20

    Which [Team] players shot best from three, and on how many attempts?

  • 21

    Who led [Team] in minutes, and did their production hold up over the last month of the season?

  • 22

    Which freshmen or newcomers contributed most for [Team] last season?

Roster, transfers and the portal

Who is coming back, who is leaving, and who is available.

  • 23

    How much scoring, rebounding and assist production does [Team] return next season, and how much walks out the door?

  • 24

    Which transfers are joining [Team], and what did they do at their previous schools?

  • 25

    Show me players in the transfer portal who fit [Team]'s biggest need — scoring guards, rim protection, or shooting.

Ask one about your own team

magisterial answers from the same data these prompts were built on — no spreadsheets, no manual tagging.

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