Sports

So you think you know ball—Explaining the NBA Playoff Format

Richard Grau April 17, 2026

Intro: With the NBA (National Basketball Association) playoffs getting underway this weekend, I thought it would be helpful to explain the format all the way from the initial play-in round to the finals. Background: The NBA is divided into two 15-team conferences: the Eastern Conference, with teams like the Boston Celtics, Miami Heat, and New York Knicks; and the Western Conference, home to the Los Angeles Lakers, the Dallas Mavericks, and Oklahoma City Thunder. Sixteen of the teams make the playoffs, with eight teams from the East and eight from the West. The only time a team from the East plays a team from the West is in the final round. First, the teams from each conference must play amongst themselves in a bracket-style system until one team from each

A glance at Brandeis’ spring sports teams’ practice

Liam Gurevitch April 17, 2026

To anyone that knows me, you know that I am incredibly unathletic and don’t typically pay attention to sports. Why, then, would I of all people be writing for the sports section? I am doing it for the same reason

So You Think You Know Ball?: What is OPS+? Understanding One of the Best Ways to Evaluate Hitters in Baseball.

Richard Grau March 13, 2026

Chances are, if you are reading this, you go to Brandeis. And if you go to Brandeis, well, let’s just say you may not know a lot about sports. The stereotypical Deisian isn’t exactly a rabid sports fan. And that’s

Everyone Should be Watching Women’s Hockey Right Now

Chloe Ballew March 13, 2026

Women’s Hockey, represented officially by the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL), has caught a lot of media attention after Team USA’s recent Olympic gold medal win. The team managed to win all seven of their tournament games with a combined

So You Think You Know Ball?—What is a Fastball?

Richard Grau February 27, 2026

How is Bill Belichick not a Hall of Famer?

I don’t expect that a lot of Hoot readers are huge sports fans. After all, this school doesn’t even have a football team. Those of you who do pay attention to the National Football League (NFL) are probably focused on Super Bowl LX (Go Pats!). So many of you may

James Carven February 6, 2026

Lacrosse is coming to Brandeis and other sports updates

Brandeis will be introducing a new varsity sport to the roster for the first time in more than forty years. Soon, Brandeis women will be able to compete on the new lacrosse team. The addition will be the 20th varsity sports team and the 11th women’s team offered by Brandeis.

Chloe Ballew November 17, 2025

Bring these sports to Brandeis

Brandeis doesn’t have a football team, gymnastics team or marching band. There are no massive Game Days where the entire student body gathers in a stadium to watch men jump on each other. Depending on your personal relationship with sports, this is a non-issue. However, as a former marching band

Chloe Ballew October 24, 2025

Brandeis Quadball Hosts MQC Openers to Begin the 2025-26 US Quadball Season

On Sept. 28, seven college quadball teams from the New England region came to Brandeis for Openers, an unofficial tournament hosted by the Massachusetts Quadball Conference (MQC). The purpose of Openers is to give new players real-game experience without the pressure of immediately needing to produce results. This year, no

Oren Weinstein October 13, 2025

Baseball toughs out an eight-game loss streak

Recently, the Brandeis Baseball team has played in two University Athletic Association (UAA) Conference series. The first was an at-home four-game series against the Emory University Eagles, and the second was against the Washington University at St. Louis (WashU) in Missouri. Unfortunately, the Judges lost all eight games, but there

Calli Morvay April 25, 2025

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To acquire wisdom, one must observe