forty minutes of hell

noun

The NCAA strategy of playing a suffocating full-court press and aggressive offense for the entirety of a game.

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Meanings

nounforty minutes of hell (uncountable)
  1. idiomaticuncountableball gamesThe NCAA strategy of playing a suffocating full-court press and aggressive offense for the entirety of a game.

Origin

Reportedly coined by Arkansas Razorbacks coach Nolan Richardson.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

forty minutes of hell. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/forty%20minutes%20of%20hell

MLA

“forty minutes of hell.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/forty%20minutes%20of%20hell. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “forty minutes of hell,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/forty%20minutes%20of%20hell.

Source: forty minutes of hell on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.