Strategy
9 min read 2026-02-13

Trivia Strategy: Spotting the Obscure Stars

Hard players give the most points. Here is how to train your brain to remember those "hidden gem" colleges.

If you want to reach the top of the Saturday to Sunday leaderboard, you can't just rely on knowing the superstars. You need a strategy for the "Hard" tier—the players from obscure, mid-major, or historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs).

Context Clues

When a name pops up that you don't immediately recognize, look for regional clues. Many players stay close to home for college before being drafted by a team across the country. If a player has a distinct "Southern" or "West Coast" style, or if their early career was spent in a specific region, use that to narrow down your options.

The Conference Map

Experienced players often memorize the "Style of Play" associated with different conferences. A defensive powerhouse in the NFL often comes from a school known for its rigorous defensive schemes. Similarly, high-flying NBA guards often hail from "guard-oriented" mid-major programs that gave them the green light to develop their handles.

Pattern Recognition

Keep an eye on "Draft Steals." These are players who weren't highly recruited out of high school but developed into elite pros. They almost always come from specific non-Power Five conferences like the Mountain West or the Sun Belt. Learning these "feeder" patterns is the fastest way to master the Hard tier and maximize your multipliers.

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