A box score looks like a neutral record, yet two fans can read the same one and walk away with opposite stories. One sees a 40-point win and calls the team perfect. The other notices eleven turnovers and a pile of missed free throws and wonders what happens against a better opponent. Neither is wrong, but only one of them is asking questions the numbers can answer. This guide shows how to read a college basketball box score in a structured way: start with possessions, adjust shooting for the value of a three, check the four factors, and only then look at the individual lines.