Jump Ball!
The direction of the possession arrow indicates which team will take possession of the ball at the next jump ball or start of the next quarter. Since you alternate possession between the two teams at these occasions, the arrow keeps track of whose turn it is.
A Numbers Game
Good question! A standard basketball court is 94 feet long, although many high school and college courts are 84 feet. In both cases, the court is 50 feet wide.
And, a few more measurements for your information include: a backboard is 6 feet wide and 3.5 feet tall. The rim is 18 inches in diameter, and the top of the rim should be exactly 10 feet off the ground.
The distance from the free throw line to the backboard is 15 feet, and the key is 19 feet from the baseline to the free throw line and 12 feet in width, across the lane.
The 3 point line varies - for the high school and college court the 3 point arc is 19.75 feet while on a NBA court the distance is 23.75 feet to the front edge of the rim.