Basketball Stats Showdown 2026
Stats Showdown Quick Pick Data Challenge is a modified version of the Nextech Stats Showdown Data Science Bracket Competition built for K-8 teachers and their students to participate in a fun, real-world data science competition.
This pared-down challenge strips away extra data from the regular competition and focuses on easy to understand data cards about each team.
The winning team per division (elementary and middle school) will win a trophy to display in their school, a pizza party and bragging rights for the year!
The Nextech Stats Showdown competition is back for 2024! Student teams will be tasked with using past tournament data (2013-2023) to create an algorithm that most accurately determines the top 10 most winningest teams in the NCAA tournament bracket. There are two ways to win: (1) the winning team per division (middle and high school) will win a traveling trophy to display in their school, a pizza party and bragging rights for the year and (2) the school with the highest team scores average will win a pizza party for the team members from their school.
Student Groups
This challenge is open to student groups in grades K-8 from any school throughout Indiana. Student groups could be as small as 2 students and as large as the entire class submitting one selection set. The group’s adult sponsor will be responsible for making sure the students comply with the rules and meet all the requirements and deadlines for the algorithm submission. This adult can be a teacher, parent or guardian or club advisor. A sponsor can work with multiple teams.
Assignment
Students will answer the question “What 4 teams in the NCAA Tournament do you think will make it to the Final Four once there are only 16 teams left?”
Before the tournament starts, student groups will look at Basketball Data Cards from the previous season to see if they can find any patterns or trends as to what makes a basketball team in the tournament do well. They will then use these thoughts and hypotheses and apply them to the current year’s Basketball Data Cards after Selection Sunday.
Challenge Schedule
| February 1 (or after) | The dataset is released to sponsors who are already registered, and student groups can start creating their algorithm. If sponsors register after February 1, they will receive the data set and instructions within 2 business days. |
| Friday Prior to Selection Sunday – Friday, March 13, 2026 | Algorithms due to sponsor by end of the day. |
| Sunday, March 15, 2026 | Selection Sunday |
| No later than Monday, March 16, 2026 | Sponsors are provided the 2026 data sheet. |
| March 16-18, 2026 | Teams have 48 hours after the Selection Sunday team data is distributed to apply their algorithm to the data, select their top 10 teams and submit their selections (and algorithm used) to Nextech. |
| Throughout Tournament | Teams will be provided updates on Stats Showdown Data Science Bracket Competition results. |
| March 19-22, 2026 | Rounds 1 and 2 of the NCAA Tournament |
| March 26-29, 2026 | Rounds 3 and 4 of the NCAA Tournament (Sweet 16 & Elite 8) |
| Saturday, April 4, 2026 | The Final Four |
| Monday, April 6, 2026 | The Championship Game |
| Friday, April 10, 2026 | Winners notified on or before date; prizes distributed. |
