數學與瘋狂三月：NCAA 籃球錦標賽

What will be taught?
We will look at the mathematical concepts in the NCAA Men's basketball tournament and get a feel for how the tournament is organized, why certain teams make it and others do not, the tournament history, and look at the predictors for success with this year's tournament

What topics will we cover?
Math: Probability, Squares, Square Roots, Multiples of 2 and 4, Win Probability Calculation, Points Per Possession Calculations, Seeding and Upset Potential of various seeds.

How is the class structured?
In this one-session class we will go as follows:
I.  Introductions and classroom procedures  (5 min)
II.  A Look at a Sample Bracket and the Mathematical Implications (5 min)
III.  Historical Look at the Tournament, Most Successful Programs, Personalities that have made an Impact on the Tournament (5 min)
IV.  (Blind) Simulation: Without prior instruction, each student will be grouped with a list of 3 potential tournament teams with their resumes.  Using Math and other factors learners will have to make a case for why one of the 3 teams should get in versus the other two teams. 
V.   In this section, we will discuss the selection criteria for the NCAA tournament and why it may be different than fan preferences for certain teams.  We will discuss Quad I wins, Overall Record, Power 5 Conferences, Seeding, Geographic Location Effects on the Seeding and other factors. 
VI.  If the bracket is available, we will have students fill in one region (East, West, Northeast, Southeast) and discuss. 
VI.  Closing thoughts on who will win this year's tournament. 

How will the class be taught/teaching style?  We give students hands-on simulation opportunities, as well as ample opportunities to discuss.  We also require students to attempt problem-solving routines like finding points per possession calculations.  The teacher walks students through and helps if they have difficulty. 

Student interaction with the teacher?  The students interact with each other and the teacher using the group chat feature and verbally expressing their calculations and predictions.  During most classes, each student shares out 3-4 times in our various discussions or simulations. 

Required knowledge:  While no prior knowledge is necessary, students that like NCAA basketball and follow a few of the teams will do best.  Students should be willing coming into the course and combine a love of sports with Math.  The most successful students like to learn by doing, that is they will engage in the simulations.