Indiana March Madness Bracket Challenge
This fun, statewide activity helps bring the excitement of NCAA basketball into K–12 classrooms.
The Indiana March Madness Bracket Challenge is designed to support learning, build school spirit, and give students a chance to engage in a shared experience with classmates across Indiana. Teachers are encouraged to use the bracket as part of existing lessons or to enhance curriculum-based activities. The challenge can be a simple classroom activity or an opportunity to connect lessons in math, reading, social studies, teamwork, and more. Schools with the top brackets in each grade will earn statewide recognition and bragging rights.
Teachers, will fill out a registration form for the Indiana March Madness Bracket Challenge. Once registered, stay tuned for a link in February to set up your Capital One NCAA March Madness Bracket Challenge account ahead of making your bracket selections in March.
REGISTER NOWGet creative with your selection process!
Students can vote as a group, with creative options for choosing winners:
• Team mascots: animals vs. people, fictional vs. real
• Team color
• State location: closest or farthest from Indiana
• Student vote: bracket debates to decide
• Team name length: which team has the longest or shortest name
• School size: choose smaller or larger universities to advance
• Notable alumni: choose based on famous grads from each school
• Coin flip: pure chance; probability lessons in math
• Teacher’s alma mater: support your teacher’s college (or local favorites)
• Climate comparison: coldest vs. warmest average temperature
• Alphabetical order: pick based on which team comes first alphabetically
Incorporate your classroom curriculum into the selection process:
• Math: probability, graphing, scoring
• Social Studies: geography of teams
• STEM: tournament data, stats, and analysis
• English/Media: persuasive writing (why a team should win), reporting