Indianapolis, Indiana – Indiana University Indianapolis is teaming up with the NCAA to give high school students a front-row seat to the fast-growing world of sports data, launching a statewide data visualization challenge that puts the spotlight on women’s college basketball and its rising audience.
The IU Indianapolis School of Health & Human Sciences, in collaboration with the NCAA®, has announced the IU Indianapolis DataViz Games, a competition inviting Indiana high school students in grades nine through twelve to explore how data can tell powerful stories about sport. The challenge asks participants to analyze ten years of NCAA Division I women’s basketball audience data and turn those numbers into clear, engaging visual narratives.
At the heart of the competition is a central question: what story does the data reveal about basketball attendance, and what factors appear to influence it? Students are encouraged to dig beyond surface trends, examining how interest in women’s college basketball has changed over time and what may be driving that growth.
While instructional support and mentorship sessions will be offered through Tableau, the organizers are giving students flexibility in how they participate. Competitors may use any data visualization platform they choose, allowing creativity and technical curiosity to shape the final submissions. Entries can be completed individually or in teams of up to three students.
The competition is open now and will accept submissions through March 11, 2026. A winner will be announced on March 16, 2026. A panel made up of NCAA representatives and faculty and students from IU Indianapolis’ Sport Management program will review and judge the entries. The winning individual or team will receive tickets to Men’s Final Four® fan events, offering students a unique opportunity to experience a major national sports event.
University leaders say the challenge reflects both the city’s sports identity and IU Indianapolis’ academic strengths.
“Indianapolis is a city built for sport, and IU Indianapolis is uniquely positioned at the heart of it,” said Rafael Bahamonde, founding dean of the IU School of Health & Human Sciences. “Our Sport Management program and Sport Innovation Institute thrive because students have unparalleled access to key experiences and partnerships, including the NCAA, right in our backyard. This data visualization challenge reflects the kind of real-world, high-impact experience that defines IU Indy. We’re proud to help young people explore the growing influence of sport data while showcasing why our campus and our city are an unbeatable hub for anyone aspiring to a career in sport.”
The NCAA also emphasized the importance of introducing students to data skills early, especially through topics that connect learning with real-world interests.
“The NCAA is proud to help students explore data visualization through the lens of sport as part of the NCAA Men’s Final Four Analytics Challenge. These skills will empower them far beyond the court in today’s data-driven world,” said Josh Jay, Director of Business Analytics at the NCAA.
The IU Indianapolis DataViz Games is hosted by the university’s Sport Innovation Institute, which operates within the School of Health & Human Sciences, in partnership with the NCAA. The event is designed not only as a competition but also as a learning experience that exposes students to careers in sports analytics, data science, and sport management.
Undergraduate students enrolled in IU Indianapolis’ B.S. sport management and M.S. sports analytics dual degree program, along with students in the sport analytics track of the applied data science degree, will play a key role in running the competition. These students will help coordinate the challenge and provide mentorship sessions to high school participants, offering guidance on data interpretation, visualization techniques, and storytelling.
Those degree programs are themselves a collaboration between the School of Health & Human Sciences and the Luddy School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering, reflecting IU Indianapolis’ interdisciplinary approach to education. Organizers say the involvement of current college students adds a peer-learning element that makes the experience more approachable and inspiring for younger participants.
The challenge is also part of IU Indianapolis’ broader Female Sports Performance and Research Initiative. University officials describe the initiative as a significant step toward positioning Indiana, and Indianapolis in particular, as a national leader in women’s sports research, innovation, and policy development. By focusing the competition on women’s college basketball, the DataViz Games aligns with growing national attention on women’s sports and their expanding audiences.
Organizers hope the challenge will spark curiosity, build confidence, and encourage students to see how data skills can be applied in meaningful ways. By combining sports, technology, and storytelling, the competition aims to show how numbers can illuminate cultural and social shifts, including the increasing visibility and popularity of women’s athletics.
More details about the IU Indianapolis DataViz Games, including entry guidelines and mentorship opportunities, are available on the IU Indianapolis Sport Innovation Institute website at go.iu.edu/datavizgames.
