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If you’re a fan of data, your March Madness bracket will be able to incorporate a lot of it this go-around.
The NCAA on Tuesday announced a partnership with Google Cloud, CBS Sports and Turner Sports that will see years of historical college hoops data integrated into the March Madness craze using Google Cloud Platform’s suite of services. As part of a migration of more than 80 years’ worth of data across the NCAA’s 24 sports and 90 championships, fans and NCAA personnel will be able to analyze and compare player and team data.
That effort will start with the current basketball season, Google explained, meaning that come mid-March, you’ll be able to sort through unprecedented amounts of information when putting together your bracket. Want to see how two NCAA Tournament-bound teams match up? Google Cloud’s services will power near real-time simulations, according to the NCAA.
Selection Sunday could also be affected. The NCAA will be able to use the data to build “descriptive, predictive and diagnostic outputs” that will more accurately and objectively determine how teams are seeded.
“We’re looking forward to Google Cloud, one of the most globally recognized brands, joining the Corporate Champions and Partners Program as this relationship will involve the migration of our sports data to the cloud,” Dan Gavitt, the NCAA’s senior vice president for basketball, said in the NCAA’s announcement. “Our NCAA information technology staff will work with Google Cloud on several platform integrations of our basketball tournament information that will enhance the way we provide interesting and fun data to fans.”
The data can also reach the broadcast table, the NCAA’s announcement reveals, with announcers able to access the Cloud data to enhance their broadcasts of the men’s and women’s NCAA tournament. Per the announcement, Google Cloud is also the official Cloud Partner of the NCAA, teaming up with Turner Sports and CBS Sports to provide much of the NCAA’s logistics, according to Forbes. Turner and CBS also broadcast the tournament.
“By leveraging Google Cloud’s expertise in data analytics, machine learning, and AI, the NCAA will find new ways to enhance decision-making capabilities across multiple athletic programs – from the selection and seeding process to programming,” Tariq Shaukat, Google’s president of global alliances and industry platforms for Google Cloud, said in a statement. “We’re excited to be part of the NCAA’s digital transformation where they can use data and deep insights to better engage with millions of fans, nearly half-million college athletes, and over 19,000 teams that make up the NCAA.”
The NCAA-Google Cloud partnership looks to enhance March Madness, making it potentially fairer, more data-driven, and for fans, commentators, and bracketology experts alike, much more fun.
