Crossroads Classic Analytics Challenge (CCAC) 2025

Introduction

What is CCAC 2025?

The Crossroads Classic Analytics Challenge (CCAC) is an annual competition where undergraduate and graduate student teams solve a data-driven business case. In 2025, our sponsor, the NCAA, is interested in how school affinity influences predictions in March Madness brackets. Each team will build predictive models and create a business proposal to showcase their findings.

Key Sponsor: NCAA

Focus: March Madness bracket submissions & school affinity

Team Size: 4–5 students (Undergrad and Grad compete separately)

Registration Fee: $40 per team

Important Platforms:

  • CCAC Website: Main hub for rules, timelines, and resources
  • Pitch: Communication platform to stay in touch with organizers (access provided upon registration)
  • Kaggle: Submit predictions and track progress on the live leaderboard
  • Gradescope: Submit Milestone 1 (Google doc), Milestone 2 (Workshops attendance), Milstone 3 (5 min Video)
Some maybe useful links:

Milestone 1: Team Preparation (20pts)

Form Your Team

  • Recommended team size: 4–5 students
  • Appoint a Team Captain
  • Decide on a unique team name
  • Set Up a Shared Google Doc:
    1. Title it “[Team Name] – CCAC 2025”
    2. List team members, roles, and contact info
    3. Include everyone's availability / meeting times

Register Your Team

  • Team Captain go the CCAC website
  • Completes the registration form (team name, members’ names, RHIT emails)
  • Pays the $40 team fee
  • All team members will receive instructions for:
    • Signing the NDA (required for Kaggle access)
    • Joining Pitch for official competition communications

What is NDA

  1. You cannot share the datasets outside your team. That includes the use of public AI tools that train on submitted data.
  2. Once the competition is complete, the datasets must be deleted.
  3. All code and dashboards must be turned in to the NCAA and become the property of the NCAA to be used as they see fit.
  4. Note: teams will be expelled for using genAI tools.

Kaggle Training

  • Complete Kaggle Training Course How to Win Kaggle Competition
  • For NCAA Competition, you will need to use the same email as in CCAC registration

Kick-Off Meeting

Milestone 2: Training and Modeling (20pts)

Description

In the google doc, complete the following:

  • list the workshops attended by the team (5pts)
  • describe the models you plan on implementing
  • Describe any external data you plan on adding
    •

    Training List

    • Tableau training (virtual)
      February 7th 11a-Noon (CT) - Tableau Training Session [RSVP] [Google Meet]
      February 14th 11a-Noon (CT) - Tableau Training Session [RSVP] [Google Meet]
      February 21st Noon-3p (CT) - Tableau Training Session [RSVP]
      Slides
    • Predictive analytics training (sklearn): 2/7/25 12-1:30pm
      ZOOM LINK
    • Sports Analytics Townhall (Butler + virtual): 2/13/25
    • Designate at least one team member to attend
    • Add dates and who will attend in your Google sheet.
      For each event, add proof of registration/attendance per team to get a full grade for Milestone 2

    Modeling

    • Provide weekly updates on progress and training
    • Provide how tasks are distributed
    • Document any issues and address them with your mentor (There will be 2-3 mentors)
    • Team Lead is reponsible to communicate any issues related with no compliance
    • Only 5 submissions per day are allowed

    Milestone 3 (60pts)

    Final Deliverable

    • Finalize your model and submit on Kaggle
    • Check slides p.33 on Video rubrics
    • Prepare a technical video (< 15min) 40pts
    • Submit video on Gradescope
    • Prepare a brief written report 20pts
      Include the screenshot of Kaggle score and provide a brief summary of models and findings (1-2 paragraph max)

    Kaggle Winner Team

    • Winner Team will need to be available to attend the final competition March 7th
    • Team must design a visual data dashboard
    • Team should write an executive summary report (consult with your RHIT mentor)
    • Team can practice presentation with the mentor
    • Team will get 5% bonus on Final grade