View the AXS National Collegiate Sports Analytics Championship frequently asked questions and answers below. Send other questions to Kirk_Wakefield@Baylor.edu and we’ll add answers here.
Getting ready to go and where to go
- What if there’s bad weather? We will proceed in-person with all present and Zoom in others as necessary. Forecast is near freezing Tuesday night with rain possible until 6am Wednesday. Temps are above freezing on Wednesday and warmer Thursday. However roads should still be warm. In DFW drive safely like you’re from up north, not like Texans who don’t know what to do when it’s cold and wet.
- Is there anything going on before the event on Tuesday? Nothing is scheduled. Feel free to reach out to fellow judges or professors to meet for dinner in the West End.
- How should I prepare? Judges, participants and professors should carefully read the Study Guide to know what to expect. Students–use the practice sets to get ready because the Finals data sets will be similar but not the same.
- Parking? Free parking in the Lexus garage located on the Northeast corner of the AAC at 2620 N Houston Street, Dallas, TX.
- Entrance & registration? Check-in and enter the East side lobby on Houston Street. Meals and business sessions will be in the East side lobby. See below.
- What to wear? Professional dress (read: suits) for students. Daily business or professional attire for judges & professors.
- How many are competing? To date, 23 schools and 73 students have registered to compete. Deadline is January 20 to register (click here to register).
- Should we follow on LinkedIn so we can see the latest announcements? Yes, click here to follow the AXS NCSAC page.
- Can other faculty or graduate students from participating schools come to observe? Yes, but please register ($50) as we need to account for space, food, and who’s in the building. Click here to register. Deadline is January 20.
- Where are the heats for each round going to be? On the Admiral Level. Game Analytics Round 1 will be on the West side of the building (Suites 1306 to 1318; right to left) and Business Analytics will be on the East side of the building (Suites 1356 to 1339; left to right).
The Competition
- Can professors or others watch the presentations? No, only the students and judges assigned to the heats.
- Do students work together? No. This is like the Olympics where each person competes as an individual in the event. Judges will ask questions to determine if the student worked independently as part of the integrity component of the competition. Judges are then able to evaluate who can analyze and present well.
- How do teams win then? Among teams with at least 3 students, the average scores of students are used to determine the team winners.
- Is the data the same as the preliminary round? Similar but not the same. The game analytics include three related csv files and business analytics has one Excel file.
- Can professors watch the presentations in each heat? No, but the Final 4 includes everyone.
- Will students, professors and judges have color-coded name tags so we know who’s who? Yes.
- Is there free WiFi? Yes, with no need to login at the AAC.
- Do students bring their own laptops to do the analysis? Yes. There will be places to plug-in but be sure to fully charge in advance in case you want to sit away from available plugs.
- Where will students analyze the data after downloading? A large work room with tables and outlets will be available on the Admiral Level in the Admiral Meeting Rooms. Students may also choose seats or tables the Platinum Level near the Lexus Club but those lack electrical outlets.
- Where will the Final Four Presentation be held? In the Admiral Room on the Admiral Level.
- Can students use other materials/notes while analyzing the data? Yes. The main point of integrity is that the student prepares and completes the analysis independently. That includes no texting, messaging or other interaction with others from 8am until Noon on the day of the competition.
- PowerPoint? Each student will prepare a PowerPoint presentation using the AXS NCSAC PPT template that will be downloadable on the day of the event.
- What is the presentation format? Students will be placed in heats of 4 in a suite. Each will present for five minutes to the judges in the suite one after another while the others wait in the hallway. The top two in each heat advance to the next round.
- Do you have videos from previous competitions? No, this is the first edition of the NCSAC, but stay tuned for next year!
