Never mind the complicated algorithms needed to get team seeds and brackets, here's a great way to sneak in a little math with your kids while rooting for your favorite teams. Give your kids a possible score (let's say 14) and ask them to figure out different ways the team could have reached a total of 14 points (i.e. 2 points + 2 points + 2 points + 2 points + 2 points + 2 points + 2 points). Then follow up with, "Hey, that's 7 groups of 2 point shots, [7 x 2]..." What a beautiful way to bring multiplication in! Next, ask if there is another way the team could have gotten to 14?" (i.e. 3 points + 3 points + 3 points + 3 points + 2 points)
Simplify it a bit by saying that your team has, say, 6 points. Then ask how many more points the team needs to get to reach 10 points. Or, compare your teams score (let's say 10) with the opponent's score (let's say 15). How many MORE points does your team need to score to beat the opponent?
Complicate it a bit by asking questions like, how many groups of 2 point shots did our team get if it has a score of 42? How many 3 point shots did we get if the team has a score of 42?
Let the Madness be an inspiration for more Math!
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