Atlantic Coast Conference Basketball: Comparing

Statistics WebQuest

This is a WebQuest to illustrate

the dominance of my North Carolina Tar Heels!!!

Introduction: • In most sporting events, especially basketball, a multitude of statistics are

recorded for each team. One of the most important statistics taken during a sporting event is the scoring . . . of course! Imagine that you are a scout for the National Basketball Association (NBA) or the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) and you and your colleagues are trying to discover prospective college talent. Since you work for the Oklahoma City Thunder (NBA) or the New York Liberty (WNBA), your job is to find out statistics about the basketball teams in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).

• In this WebQuest, you will select five teams from the ACC and you will determine the average number of points scored by each team each game as well as the average number of points scored against each team each game for all the team's games in the 2008-2009 season. For the five teams you have chosen, you will compare the difference between the average number of points scored by a team each game versus the average number of points scored by it's opponents each game. Additionally, you will compare this calculated difference with each team's overall record and their standing in the ACC.

• Have fun!

Task:• You and your associates will explore statistics of  either the men's or the

women's basketball teams in the Atlantic Coast Conference. You will work in cooperative groups to collect the required data, organize the data in a meaningful fashion, interpret the data, and reach conclusions to answer some questions. You will predict what factors you think are associated with a team who scores a lot of points per game and what factors you think are associated with a team who gets scored on a lot per game.

• After you complete the WebQuest you will answer these questions on the handout: Do you think a team can have a greater average number of points scored by it's opponents each game than it's average scoring per game and still have a winning record? Is it more important to score points or to keep your opponents from scoring?

• You will also make predications about why some teams may be ranked higher than others in the ACC standings. Could the successful teams have a few of the ACC's top-ten leading scorers on their team? What else makes a team successful or unsuccessful?

Resources:• Clemson Tigers Sports Page: http://www.clemsontigers.com / • Duke Blue Devils Sports Page: http://www.goduke.com/ • Florida State Seminoles Sports Page: http://www.seminoles.com/ • Georgia Tech Yellowjackets Sports Page: http://www.ramblingwreck.com/ • Maryland Terrapins Sports Page: http://www.inform.umd.edu/Athletics/ • North Carolina Tar Heels Sports Page: http://www.tarheelblue.com/ • North Carolina State Wolfpack Sports Page: http://athletics.ncsu.edu/ • Virginia Cavaliers Sports Page :http://www.virginiasports.com/ • Wake Forest Demon Deacons Sports Page: http://www.wakeforestsports.com/ • Boston College Eagles: http://bceagles.cstv.com/index-main.html • Miami Hurricanes: http://hurricanesports.cstv.com/ • Virginia Tech Hokies: http://www.hokiesports.com/ • ACC Men's Basketball Leading Scorers: http://www.fansonly.com/teams/m-

baskbl/acc/player-scoring-acc.html• ACC official website: http://www.theACC.com

Process:• 1. For each of the five teams chosen, use Internet resources to find the following

team statistics: average points scored per game, average points scored by one's opponent each game, overall record, and standing in the ACC.

• 2. Once all the data is collected and calculated, it should be organized in the handout provided. You will create two charts. One chart will compare the average points scored by the team each game versus the average points scored by it's opponent each game. The second chart will rank the five teams according to their standing in the ACC.

• 3. After the project is complete and each group has had a chance to explain their findings, you will evaluate the WebQuest by writing a journal entry in Microsoft Word. You will explain what you learned from the assignment, what you liked and disliked about the assignment, and if you feel the assignment had educational value. Additionally, you can make any suggestions you may have about changing the WebQuest if you were a teacher giving the same activity to your students.

Learning Advice:• 1. After selecting men's basketball or women's basketball from each sports page, link

to that team's 2008-2009 season statistics. • 2. Some schools may give you the averages you need upfront, while most others give

you the total number of points scored for the first half and the second half by each team and it's opponents. REMEMBER: add the first and second half scores and divide by the total number of games played by that team (hint: you are trying to find the average!). This may be a bit tricky, so be careful and work with your group members to generate the correct data.

• 3. When organizing your information on the handout put each of the five teams in a column and put the statistics you want to display for each team above them in a single row.

Conclusion:

• Although the WebQuest is time consuming, it will be an incredibly fun and beneficial activity. You will compare data, make generalizations about the data, and draw conclusions from your results. This WebQuest will involve critical thinking, reasoning, communication, and cooperation. Most importantly, you will discover the connection mathematics has to the real world and realize the value of learning statistics, interpreting data, and writing in a mathematical language.