The Science Museum of Virginia will host its annual Rat Basketball Association March Ratness tournament Friday, March 31. Tip-off is at 11 a.m.
Trained rats go head-to-head on a miniature basketball court, representing the final four teams in the men’s NCAA tournament.
Four whiskered players will face off, scoring baskets by dropping a wiffle ball through their team’s designated hoop. Each rodent player will represent one of the NCAA teams as they play on the scaled-down court – an official Museum referee will call the game and keep score of the ‘Final Fur’ tournament.
The Museum’s Rat Basketball tournament has successfully predicted the men’s NCAA tournament winner in past years, most recently predicting Duke’s championship win in 2015. Community members are invited to fill out a custom March Ratness bracket and see if the rats are able to accurately determine the 2017 champion.
Courtside fans are encouraged to wear their team colors, grab pom-poms and root for their favorite furry players. During the excitement, guests will uncover rat facts and learn about the classical and operant conditioning techniques used to train the March Ratness players. Guests will also have the opportunity to participate in a hands-on meet-n-greet with the rats after the games.
Rat Basketball players take to the court daily at the Science Museum of Virginia. To grab a seat for an upcoming game, visit smv.org for tip off times.
March Ratness is included with Museum admission; seating is limited. For more information, visit www.smv.org or call 804.864.1400.
