College Basketball Data (CBB) Before writing queries, consult references/api-reference.md for endpoints, conference IDs, team IDs, and data shapes. Setup Before first use, check if the CLI is available: which sports-skills || pip install sports-skills If pip install fails with a Python version error, the package requires Python 3.10+. Find a compatible Python: python3 --version

check version

If < 3.10, try: python3.12 -m pip install sports-skills

On macOS with Homebrew: /opt/homebrew/bin/python3.12 -m pip install sports-skills

No API keys required.

Quick Start

Prefer the CLI — it avoids Python import path issues:

sports-skills cbb get_scoreboard

sports-skills cbb get_rankings

sports-skills cbb get_standings

--group

=

23

CRITICAL: Before Any Query

CRITICAL: Before calling any data endpoint, verify:

Season year is derived from the system prompt's

currentDate

— never hardcoded.

For standings, the

group

parameter is set to the correct conference ID (see

references/api-reference.md

).

If only a team name is provided, use

get_teams

to resolve the team ID.

Choosing the Season

Derive the current year from the system prompt's date (e.g.,

currentDate: 2026-02-28

→ current year is 2026).

If the user specifies a season

, use it as-is.

If the user says "current", "this season", or doesn't specify

The CBB season runs November–April. If the current month is November or December, use season = current_year + 1 . If January–April, use season = current_year . If May–October (offseason), use season = current_year (most recently completed season). Important: College vs. Pro Differences Standings are per-conference — use the group parameter to filter Rankings replace leaders — college uses AP Top 25 and Coaches Poll Ranked teams have a rank field (null = unranked) on scoreboard competitors 360+ D1 teams — many games per day during the season (50+ during conference play) March Madness — NCAA Tournament runs in March/April with 68 teams Commands Command Description get_scoreboard Live/recent college basketball scores get_standings Standings by conference (use group parameter) get_teams All 360+ D1 men's basketball teams get_team_roster Full roster for a team get_team_schedule Schedule for a specific team get_game_summary Detailed box score and player stats get_rankings AP Top 25 and Coaches Poll rankings get_news College basketball news get_play_by_play Full play-by-play for a game get_win_probability Win probability chart data get_schedule Schedule for a date or season get_futures Futures/odds markets (National Championship, etc.) get_team_stats Team statistical profile get_player_stats Player statistical profile See references/api-reference.md for full parameter lists and return shapes. Examples Example 1: Current rankings User says: "What are the college basketball rankings?" Actions: Call get_rankings() Result: AP Top 25 and Coaches Poll with rank, previous rank, record, and points Example 2: Conference standings User says: "Show me SEC basketball standings" Actions: Derive season year from currentDate Call get_standings(group=23, season=) (group 23 = SEC) Result: SEC standings with W-L records per team Example 3: Today's scores User says: "What are today's college basketball scores?" Actions: Call get_scoreboard() Result: All live and recent CBB games with scores and ranked status Example 4: Team roster User says: "Show me Duke's roster" Actions: Call get_team_roster(team_id="150") Result: Full Duke roster with name, position, jersey number Example 5: March Madness futures User says: "Who's favored to win March Madness?" Actions: Call get_futures(limit=10) Result: Top National Championship contenders with odds values Example 6: Team statistics User says: "Show me Duke's team stats" Actions: Derive season year from currentDate Call get_team_stats(team_id="150", season_year=) Result: Duke's season stats by category with value, rank, and per-game averages Commands that DO NOT exist — never call these get_odds / get_betting_odds — not available. For prediction market odds, use the polymarket or kalshi skill. search_teams — does not exist. Use get_teams instead. get_box_score — does not exist. Use get_game_summary instead. get_player_ratings — does not exist. Use get_player_stats instead. get_ap_poll — does not exist. Use get_rankings instead. If a command is not listed in the Commands table above, it does not exist. Error Handling When a command fails, do not surface raw errors to the user . Instead: If no events found, check if it's the off-season (CBB runs November–April) If standings are empty without a group filter, try a specific conference During March Madness, the scoreboard will have tournament games Only report failure with a clean message after exhausting alternatives Troubleshooting Error: sports-skills command not found Cause: Package not installed Solution: Run pip install sports-skills Error: No games found on scoreboard Cause: CBB is seasonal (November–April); off-season scoreboard will be empty Solution: Use get_rankings or get_news year-round; check get_schedule for when the season resumes Error: Too many games returned — hard to filter Cause: During the season, 50+ games per day are scheduled Solution: Use --group to filter by conference, or --limit to cap results Error: Rankings empty Cause: Rankings are published weekly during the season (November–March) only Solution: Use get_news in the offseason; rankings resume in November