GREENSBORO, N.C. — March Madness is all about athletes leaving it all out on the court, fighting for a national title - teams of big men and sharp shooters.
But it's not just the athletes who can get buckets.
Engineering students at North Carolina A&T designed and built a robot that can shoot hoops, and could be competing in this year's Final Four - in a contest against other schools' robots.
This week we met some of the brains behind the bot - Stephan Pierre-Louis and Kara Bradley. They're two of members of the AggieBots, the University's robotics team.
"I've always had a love for technology, going through and breaking down computers and things like that," said Pierre-Louis, "And I just wanted to turn that interest into a career."
The robot - called RoboShot - was made to shoot layups, free-throws, three-pointers, and half-court shots. But, the team says, they're still perfecting some of those moves.
"You also play a game of HORSE, against another robot," explained Bradley.
"They really learned that the first way you try it may not be the way that works. You may have to try it again and again and again," said advisor Dr. Don West.
After a qualifying round, the AggieBots were selected as an alternate team, to potentially compete in Minneapolis in hopes of winning a $10,000 prize from Land O' Lakes.
Regardless of whether they get to formally compete, these teammates say, the experience of creating a basketball-shooting robot from the ground up was priceless.
"The team members have different abilities that they could bring to the table," said Pierre-Louis, "So it was definitely a good way to combine all of your talents into one big project."