The NBA Playoffs have begun and there are several teams that can win the championship. As of April 21, there are 6 teams with at least a 5% chance of winning the championship according to 538.com's NBA predictions. After years of shortcomings in the playoffs and a slow start to tis year's season, I think … Continue reading Why the Celtics Will Win the NBA Finals
The Final Four for 2022 is set: Kansas, Villanova, Duke, and North Carolina will have the chance to win the NCAA tournament. Kansas and Villanova play each other first on Saturday, followed by a historic Duke-North Carolina matchup for the rights to play in the national championship, which will take place on Monday, April 4. … Continue reading Final Four Preview: Which Teams Will Win?
The 2022 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament begins tomorrow with the Round of 64 kicking off. This tournament will span 3 weeks, eliminate 63 teams, and crown one national champion after a season of hard work. Using my college basketball model, I have found some likely upsets, underrated and overrated teams, and the most likely final … Continue reading 2022 March Madness Preview: Upsets, Cinderellas, and Final Four Predictions
One of the hardest tasks for NBA defenses are to guard All-Star type point guards. Players like Trae Young, Luka Doncic, Chris Paul, and Kyrie Irving give defenses fits every night by being a threat to pull up, drive, or pass for the open shot. However, like all other players, these versatile playmakers can be … Continue reading How to Guard the NBA’s Best Players
Player defense has been one of the hardest elements to quantify in basketball since the rise of analytics. The box score stats for player defense are limited to steals, blocks, and defensive rebounds, with no context for the number of shots defended and how many turnovers a player actually forced. However, recent tracking statistics have … Continue reading Tracking Defensive Plus Minus: Ranking the NBA’s Best Defenders
The NFL Playoffs begin on Saturday after a wild final week of the season. Using a variety of stats, the players at each position can be ranked, allowing us to look for mismatches and big matchups. Offense Quarterbacks To rank the quarterbacks in the NFL, I used a combination of four advanced stats. Three of … Continue reading Ranking the Players in the NFL Playoffs
Most of NBA analysis is pointed towards offense. Popular stats like points, assists, turnovers, and shooting efficiency all evaluate offensive ability, while defensive stats are often neglected. However, a great defense can lead a team to a deep playoff run: in the last 5 seasons, 64% of the teams with a top 5 regular season … Continue reading The Keys to a Successful NBA Defense
The College Football Playoff has been controversial since its conception. By including only the top four teams in the entire FBS (just 3% of 130 teams), several deserving and skilled teams are left out annually. Furthermore, the seemingly inconsistent approach of the CFP Committee has left college football fans confused. Just earlier this year, the … Continue reading Ranking College Football Teams by Strength of Record
As a football game progresses, players get more and more tired. While players are usually fresh at the beginning of a game, they are usually fatigued by the end after having played for hours. Even though we know that NFL players get tired as a game goes on, we do not know how their fatigue … Continue reading Why NFL Teams Should Use Running Backs by Committee
The decision to pass or run on a given play in the NFL is a big one. Each has different risks, benefits, and specific situations where it is best. Right now, NFL offenses usually call passes when there are many yards until a first down and runs when there are fewer yards to gain. However, … Continue reading Pass or Run: A Guide for NFL Play-Calling
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