2024 March Madness Predictions: Which Teams are Over and Under-seeded

The bracket for the 2024 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament has been released, and I have run 100,000 simulations of my college basketball ranking model to estimate the probabilities of each team advancing to each round. From this, some possible sleeper teams, upset picks, and title favorites can be examined. Modified Elo Rating System: ELASTIC Ratings … Continue reading 2024 March Madness Predictions: Which Teams are Over and Under-seeded →

Predicting NBA Playoff Series: Does Experience Matter?

The NBA Playoffs are the biggest part of the NBA calendar. The playoffs are where legacies are made for players, coaches, and even entire franchises. Most NBA fans have an idea of what teams are best suited for the playoffs: teams with lots of star players and experience making deep runs in the playoffs. Interestingly, … Continue reading Predicting NBA Playoff Series: Does Experience Matter? →

Defensive Matchup Difficulty: Which NBA Players Face Off Against the Best?

Defense is a difficult element of basketball to quantify. Traditional box score statistics like steals, blocks, and defensive rebounds are helpful, but they don't help fans understand which players are effective on-ball stoppers. After all, most steals and blocks are gotten while playing off-ball defense. Opponent shot tracking has helped to determine which players are … Continue reading Defensive Matchup Difficulty: Which NBA Players Face Off Against the Best? →

Shot Selection: A Surprising Playoff Advantage (or Disadvantage)

Basketball is all about scoring more than your opponent, and the best way to do this is by getting better shots than your opponent. An crucial part to offensive efficiency is shot selection. Taking the right shots will improve the chance of making more baskets and winning games. The best shots can vary by team, … Continue reading Shot Selection: A Surprising Playoff Advantage (or Disadvantage) →

Did Jimmy Butler Take the Right Shot?

The Eastern Conference Finals between the Celtics and Heat has been a tightly contested series, with each game being unpredictable. In Game 7, the game that would decide which team faces the Warriors in the Finals, the Heat found themselves down just 2 points with less than 30 seconds left in the game. Marcus Smart … Continue reading Did Jimmy Butler Take the Right Shot? →

What Went Wrong for the 76ers

The 76ers lost to the Miami Heat in 6 games in the Conference Semi-Finals, marking the fifth consecutive year that their playoff journey ends before the conference finals. While their core players of Joel Embiid and James Harden seem promising, smaller issues keep hurting their team. This year seemed like one of the 76ers' best … Continue reading What Went Wrong for the 76ers →

Why the Celtics Will Win the NBA Finals

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 →

Ranking the Players in the NFL Playoffs

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 →

Ranking College Football Teams by Strength of Record

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 →

How Deandre Ayton Went From Disappointment to Domination

On draft night in 2018, the Phoenix Suns picked Deandre Ayton with first overall, making the former Arizona Wildcats center their new franchise cornerstone in addition to Devin Booker. However, just two picks later, the Dallas Mavericks picked Luka Doncic 3rd overall. Doncic went on to win Rookie of the Year in 2019. The very … Continue reading How Deandre Ayton Went From Disappointment to Domination →