573 – Analysis of Baseball, Basketball, and Cricket Data
Coach's Intuition and Analytics
Jack L. Follis
University of St. Thomas
Henry Foust
University of St. Thomas
Todd Smith
University of St. Thomas
Lukas Simon
Baylor College of Medicine
The head basketball coach at the University of St. Thomas, Houston, TX, an NAIA member, has six objectives for his team each game: less than 10 offensive rebounds for the opponents, draw at least 3 charges, keep the opposition under 65 points, shoot at least 45%, have at least 16 assists, and have less than 12 turnovers. The coach believes that meeting at least three of these objectives is associated with a higher chance of winning a game. This study analyzes data from NAIA box scores for the 2009-2010 through 2013-2014 seasons to see the proportion of games won when at least three of the objectives are met for the particular team (charges will not be included). This study will also examine if these objectives apply across all NAIA Division I men's basketball games from the 2009-2010 through the 2013-2014 seasons (adjusting for pace).