Determining Factors Influencing the Outcome of College Basketball Games

Rhonda Magel, Samuel Unruh

Department of Statistics, North Dakota State University, Fargo, USA.

DOI: 10.4236/ojs.2013.34026                

Abstract

While a number of statistics are collected during an NCAA Division I men’s college basketball game, it is potentially of interest to universities, coaches, players, and fans to which these statistics are most significant in determining wins and losses. To this end, statistics were collected from two seasons of games and analyzed using logistic and least squares regression methods. The differences between the two competing teams in four common statistics were found to be significant to determining victory: assists, free throw attempts, defensive rebounds, and turnovers. The models were then used with data from the 2011-2012 Season to verify the accuracy of the models. The point spread model was also used with 2013 March Madness game statistics.

Keywords

NCAA Men’s Basketball; March Madness

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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