This year’s NCAA basketball tournament did not disappoint basketball fans. There were some great games, some exciting plays, and some surprising surprises.
Psychology and mathematics can help fans, coaches, and bettors pick the winners of major sporting events. In a book that I co-authored with my friend and colleague, Carlton Chin, a model for analyzing great games is presented.
In Who Will Win the Big Game? In 50 Characteristics of Winning Players, Teams, and Coaches, we examine the psychological and statistical factors that have been shown to be important in big games across a wide range of sports, including basketball, baseball, soccer, golf, and tennis. .
We’ve been very accurate with our predictions, and the information in our book is now being shared with coaches and players across the country who want to perform better in big games and during the regular season.
Our predictions and analysis have been featured in The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times on several occasions.
So who will win this year’s college basketball championship?
Our data and research favor the University of Connecticut. This is why…
Coaching is a very important factor in these contests. While John Calipari is their excellent coach who wins big and will win more big games, Jim Calhoun’s experience, record, drive to win three championships and big game appearances seem to give the Connecticut Huskies leader the upper hand. in this category.
Jim Calhoun is a tried and tested leader and winner. It’s hard for another coach to surpass Calhoun’s wisdom and experience.
In second place, Connecticut beat Kentucky earlier in the season by seventeen points. While some will say the tournament is different than a regular season game, this type of victory is a confidence builder for Connecticut. This type of loss may be on the minds of Wildcats members.
Connecticut seems to have the advantage in free throws, which is very important particularly in close games. And this contest looks like it will be very close.
Connecticut also appears to outrebound its opponents more convincingly than Kentucky. Rebounding and second shots are another important element in a close basketball championship competition.
The Connecticut team is a bit older, and this maturity and experience is important in games like this, based on our research.
Assists that reflect teamwork and practice also favor Connecticut.
Kemba Walker is a true superstar. Jeremy Lamb has shown that she can shoot the 3-pointer well under tournament conditions. These two players can create problems for many defenses.
If you plan to bet on this game, Pointed Connecticut looks like a good bet.
Kentucky is not without its strengths. For example, they tend to protect the ball a bit better than Connecticut. That is, they have fewer turnovers per game. A turnover can be considered a mental error, and our research shows that championship games are often won or lost because of these types of errors.
Also, Kentucky seems to be a better 3-point shooting team than Connecticut. Three-point shooting ability has been a huge factor in this year’s tournament. And this game could be decided by a late 3-pointer.
In short, we like the University of Connecticut in a close game.
What about VCU and Butler? This also looks like a close competition. Take the points and VCU on this one too.