Okay, so today I decided to dive into the world of college basketball predictions. It’s something I’ve been curious about, but never really tried myself.
Getting Started
First, I needed some data. I mean, you can’t make predictions out of thin air, right? I spent some time looking around for reliable sources of college basketball stats. I really wanted the numbers, not just opinions and guesswork.
The Process
Once I felt like I had a decent amount of data, it was time to get my hands dirty. I’m not gonna lie, it was a bit overwhelming at first. There are so many stats! So many teams! I started by just focusing on a few key things, things that I thought might be important. Stuff like, win/loss records, points scored, points allowed. Basic stuff, you know?
I started putting this all into a simple spreadsheet. Nothing fancy, just a way to organize the numbers and start to see if any patterns popped out. I played around with some basic calculations, like averages and percentages. This is where it started to get interesting. Some teams were clearly stronger than others, at least on paper.
I started trying to figure out ways to compare teams that hadn’t played each other.
For the data and analysis, I found some solid resources on the internet by search engines and put them into a sheet. It’s a lot of manual work, honestly.
Making Some Guesses (Predictions!)
Armed with my basic analysis, I started to make some predictions. It felt more like educated guessing, to be honest. I picked a few games that were coming up and, based on my numbers, tried to guess who would win. I didn’t bet any money or anything! This was just for fun and to see if I could actually do it.
I jotted down my predictions, with a little note about why I thought each team would win. This helped me keep track of my reasoning.
Checking My Results (and Learning!)
Then came the waiting game. I watched the games I had predicted (which was fun, even without betting!). And… well, let’s just say I wasn’t exactly a perfect predictor. Some of my guesses were right, some were way off. I realized there’s a lot more going into this.
I made some notes about what I got right and what I got wrong. I quickly learned that there are so many things that my simple spreadsheet couldn’t account for. Things like player injuries, home-court advantage, and just plain old luck. It was a good reminder that numbers can only tell you so much.
I mean I got some prediction right!
- Team A win
- Team B lose
But some are wrong, maybe I should put more factors into consideration.
Wrapping Up
So, that was my first attempt at college basketball predictions. It was definitely a learning experience! I realized it’s more complicated than just looking at a few stats, but it was also really fun to try. I think I’ll keep messing around with this. Maybe I’ll get better at it, maybe I won’t. But either way, it’s a fun way to get a little more engaged with the games.
It’s not as easy as the “experts” make it look, but it’s a fun challenge. I definitely have a lot more to learn, but hey, that’s part of the fun, right?
