Okay, so I decided to dive into making a prediction for the Missouri vs. South Carolina basketball game. It sounded like fun, and I figured, why not share my whole process?
First, I needed some data. I started by looking at recent scores for both teams. Just straight-up wins and losses, who they played, and what the final scores were. I figured seeing how they’ve been performing lately would give me a general sense of their current form.
Digging into stats
Next, I tried find some more details.
- Points per game: Seemed pretty basic – which team is scoring more on average?
- Points allowed: How good is their defense? Are they letting opponents score a ton?
I wrote down all these numbers, trying to keep everything organized. It was mostly just scribbling on a notepad, nothing fancy. I just wanted to visualize that data with my eyes.
Then, I considered the “where.” Are they home or away? I’ve heard that home-court advantage is a real thing, so I noted down which team was playing at home.
The importance of recent performance
I put extra weight on the most recent games. I mean, a game from a month ago might not tell you as much as a game from last week, right? Teams change, players get hot or cold, so I focused on what’s been happening lately.
Making My Pick
After looking at all the information, comparing, and writing down everything. It’s still a guess, of course, but at least it’s an educated guess! I felt like I had a better handle on which team was more likely to come out on top.
So, that was my process. There’s no magic, no perfect answer. Just trying to make a reasonable prediction based on what I could find out. It is interesting to give it try!
