Date of Award
Spring 2021
Degree Type
Thesis
Department
Statistics
Director of Thesis
Dr. David Hitchcock
First Reader
Dr. Judith Kalb
Second Reader
Dr. Judith Kalb
Abstract
A common saying in sports is that “defense wins championships.” However, the past decade of play in the modern NBA has seen a rise and focus in offensive efficiency and 3-pointers. This thesis tests whether defense can truly predict a championship winning team in today’s NBA through two-sample hypothesis testing and multiple logistic regression models. The results found that both defensive and offensive statistics were significant predictors of championship teams, meaning that a balanced team, rather than one specialized in defense alone, is a more accurate predictor of championship success.
First Page
1
Last Page
45
Recommended Citation
Burkett, Thomas, "Does Defense Actually Win Championships? Using Statistics to Examine One of the Greatest Stereotypes in Sports" (2021). Senior Theses. 468.
https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/senior_theses/468
Rights
© 2021, Thomas Burkett
