Furman hosts sports analytics meeting April 9

Just how fair are the qualifying standards for the Boston Marathon? Is player height overrated for setting up NBA buzzer beaters? For PGA Tour players, is it better to be consistent or have flashes of brilliance? With a constant explosion of data and technology, where are the biggest opportunities for applying analytics to sports? And, as students at a Charlotte, N.C. high school learned, did LeBron James choke in the 2008 NBA Playoffs?

These and a raft of other sports analytics questions will be pondered on campus Saturday, April 9 during this year’s Carolinas Sports Analytics Meeting (CSAM), which will be held 8:30 a.m.-4:15 p.m. in Watkins Room of the Trone Student Center.

The conference, which promotes undergraduate and graduate research in sports analytics, is open to the mathematical, business, and sports communities as well as any other interested participants. Students and faculty at all levels are encouraged to attend. It is sponsored by Furman University Department of Mathematics, National Amateur Sports, and CANA Advisors.

CSAM features keynote presentations by industry professionals including Peter Keating, writer for ESPN The Magazine and ESPN.com, and David Kaplan, analyst for the Charlotte Hornets.

For details, visit the CSAM website, or call the Furman Department of Mathematics (864) 294-3638.