Blue Blood Basketball
Historically, college basketball has been dominated by a select group of universities. The most elite are often referred to as Blue Blood schools. They are as follows: Duke University, the University of Kentucky, Kansas University, the University of North Carolina, and the University of California - Los Angeles. Many players from these universities have gone on to be stars at the professional level. Ever since the “one and done” era of modern college and professional basketball, where the most elite players spend only one year in college before entering the NBA draft, Blue Blood schools have become NBA pipelines. But are the players from these schools really the best?
Our findings in this project led us to conclude that NBA players drafted between 2000-2016 who went to Blue Blood Schools performed better than players who went to other schools or did not play for Division 1 Colleges regarding career success in the NBA. Further, our project demonstrates the impact of these players on their teams and in the league.
This talk will explore the methods used to analyze the player’s data and statistics. Starting with basic box score statistics and then diving into advanced analytics, we will be able to understand these players' individual performances, weigh their impact on their team, and measure their career success. Through this, we can build solid statistically based evidence that demonstrates Blue Blood school players live to their school’s reputation at a professional level.