Game related predictors discriminating between winning and losing teams in preliminary, second and final round of basketball world cup 2019

The objective of the current study is to identify how victory or defeat is affected by the game-related statistics among men’s national teams in the Basketball World Cup 2019. The sample consisted of 76 games, during which 22 relevant indicator variables were directly recorded and analysed using “SportScout” video-analysis program. For each round, univariate analysis was used, in order to examine the differences among winning and losing teams. Linear discriminant analysis was implemented, which revealed the variables that had the greatest association with the outcome of the game. Assists were found to effectively predict the outcome of the game in the first and final round of the tournament. During the second round, the discriminant analysis showed that free-throw attempts, successful free-throws and defensive rebounds were associated with winning the game. On the contrary, 2-point field-goal attempts were negatively associated with the desired outcome. In the final round, 3-point successful shots and the scores of the 1st and 4th quarter had a positive relationship with winning the game. By analysing the tournament’s statistics, a coach can determine the trends that are noticed, evaluate the performance of his team and thus plan the corresponding strategies for the success of the game.