Sports and Predictive Analytics

We are very excited to have data scientist, author, sport analytics expert, Eric Blabac, give a talk at our August 2015 meeting.

Please note our new meeting location at ASU's University Services Building (http://www.asu.edu/tour/tempe/usb.html) on Rural Rd.

Abstract:

When someone says sports and predictive analytics, two questions tend to immediately surface: Can you predict the outcome of a game? And can you predict the performance of a certain player? Partnerships between SAP, the NFL and the NHL has allowed us to answer yes to both of these questions in certain cases. Here we present predictive schemes for predicting player performance for the NFL and predicting the outcome of playoff games for the NHL.

Speaker Bio:

Eric Blabac is a global analytics expert and evangelist in the SAP Data Science group within SAP. His background is based on advanced analytics with substantial experience in statistical modeling, predictive analytics, big data, data mining, forecasting, optimization and management consulting. Eric has worked across a variety of industries including retail, sports and entertainment, financial services, consumer product goods and healthcare. He is also the author of The Encyclopedia of Baseball Statistics - From A to ZR, a complete reference of all modern baseball statistics, what they really mean, how to calculate them and how to use them. Eric holds two Masters degrees (MS), Statistics and Applied Mathematics from Iowa State University, a Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) from Grand Canyon University and a Bachelors (BSc) degree in Mathematics from Iowa State University.

Agenda:

• 6:30-7:00pm: Sign-in & network (with Food & Beverages from Potbelly Sandwich Works sponsored by SAP)
• 7:00-7:15pm: Introduction & announcements
• 7:15-8:15pm: Presentation by Eric Blabac
• 8:15-8:30pm: Q&A & wrap-up

Sponsor:

Speaker, food and beverages for this event sponsored by John Barton from SAP. John is Database Specialist, SAP Platform and Analytics Architect for the HANA Solution Foundations Team.

Parking Options:

http://photos2.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/e/8/0/d/600_440279405.jpeg

• Free covered parking! Address is 1551 S. Rural Rd., Tempe, AZ (https://www.google.com/maps?q=1551+S.+Rural+Rd.,+Tempe,+AZ)