Too bad this study didn’t get released before everyone built their robots!
http://www.gpsworld.com/gis/gss-weekly/gis-meets-march-madness-using-spatial-data-analyze-basketball-team-and-player-perform
Seems like lay-ups get the most points/shot on average. Yet we see so many teams in FRC going for top of the key shots.
…of course in the NBA you’re not allowed to ram repeatedly into an opponent trying to make lay-ups. :rolleyes:
Also, NBA players don’t have industry level accuracy. Well, neither does our robot, but some others do… 
Just being at the Utah Regional, nearly 100% of the rookies there impressed me because when they could shoot they always made it :eek:
Anyone who has ever tried to shoot a 3 pointer knows it’s a ton easier to make a lay up. There’s less room for error. A problem I can see that teams have faced however, is the arch on the ball. If you don’t get enough arch, or shoot the ball pretty much straight up, you can’t shoot lay ups into the top hoop.
I like the idea of being able to shoot longer distances… it may be harder to acheive, but a greater victory if you can make it work reliably.
There are only two things for certain this year. You can’t defend a key shot, or a three-bot balance.
For most teams, yes. Check out some videos of Team 1717’s bot this year. It was an angled banking layup machine!
Tell that to Alamo?
Now winning after defending a 3 bot balance is trickier (though certainly not impossible)…
Defending a 3 bot balance, see finals match 2 NYC. Of course, it did take them two robots pushing the little guy (522) around to stop it, but they did in the end.
It seems to me that the best defense to a 3 bot balance is 21 points in the hoops.
Just posted from Popular Mechanics:
The Anatomy of the Free Throw
www.popularmechanics.com Frenzied March Madness basketball games often come down to a maddening exchange of free throws. We asked the experts how to get the mechanics and angles for a perfect free throw.
Oh, yeah? :yikes:
http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=105023
Defending the triple balance is easy, we defended against triple and double balances sucsessfuly at colorado.
At the Wisconsin regional, our robot “McGuire” from team 1732 was recognized by the announcers for our “signature layup” which we rarely missed. It is aimed by a partial parabola that is extendable. Now of course this does not mean we can’t knock em down from the key when needed…