It's March, and in North Carolina all of the talk is about college basketball. At SAS, we like to brag about how these guys use SAS analytics to predict the NCAA "dance card" with astounding results. This year, the fun question revolves around conference bias and how it affects a team's chances.

The use of analytics has evolved as an important sports discipline in recent years. It's not just baseball, a sport known for its statistics. Anything that can be quantified or categorized can be analyzed for influence, including the birth month of professional soccer players.

My friend Drew Cannon, a high school student himself just a couple of years ago, applies analytical research to the business of recruiting high-school basketball players onto college teams. Drew's efforts are highlighted in a New York Times article today.