Posted on 03/11/2011 7:08:27 AM PST by Superstu321
Every March, millions of Americans fill out NCAA tournament brackets and enter competitions with friends, coworkers, and strangers. The term “March Madness” may just as aptly describe the mayhem associated with the typical office pool as the games themselves. Many of us devote a lot of time and effort to picking our winners. Much is at stake: experts estimate that $7 billion is wagered on the tournament each year. There is no perfect way to pick a bracket, but it is surprisingly easy to increase your odds of winning your pool if you study the math for a minute.
(Excerpt) Read more at american.com ...
Where can I find the chart to fill in the stats?
I hate Duke.
I guess you missed last year’s Lacrosse Final.
The Ice Hockey team is in the Top 10.
The Basketball team will likely get a 3 or 4 seed this year.
The tournament is undoubtedly fixed. Each year I calculate the precise combination of winners for me to win my pool and yet I lose every year.
1)Never pick Pitt. They fold in early rounds nearly every year.
2) PAC 10 teams will get creamed.
3) Rick Barnes can’t coach. Don’t trust Texas
4) Picking Mid-Majors to advance is a crap shoot.
5) Watch for the hot teams—right now-UNC,Syracuse,UCONN,Kansas State look hot
6) Pick traditional powers like Kansas or Kentucky for sweet 16 spots
7) Besides Ohio State, Big 10 is over rated
8) Duke is Duke and everyone hates them
9) 12 and 13 seeds are ALWAYS scary
10) Whatever Dick Vitale says, do the opposite.
The number of teams in each round is 64*.5**(n-1), where n is the round number, starting with round 1.
I haven't read the whole thing yet but this clearly isn't true. I won my pool (two of the actually) several years back before the final four started. The key is to be right about one team that others aren't quite so likely to pick. For me that year it was Florida. Some time before that it was Michigan State. It also helps to be right about a team that everyone seems to like but in the negative direction. Duke and Gonzaga have worked well for me. (Obviously this didn't work well for me last year! But if Baylor had beaten Duke in the Regional Final; and they should have were it not for the fact that the refs have a tendency to fall for the Duke flop; I probably would have won last year too.) I'm usually in 20-60 man pools; and I think I've won four of them in the last 20 years or so.
ML/NJ
The 5-12 matchups are ripe for upsets;
7-10 matchups are also ripe for upsets, but not as dramatic as 5-12.
No #1 seed has EVER lost in the first round; #2 seeds have lost in the first round, but it's very rare.
If you're betting on individual games, always consider better the double-digit underdog, particularly in early rounds.
Go Duke!
I can’t wait until it’s over, so talk radio can get back to business without constantly being pre-empted for games.
Floppers.
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