How Busted is your NCAA Bracket - How Many of the 16 Did you Pick?
Mates,
First two rounds are in the books. Looking at the separate regionals, the East Regional is a minefield of failure for most, but maybe you picked it successfully? I am the 'Commissioner' of our Family & Friends pool and our results for the first round ranged from 19 to 25 out of the 32 games. For the second round the range is folks getting between 6 and 10 out of the 16. As a side note, youngest son has the South regional nearly perfect, including Princeton v. Creighton, so far. He only missed the UVA/Furman upset in that regional.
Houston and 'Bama are the two most common picks to win it all.
1. How's your bracket looking? What did you score out of the round of 64 and then 32?
2. Who is your pick to win it?
Exceptionally cool weekend for Michigan with all the winning and championships on Saturday and what looks like very hopeful football recruiting news from yesterday.
Have a great Monday,
XM
For the Sweet 16, the best value picks were:
- San Diego State (only 31% of brackets submitted to ESPN picked them to the S16, while UVA was at 52%)
- Creighton (30%, Baylor at 58%)
- Tennessee (42%, Duke at 47%)
Those were absolutely the three big ones that set all my brackets apart from the rest.
The greatest value picks for the Elite 8 were most definitely Tennessee (18%, Purdue at 47%) and UConn (23%, Kansas at 60%). Those are looking pretty damn good right now.
Only time I went “against the math” was sprinkling in a little Purdue over Tennessee across my pools. Because I was worried about Tennessee losing their starting PG and how that may have impacted them.
Sounds about right! I followed suit. Arkansas and Sparty also seemed to make for more good picks for Sweet16 and separation in bracket pool(s).
Riding Iowa St to the Elite8 is my only big hiccup (7/8 alive and 4/4 remaining!) and that should've been obvious to me. I wad going for value instead of listening to my brain and realizing that offense wasn't going anywhere.
Nice! Glad you’re not in my pools lol.
March 20th, 2023 at 10:13 AM ^
Only 7/16, but still 6/8 for the elite 8, and 4/4 in the final four.
Texas winning it all.
March 20th, 2023 at 10:27 AM ^
Did not do a bracket this year, but am enjoying the games and hate-watching Sparty so was disappointed yesterday. That Tom Izzo guy, what a gaping asshole!
March 20th, 2023 at 10:50 AM ^
Amazing how he gets away with it though. The announcers have been all over his dick. More to come (pun not intended).
March 20th, 2023 at 11:35 AM ^
He seems weird this year. I wonder if internally he has decided this is his last year. Crying after games. Maybe that's normal for him. Also after the USC game, he sounded like he was lost.
His lifestyle might be catching up with him. He's pushing 70, isn't he?
living under a mushroom can take it's toll.
And under a bridge waiting for billy goats(3).
March 20th, 2023 at 10:35 AM ^
I'm at 11/16. Big loss was Purdue I've got going to the championship and losing to UConn. UConn path is easier than expected so I'm hopeful there.
If bama loses I'm in good shape to win my bracket pool.
March 20th, 2023 at 10:36 AM ^
I quit years ago when teams started turning over so rapidly I couldn’t ever get a sense of who they were. However, I did tell my friends who picked this year to avoid Big Ten teams because the conference sucked. Turned out to be very good advice.
March 20th, 2023 at 10:46 AM ^
I have 6. The sweet six of the sweet 16
March 20th, 2023 at 10:51 AM ^
My bracket is a devastated wasteland of failure.
March 20th, 2023 at 10:54 AM ^
but you, zarniwoop, are a welcome, if infrequent, visitor. hope you are doing well.
March 20th, 2023 at 10:51 AM ^
Yipes, I correctly picked 9 outta 16. I nailed the Midwest regions participants. I still have 3 of my Final Four picks alive: Houston, Tennessee, and UCLA. My champion, Arizona, was toast on day 1.
March 20th, 2023 at 10:53 AM ^
Just checked my work pool, and I'm both in first place and have the most points remaining possible.
I knew I worked with a bunch of nerds, but still...
March 20th, 2023 at 10:58 AM ^
surprised you didn't bait them all into an NIT pool so you could pick vandy and really run roughshod over them.
great job on your NCAA picks though.
March 20th, 2023 at 10:56 AM ^
Ok, I've been thinking about this a lot this week. And going into it, I thought this was going to be a weird tournament but think about this...
We all know Michigan is not in it and for the first time in 6 years, not a member of the illustrious Sweet 16. And while UCLA , UConn, Gonzaga and Michigan State (who cares) all made it, check out this list of blue bloods and tournament mainstays that either did not qualify for the Round of 16 or flat out missed the tournament:
Michigan, Kansas, Kentucky, North Carolina, Duke, Indiana, Purdue, Arizona, Virginia, Wisconsin (boo), Louisville, Florida, Ohio State (who cares), Georgetown, Syracuse and Villanova.
I mean, every year has some big time programs missing from the Sweet 16 but is this really unusual? I mean, it's not the worst thing, but I think that's crazy.
Louisville: They went 4-28 and dog crapped on their court. Well done karma, well done.
March 20th, 2023 at 11:03 AM ^
My bracket is now a paper airplane.
March 20th, 2023 at 11:10 AM ^
9 of 16 in one bracket (Kansas)
6 of 16 in the other (Houston)
March 20th, 2023 at 11:14 AM ^
Reading through this thread reminds me of reading about other people’s fantasy baseball teams. Speaking of which, my league drafts this Friday.
March 20th, 2023 at 11:21 AM ^
I have 9 right in sweet sixteen, but all of my final four are still alive. Holding hope I win it this year.
Alabama over Kansas state
Connecticut over Texas
Alabama over Uconn
I believe are how I have it picked.
March 20th, 2023 at 11:25 AM ^
My bracket is more busted than Lindsay Lohan
March 20th, 2023 at 12:24 PM ^
be happy for her. she just announced her pregnancy.
March 20th, 2023 at 12:23 PM ^
i have 9 in the sweet 16. woo hoo! that sad part is that one of these mediocre teams is going to hoist up the banner at the end.
March 20th, 2023 at 12:28 PM ^
I was 24/32 and 8/16. 3 Final Four teams remaining (AL, Hou, CT). I picked UConn to win it all.
March 20th, 2023 at 12:38 PM ^
I think you can see based on my name that I am not a Dook fan. But because I thought they were playing well coming in, and Tennessee injury, and as an emotional hedge I picked them to go far. Had they beaten Tennessee I'd be sitting really pretty with most of the elite 8 left and all the finals 4s. Alas, they did not, and I am not.
March 20th, 2023 at 12:48 PM ^
I’m enjoying not having any incorrect picks, and also happy to not have seen any of my favorite teams lose. I’ve been out camping and am now at my mother-in-law’s, and she’s not a big basketball fan, so we haven’t had the tournament on at all. It’s very relaxing and stress free!
I feel, though, that if I had made a bracket it would be in shambles. I expected different outcomes for Purdue, Virginia, Indiana, and MSU, among others.
well you might also have missed michigan winning the B10 hockey championship v. minny, in minny, after being down 3-2 in the third. it was a thriller. and two gymnastics championships. and an NCAA heavyweight wrestling championship. it was a heck of a weekend to be a wolverine.
March 20th, 2023 at 10:03 PM ^
Damn good thing I have MGoBlog available on my phone so I’ve been able to keep up with the headlines at least. She doesn’t have WiFi and Verizon seems to have an aversion to good coverage in her neighborhood, so I haven’t been able to stream anything, either. Arrgh! First world problems! (But I did get to see both of my adult children this weekend, and they got to see their Nana for the first time in four years, which made up for everything else.)
and as you know all too well, what you did with family was exponentially more important than our amusement with michigan sports.
March 20th, 2023 at 12:54 PM ^
Looks like I have 10, 2 of my Final Four, and both of my championship teams
March 20th, 2023 at 12:56 PM ^
miami really impressed me last nite. they are aggressive and really get after it on D. plus, the have a big guy that loves to crash the offensive glass. i could see them going far.
My bracket...
I have 8/16 correct. Just randomly picked teams this year for fun. Watched zero games before tourney. Still pretty sad.
I do no research and fill it out in about 3 min. Last year I finished 2nd in my pool. This year my bracket is completely trash. 5 in the sweet 16 and 1 in the final 4.
Definitely a different vibe this year without Michigan playing.
My best bracket is 2nd place out of 216 in the pool. I have 10 of 16. It's a pool weighted by seed and I think I benefit from not everyone understanding that, so my first round upsets (Princeton, etc) help a lot. If Houston wins it all, I'll have a solid chance to win.
Only problem is, that pool is run by a big Sparty, and I always pick Sparty to lose 1st round so I can gain points on all the Sparty homers, who have MSU in the Elite 8, Final 4, or winning it all. But the deeper MSU goes, the more points they rack up and sinks my chances to win.
My other pool, I have 10 of 16. Could cash in if UCLA pulls it out.
Fun tourney so far, wish I'd gotten to watch more games.
how do you find sparty's out west? carousing the local jails...?
(j/k)
Haha that would be one way to do it!
Nah, this pool host is a friend I grew up with. Got into Michigan but CHOSE Michigan State! Does well, though. Lives in Stockbridge and we're still good friends. I cap my Sparty friends at 3, and he is one of the 3.
Don't run into many Spartys in Hollywood, but UM folks are everywhere :)
I filled out 2^63 brackets so I still have quite a few perfect brackets going
Worst bracket outcome I've ever had.
Ha, I like your phrase about how the East is a "minefield of failure" for most. I mean, the 1 and 2 went out, and it seemed like the 5 and 6 were more popular picks to advance to the E8 or F4 than were the 3 and 4. So you're absolutely right!
I always enter several brackets for money, this year 2 in a smaller pool that I run (18 entries) and 3 in a larger pool I've been in for years (148 entries). My average across my 5 brackets is 21 first round picks correct, 9 second round picks correct. Each entry had 20, 21, or 22 picks correct in the first round. The second round was all over the place, with 6, 7, 8, 11, or 13 picks correct. To this point, my 3 entries in the larger pool are better, w/ champ picks of Houston, Texas, or UConn.
Got 22, then 10. But I've only got Texas left in the final four (and as the champion). It does look like Bama versus ??? and UCLA versus ??? right now. It'd be nice to have Princeton vs FAU and Miami vs Arkansas though.
I've got 8 left.
I have Tennessee winning it all. have a future on them for $300 at +2500. They "should" have a walk-in to the elite 8. I'm even rooting for MSU to knock off KSU.
I have 10 left, but only 2 in the Final Four with Arizona being my champion.
I've always said that I pick the right bracket, it's the teams that screw it up.
Have 9 of 16 left. Have the final as Alabama vs Houston with Houston winning.
My other final 4 are Kansas and Purdue.
I've never picked 4 #1 seeds in the final 4 till this year.
Just couldn't figure out who else deserved those spots.
Purdue was a poseur but they looked like the best the BigTen had to offer.
The East is my least and the West is my best.
Obi wan Gonzaga is my only hope.
4/16 left in my mgopool. That is the worst I can remember. Virginia and Purdue in the Final4 ? Ouch. Still alive for UCLA winning it.
Merely mediocre (7/16 with 3/4 final 4 picks alive) in another pool.
Update: I am dead last in the mgopool on ESPN ahead of only dudes who didn’t finish a bracket.