(I think it's the 7th, but if we count the 'old place' and then we've probably got a decade of these)
Here's the info for this year's NCAA Tournament Bracket Challenge
Here's the page to enter your bracket (http://games.espn.com/tournament-challenge-bracket/2018/en/group?groupID=1616637)
Reminder: you need an ESPN acc't / login to join.
The group is up - we're "Grogheads" and the password is "hoops" (no quotes) O0
You can't enter anything before this weekend when the brackets are announced.
It's set for 2 entries / person, but that's only so I can create the usual "Straight Chalk" bracket that lets you compare against the tournament seeding. Anyone entering 2 'legit' brackets will have both DQ'ed.
We'll find some kind of prize along the way...
Probably the hardest field to predict in the last decade.
OK, Straight Chalk and my personal bracket are both in. Sorry Airboy, I've got NC State beating Auburn a few rounds in. Gotta play the "homer" card for a few games at least :)
Airboy is correct, not easy this year.
My joke of a bracket is done. By Sunday night, I should be out of contention.
Yeah, I'm pretty conflicted on this one. The #1s are there for a reason, but almost any of the #2s could win it all.
The truth is, if everyone brings their "A" game for the entire tournament, Duke is going to win; they're just that much more talented than anyone else. The problem is that Duke hasn't brought their "A" game nearly often enough this year that you feel confident expecting them to do it for 6 straight games.
Tom Izzo has been a master of the tournament for years with his coaching adjustments, but do you really want to count on him bucking 15 years of not getting over the hump at the end?
The Bill Self Bingo Card of different seeds he's lost to is running out of spaces to get checked off. He won't lose to a #16, but are you 100% confident Kansas won't choke in their next game? I mean, they lost to Az St at home and got swept by Ok St.
UVa is an awesome defense, but the committee really screwed them. Your reward as the overall #1 is (potentially) Arizona in the sweet 16 with the best player in college basketball?
I'm still on the road, but I have a set of picks together. I'll hopefully have time to carefully review it Wednesday night.
Brant, you have lost your mind to pick State to survive long enough to have the chance to beat Auburn. We will see when the brackets are posted if you really picked State to beat Kansas. I'm guessing that this is a feint to mess with Jason Pratt.
Quote from: airboy on March 12, 2018, 02:05:00 PM
Brant, you have lost your mind to pick State to survive long enough to have the chance to beat Auburn. We will see when the brackets are posted if you really picked State to beat Kansas. I'm guessing that this is a feint to mess with Jason Pratt.
There's not a chance in hell they beat Kansas. But on the off-chance that it
does materialize, the entire bracket is
mine! :)
Plus, Bill Self is going to bomb out sooner or later, so picking Kansas to win is rarely a safe bet.
Some info and/or insight to help you figure out your brackets
https://www.theringer.com/2018/3/12/17108962/ncaa-tournament-selection-sunday-bracket-breakdown-regions
How'd that NC State pick work out for you, Brant?
Quote from: MetalDog on March 15, 2018, 07:27:44 PM
How'd that NC State pick work out for you, Brant?
Not worth a shit... but I figured they wouldn't make it out of the first weekend anyway.
The refs called the game
very tight and Seton Hall adjusted better than NC State did.
The only reason I'm not perfect at this point is because of the Chokepack.
Serves you right for taking them ;) :P
Man, I really stunk up the joint with that bracket, huh?
RANK BRACKET R64 R32 S16 E8 F4 NCG CHAMPION PPR TOTAL PCT
1* Airboy 130 0 0 0 0 0 Villanova 1760 130 92.7
1* Straight Chalk 130 0 0 0 0 0 UVA 1740 130 92.7
1* OJsDad 130 0 0 0 0 0 Michigan St 1680 130 92.7
4 stophro 120 0 0 0 0 0 UVA 1760 120 71.3
5 bayonetbrant 110 0 0 0 0 0 UVA 1680 110 45.6
#roasted
https://twitter.com/oneshiningpod/status/974494426788593671
#1 Virginia got beat #16 UMBC. First time ever a 16 has beat 1. Did by 20 points.
Well, I'm done
And huge numbers of brackets are broken beyond repair after the first round. Let chaos reign!
All of my round of 8 teams have survived so far - except for UVA which I had going to the finals. On that I guess that I and half the country were "a little off."
Well, this might be one of the shortest challenges of all time
RANK BRACKET R64 R32 S16 E8 F4 NCG CHAMPION PPR TOTAL PCT
1* OJsDad 240 0 0 0 0 0 Michigan St 1360 240 92.4
1* Airboy 240 0 0 0 0 0 Villanova 1300 240 92.4
3 Straight Chalk 230 0 0 0 0 0 UVA 940 230 81.3
4* stophro 220 0 0 0 0 0 UVA 940 220 61.5
4* bayonetbrant 220 0 0 0 0 0 UVA 880 220 61.5
Two of my round of 8 are out, Arizona and Wichita State. One of my final 4 is also out, Wichita State. So the top half of my bracket is decimated.
The bottom half of my bracket is in good shape. I was perfect in the West so far.
https://twitter.com/espnWD/status/974821932083367937
https://twitter.com/lja_14/status/974866190844747776
Yep, they're doing it in April, and you have to have your order placed between 1130am and 1pm. Even if you're in line by 1pm, if you don't place your order it's not free.
LC is going to be a ZOO that day.
Early, but so far so good.
RANK BRACKET R64 R32 S16 E8 F4 NCG CHAMPION PPR TOTAL PCT
1 Airboy 240 140 0 0 0 0 Villanova 1140 380 98.6
2 stophro 220 140 0 0 0 0 UVA 780 360 92.1
3 Straight Chalk 230 120 0 0 0 0 UVA 800 350 85.6
4* OJsDad 240 60 0 0 0 0 Michigan St 1120 300 32.3
4* bayonetbrant 220 80 0 0 0 0 UVA 720 300 32.3
I'm not 100% sure, but I don't think anyone but Airboy can win at this point, b/c the only points MD can pick up, Airboy would, too
I s'pose it's possible for OJsDad to catch up, but 'Nova would have to lose really soon, and MichSt win it all
The ESPN system is heavily back weighted. If Michigan State even makes it to the finals and loses the title game Villanova does not make it to the finals, OJs Dad will win.
Thanks for choking Sparty. :tickedoff: :tickedoff: :tickedoff: :tickedoff: :tickedoff: :tickedoff: :tickedoff:
Quote from: OJsDad on March 18, 2018, 04:36:24 PM
Thanks for choking Sparty. :tickedoff: :tickedoff: :tickedoff: :tickedoff: :tickedoff: :tickedoff: :tickedoff:
Well, if Villanova goes down, we've got an entirely new competition
:)
I thought this would be a weird year, but what a massacre.
At this moment the final 4 picks still alive for everyone are:
Brant - UNC & Villanova
OJs Dad - Michigan
Stophro - Xavier, Villanova & Dook
Airboy - Michigan & Villanova
What a massacre.
Quote from: airboy on March 18, 2018, 05:55:32 PM
At this moment the final 4 picks still alive for everyone are:
Brant - UNC & Villanova
That'll last about another 8 minutes...
UNC is in trouble
You guys thought I was nuts for picking NC State to the Elite 8, but given what we've seen so far in the tournament, was it really that nuts?
I mean, it's not like you saw UVa, Mich St, UNC, and Cincy to be out in the first weekend, huh?
This has been an ugly tournament. Exciting, but ugly.
But I'm leading my very big office pool and have more possible points remaining than anyone other than one person.
I'm in the top 1.1% of picks nationally, and my South Region is officially dead to me with no possible points left.
Quote from: bayonetbrant on March 18, 2018, 07:56:14 PM
You guys thought I was nuts for picking NC State to the Elite 8, but given what we've seen so far in the tournament, was it really that nuts?
I mean, it's not like you saw UVa, Mich St, UNC, and Cincy to be out in the first weekend, huh?
It may not be pretty elsewhere, but, you might want to check my bracket for those two. ;)
Down to Stophro and me.
I'm leading my big office pool.
But we are back to the basics of somebody needs to beat Dook.
RANK BRACKET, OWNER R64 R32 S16 E8 F4 NCG CHAMPION PPR TOTAL PCT
1 Airboy 240 200 0 0 0 0 Villanova 840 440 99.1
2 stophro 220 180 0 0 0 0 UVA 520 400 88.8
3 Straight Chalk 230 140 0 0 0 0 UVA 480 370 65.7
4 OJsDad 240 100 0 0 0 0 Michigan St 360 340 35.1
5 bayonetbrant 220 100 0 0 0 0 UVA 120 320 21.9
Some serious fun last night -
Loyola-Chicago couldn't miss in the second half, until suddenly Nevada needed another comeback run
Michigan did to A&AM what A&M did to UNC
K State knocks off Kentucky? Who saw that coming?
And FSU can't win tournament games when they're supposed to, but give them a 9-seed and now they're playing to get into the final four...
I'm not sure I ever remember a tournament that was this nuts.
If you ride with Kansas or Villanova or Duke as your favorites, you're doing ok. Everyone else is f'ed.
And if you took the leap of faith on Kansas (famous for Bill Self's seed-elimination bingo) or Duke's regularly-inattentive freshmen, it's paying off
it almost seems pointless to post a daily standings up date here as we all watch Airboy pull further away from us in the standings, but I'll get one up after the weekend carnage :-\
K-State is getting school half 8 minutes in second half. Their coach is going ape poop.
Griffyndor for the win!
With Michigan winning did I win this pool?
:bd:
If Villanova loses tomorrow, then you may not win.
Kansas, please end the evil in OT!
Dukes trying hard to lose, but Kansas wont let 'em give up that easily.
Quote from: airboy on March 24, 2018, 10:11:01 PM
With Michigan winning did I win this pool?
:bd:
Now youve won with Dukes loss.
Good wins and depraved evil loses when dook loses.
<:-) <:-) <:-) <:-) <:-) <:-) <:-) L:-) <:-) <:-) <:-) <:-) <:-) <:-) <:-) <:-) <:-) <:-) <:-) <:-)
The pool is a minor consideration in the big picture.
:bd:
this dude is a friend of a friend in a local UNC hoops group online around here
(https://scontent-iad3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/29595151_2343695912322853_1145825860886169868_n.jpg?_nc_cat=0&oh=df6d869abf72b68bf5ffbc96de6a079b&oe=5B716B45)
This h e lied cheer up my wife today. Her Dad taught her to hate dook from childhood.
Here's your prize. Just have to pay a processing fee and S&H.
https://www.cafepress.com/grogheads.1803028547
With Michigans win, Ive moved up to second.
Once Villanova beats Kansas, I'll be bumped back to third behind Straight Chalk.
Airboy wins!
We knew it for several days now, but it's official as of 30 minutes ago.
Congrats Airboy! Let's get more people into this next year, eh?
Top 2.1% of the country and finished 2nd in my office pool for the 2nd year in a row.