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2008 Ridemonkey NCAA Pool

sanjuro

Tube Smuggler
Sep 13, 2004
17,373
0
SF
Ok, I will start it. Who is going to start the pool? Or did I just volunteer?
 

cadmus

Monkey
May 24, 2006
755
0
PNW
This ought to be interesting. I haven't watched TV since Feb 5th and not being a basketball fan, I have not been following CBB online.
 

jimmydean

The Official Meat of Ridemonkey
Sep 10, 2001
40,932
13,130
Portland, OR
No doubt using some quantum mechanics equation to determine the winners.....
:stupid:

I picked based on who has the best colors. :D

Actually, I did go old school and picked teams I have routed for in years past, but I haven't watched a single game this year. Both my parents graduated from UNC, so that's a given FTW.
 

jimmydean

The Official Meat of Ridemonkey
Sep 10, 2001
40,932
13,130
Portland, OR
5 rules to good picking:

I. Thou shalt start in the middle.

The key to a winning bracket is in the center -- the guy who gets the Final Four right usually wins, because those picks are worth the lion's share of bracket points. Concentrate your energy on the last weekend of the tournament, says Lang. Decide who you think will win the tournament -- and who you think they'll beat in the semis -- then blossom out from there. Once you've done that, you can have some fun with the less meaningful, first-round choices.



II. Thou shalt pick the right 12-seed.

Upsets are what makes bracketology fun, and even casual fans have heard of the traditional 12-over-5 first-round topples. But it's not enough to take a stab and pick a dozen-seed to win, says Stoll. "Focus on 12-seeds that have lost 6 or fewer games for the season [13-16 overall against 5-seeds] or 12s that are coming off a loss in their previous game [10-13 against 5-seeds]." The holy grail? A 12-seed that satisfies both criteria -- they're 3-0 all-time in round 1.



III. Honor thy chalk.

Upsets are amusing, but taking the pot is much more fun. And as cute as you'd like to be, rocking chalk is a better strategy than trying to get every upset. "Higher-seeded teams are higher-seeded for a reason," says Dr. Bob. Don't outsmart yourself: 63 percent of Final Four teams in the past 17 years have been seeded Nos. 1 or 2.



IV. Thou shalt not put low seeds in the Final Four.

Sounds redundant, but it bears repeating: It's nice to think you've pegged the next George Mason, but don't bet on it (and many of you are betting on it). "Do not pick a team seeded 6 or worse to make your Final Four," says Stoll. Only 4 of 68 Final Four teams in the past 17 years have been seeded 6 or lower.



V. Thou shalt advance all 1-seeds to the Elite Eight.

More from the chalk department: 71 percent of 1-seeds make it to the regional final, and they've got even more overwhelming odds in round 2 -- teams seeded 8 or 9 have only advanced to the Sweet Sixteen a combined 6.6 percent of the time. If you're going to pick a 1-seed to fall, though, round 4 is the place to do it -- almost half of them lose in the quarterfinals.
 

I Are Baboon

The Full Dopey
Aug 6, 2001
32,382
9,286
MTB New England
So who do you monkey butts have in the Final Four?

My ZERO CONFIDENCE picks:

North Carolina
Wisconsin
Duke
Stanford

God damn do I suck at this. I may have to change my bracket completely though depending on what happens with tonight's play-in game. :monkey:
 

HAB

Chelsea from Seattle
Apr 28, 2007
11,580
2,005
Seattle
Ha! Like I'm going to let you in on my sooper seekrit picks.



I will say that my Final Four bears almost no resemblance to IAB or JD's.
 

HAB

Chelsea from Seattle
Apr 28, 2007
11,580
2,005
Seattle
So spill it! What, do you think we're going to copy you or something? :picsstfu:
I truly pity anyone who is so clueless that they decide to copy my picks.

I also just decided to change a few picks.

Tennessee
Kansas
UCLA
Memphis
 

urbaindk

The Real Dr. Science
Jul 12, 2004
4,819
0
Sleepy Hollar
Did everybody sign up for CBS's all access pass so you can watch the games at work today and tomorrow? I'd, 2 weeks ago. :)

My FF picks are UNC vs. Kansas and Duke vs. Texas
 

jimmydean

The Official Meat of Ridemonkey
Sep 10, 2001
40,932
13,130
Portland, OR
Did everybody sign up for CBS's all access pass so you can watch the games at work today and tomorrow? I'd, 2 weeks ago. :)

My FF picks are UNC vs. Kansas and Duke vs. Texas
I work for a cable OnDemand content provider, I have 4 tv's in my cube right now :D