Bracket Challenge Update
Over at Whatif, we are running "The Great Tournament Challenge," a showdown between WIS legend Elliot Schwartz and me that uses an intricate scoring system and features copious amounts of meat for the winner.
After Round One, E has a rather large lead over yours truly, totalling 103 points to my 80. Elliot correctly picked 23 of 32 first round games and went 3-for-4 on the crucial 8/9 matchup, outscoring me 25-8 on that particular game alone. I only got 20 of 32 (my worst first round in recent memory) and went 1-for-4 on the critical 8/9 part of the bracket.
Not only that, but he also has a slight edge going forward. E has 14 of his 16 "Sweet Sixteen" teams left in the running, having lost only Iowa and Seton Hall (yikes) up to this point. I have already lost Kansas, Marquette, and Michigan State, leaving me with 13 teams elgible to advance beyond round two. Beyond that, we both lost one Elite Eight squad, as E's Iowa team suffered that crazy defeat to Northwestern State while my MSU Spartans crapped the bed against George Mason. I can't figure out how a team that went to the Final Four failed to defeat one man. Granted, this is the guy that saved LA when he flew the bomb into the Mojave during season two of "24," but still. Safe to say that the Big 10 gets the Big Loser award for Friday.
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Round Two Update:
The second round got me back into the running as wins by Georgetown and Wichita State helped close the gap that E held at the end of Round One. The score is currently 159-156 in favor of the bad guy (that would be Elliot).
Looking forward, E and I both have LSU, UConn, Boston College, and Florida projected to advance. The only disparities are that I have Texas and Memphis and E has UCLA. Needless to say, those games will be huge.
Update after Round Three:
I took 44 points in this round and E got 40, so I have taken the lead by the narrowest of margins, 200-199.
This is March Madness!
There is quite a bit of drama left in this challenge as well. UConn is a non-factor, since we both have them winning it all (even if I have grown to hate them more every day). That leaves the other three brackets.
In Minny, I had BC over Florida and E had Florida over BC. Obviously, he has a big edge here, as BC is no longer in it. E can still get 24 points from Florida, while I am maxed out in the region.
In Atlanta, we both have the chance for points. Elliot has LSU going to Indy, while I have Texas. He could get 32 points, while I could get 16, depending on the winner.
The biggest region is Oakland. I have Memphis and 8 possible points on the line, while E has UCLA and a shot at 16. More importantly, we both have the winner of this game going to the title game, which could lead to another 15 or 30 points, respectively.
Basically, it comes down to this:
- For E to win, he simply needs a UCLA win and either a LSU or a Florida win.
- For me to win, I need Memphis and Texas to win and for LSU to lose.
The weird part about our scoring system is that it doesn't matter in the least whether Memphis goes on and makes the title game. If (taking UConn out) Memphis and Texas wins, I would be up to 224 points. E's only shot would then be with Florida, but even a Gator win would only give him 223. So I wouldn't need Memphis to do any more damage. And in the opposite scenario, where Memphis wins, but both LSU and Florida win, I would be too far behind (255 to 208) for Memphis' 15 points to make any difference. Anyway, just kind of a funny thing to note, that this will all be determined by the end of the games on Sunday.
To repeat, I'm rooting for Texas, Memphis, and Nova this weekend and E is rooting for LSU, UCLA, and Florida. Should be fun.
(Of course, I have Florida in several of my pools, so I will actually be rooting for them, challenged be damned!)
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