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Tidu's Team
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Wreck it - let's begin

Party people let me hear some noise
Tidu's in the house jump jump and rejoice!



Edit: I however expect little this year, I've had a very rough week complete with hospital stays (I might have the dreaded Crohn's guh, hopefully it's nothing), and a host of other busy nights.

So tonight is the first time I've had a chance to look at the bracket! I obviously won't be able to do much research on the mid-majors or anything this year. I'm already tired. Picking with my heart it is!

This post has been edited by Tidu-who on 21st March 2013 02:56

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The clouds ran away, opened up the sky
And one by one I watched every constellation die
And there I was frozen, standing in my backyard
Face to face, eye to eye, staring at the last star
I should've known, walked all the way home
To find that she wasn't here, I'm still all alone

-Atmosphere "Always Coming Back Home to You"

Okay, I've finished my predictions.

Note that I know next to nothing about college basketball.

Let's see how badly my bracket fails.

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Check the "What games are you playing at the moment?" thread for updates on what I've been playing.

You can find me on the Fediverse! I use Mastodon, where I am @[email protected] ( https://sakurajima.moe/@glennmagusharvey )

It's the day! The daaaaaaay!

You should be cleaning up your picks now and making any final changes because you have four hours at most from the time I'm posting this.

We ended up with twenty-four players plus Sally. Not bad!

Squeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

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"To create something great, you need the means to make a lot of really bad crap." - Kevin Kelly

Why aren't you shopping AmaCoN?

Though I won last year, I think I got a lot of help from the bevy of first round upsets. I think it proved that a straight forward bracket can be just as dangerous as taking a risk. Therefore I decided to mix it up this year and get a little brave with some close calls.

Long story short, I am a HUGE fan of Wisconsin this year. And if Oklahoma and Miami could help in the long run, that would also be much appreciated.

It's still strange to see UConn absent from the tournament, but that's what you get for getting caught breaking rules. But I still think Louisville sends the Big East out with a champion.

--------------------

"When I turn the page
The corner bends into the perfect dog ear
As if the words knew I'd need them again
But at the time, I didn't see it."

~"This Ain't a Surfin' Movie" - Minus the Bear

My zombie self managed finally managed to fill out his bracket.

As I recall, last year I could have won up until the final four but ended up finishing in the bottom half thanks to the magic that is bracket-ology.

Here's hoping that even with my lack of b-ball knowledge I'll be able to pull out a finish in the top 12.

In any case, good luck, all!

I'm so lazy I waited until the tourny started to officially announce my entry. Yes Galvatron's Glory has returned to inspire new generations to fail horribly while making unrealistic picks. It is all in the name of irrelevancy. I aspire to be the worst, so if I win, so much the better!

Also, I hate Pitt. I hate Pitt with the fury of a thousand lonely nerds watching his lifetime crush get groped and fondled on the dance floor by the star QB all night long at the Senior Prom, knowing he will never feel the tender caress of her hand in his. Seething at the injustice of it all.

And St. Mary's, how could you? I had high hopes for you, you were my underdog! Instead you dashed them in the final seconds, leaving me gasping for air, smashing mu fist against the desk in mock outrage and juvenile aggression. You had one job, St. Mary's, ONE JOB.

Ah well, no one is perfect.

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This is a webcomic and gaming blog where I rant about nonsense. Enjoy.

I was a soldier, now I just play one in video games.

I didn't think I'd ever seen a tournament game as lopsided as VCU/Akron, and then along came Syracuse. I'm really glad I have both of those teams winning more games. Even though I didn't pick it, I'd love to see VCU potentially take Kansas out again. The beating VCU just put on Akron makes the game they had against Purdue two years ago look tame. That was absolutely ridiculous. Poor Montana - their top scorer had five points. FIVE

lol Harvard lol New Mexico lol. Poor Sheriff Lobo.

And of course, hooray Oregon! Hopefully they can take out the Billikens. No more of that logo ever again please.

--------------------

Hey, put the cellphone down for a while
In the night there is something wild
Can you hear it breathing?
And hey, put the laptop down for a while
In the night there is something wild
I feel it, it's leaving me

I wasn't able to properly enjoy yesterday for the holiday it is, and I didn't get to watch a couple of the amazing games Neal mentioned. However, this is probably still the best sporting event in the world - it's less predictable than the World Cup and happens every single year.

I was so excited to possibly see a 16 over a 1, I could barely sit down. It didn't work out, but surely that must be one of the closest shaves a 1 seed has ever had. The Marquette-Vanessa game was also a highly entertaining watch, even though I didn't like the outcome. I am completely terrified of VCU now. And my West bracket looks like someone cut themselves shaving all over it.

If you'll excuse me, I need to go turn on SportsCenter and wait impatiently for 4:40 and 7:27pm tonight.

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"To create something great, you need the means to make a lot of really bad crap." - Kevin Kelly

Why aren't you shopping AmaCoN?

I am in last. My lack of surprise is obvious.

--------------------

If you've been mod-o-fied,
It's an illusion, and you're in-between.
Don't you be tarot-fied,
It's just alot of nothing, so what can it mean?
~Frank Zappa

Sins exist only for people who are on the Way or approaching the Way

Quote (MogMaster @ 22nd March 2013 08:20)

I am in last. My lack of surprise is obvious.

No, you're not. Gabe is.

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"To create something great, you need the means to make a lot of really bad crap." - Kevin Kelly

Why aren't you shopping AmaCoN?

A nice little day in March Madness, but my palate is not satisfied just yet.

It was fun to see Harvard jump around like they won the quiz bowl, but anybody who watched the game will tell you that it was not a captivating sight. Probably because they upset New Mexico, who is just some team who plays in New Mexico. They got a nice program and even I wanted to believe in their numbers, but in the end they just proved how bloated the perception of the Mountain West was this year. The problem with giving mid-level mid-majors super high seeds is that it makes 3/14 seed shockers feel like 7/10 split decisions.

I'd be much happier if Davidson pulled it out against Marquette :\

But I'm willing to eat my words about the Pac-12 who is definitely exceeding expectations... they still are a power conference, though. The A-10 looks pretty terrifying, too.

This post has been edited by Kappa the Imp on 22nd March 2013 15:22

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I find your lack of faith disturbing...

Game over.
Is it baseball season yet?

--------------------

"When I turn the page
The corner bends into the perfect dog ear
As if the words knew I'd need them again
But at the time, I didn't see it."

~"This Ain't a Surfin' Movie" - Minus the Bear

Quote (Rangers51 @ 11th March 2013 19:25)

Longer version, cribbed extensively from last year's: Check it out, y'all. We've got a bunch of Jesuits looking likely to take the overall #1 seed in the tournament, and we might well see some old CoN folks showing up as zombie accounts for a few weeks as the annual CoNCAA rampage takes hold. Truly, these are harbingers of the apocalypse.

Hah! A bit late but my team is take my breath awaaaay (awwwwaaaaay). It's all about the upsets, and winning, and being the best.

glhf

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Scepticism, that dry rot of the intellect, had not left one entire idea in his mind.

Me on the Starcraft.

I'm pretty surprised at Georgetown's, New Mexico's, and Kansas' losses. Didn't see those coming, for sure.

Pretty excited to be currently tied for No. 2 though!

You know, every year I pick Wisconsin and Notre Dame to win a game. I know Neal says this is the equivalent of March Madness mental insanity, but I'm from Wisconsin and I go to Notre Dame, so I can't help it. But good Lord, they choke so hard every year it's just absurd.

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Currently Playing : Final Fantasy V
Most Recently Beat : Elder Scrolls: Skyrim
Favorite Game : Final Fantasy X

The newest CoNcast is up! Have a listen!

/me checks bracket again

Whoa, Georgetown lost? That's a surprise.

Disappointed that Arizona beat Belmont. Must be the slow, constipated walking that got to them. Or maybe Arizona littered the place with flying medusa heads.

Hah. Harvard. Dang little red schoolhouse up the creek.

This reminds me...we should do another bracket contest for Squenix-related stuff again. Maybe one for characters?

This post has been edited by Glenn Magus Harvey on 23rd March 2013 21:26

--------------------

Check the "What games are you playing at the moment?" thread for updates on what I've been playing.

You can find me on the Fediverse! I use Mastodon, where I am @[email protected] ( https://sakurajima.moe/@glennmagusharvey )

Will Neal be here to give his cheeky in depth analysis breakdown of our bracket once we reach the Sweet 16?


I thought my bracket was busted of course with Georgetown and Wisconsin being elite 8 teams and dying. But I come to see that I'm only 2 games out of first. Crazy bracket this year!

This post has been edited by Tidu-who on 24th March 2013 04:25

--------------------

The clouds ran away, opened up the sky
And one by one I watched every constellation die
And there I was frozen, standing in my backyard
Face to face, eye to eye, staring at the last star
I should've known, walked all the way home
To find that she wasn't here, I'm still all alone

-Atmosphere "Always Coming Back Home to You"

Quote (Tidu-who @ 23rd March 2013 22:24)

Will Neal be here to give his cheeky in depth analysis breakdown of our bracket once we reach the Sweet 16?


I thought my bracket was busted of course with Georgetown and Wisconsin being elite 8 teams and dying. But I come to see that I'm only 2 games out of first. Crazy bracket this year!

Of course! I'm actually gonna try to write a script in Python tomorrow to help me out with some of the heavy lifting. But I dunno how that'll work out...should be fun.

--------------------

Hey, put the cellphone down for a while
In the night there is something wild
Can you hear it breathing?
And hey, put the laptop down for a while
In the night there is something wild
I feel it, it's leaving me

My strategy of "always pick memphis" didn't really work, I guess.

--------------------

If you've been mod-o-fied,
It's an illusion, and you're in-between.
Don't you be tarot-fied,
It's just alot of nothing, so what can it mean?
~Frank Zappa

Sins exist only for people who are on the Way or approaching the Way

Well, my West Region is just a horrible mess of red lines. Gongaga, what happened? Did the reactor blow up?

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We apologise for the inconvenience

And so begins my slow descent toward utter defeat.

I feel like there are too many red lines in my bracket to be in 7th, but I guess this tourney's been too crazy for everyone.

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"Getting upset over a trifle would indeed be unmannerly."

-Afra to Damia

Quote (mehael @ 24th March 2013 21:56)

I feel like there are too many red lines in my bracket to be in 7th, but I guess this tourney's been too crazy for everyone.

I feel the same way, and I'm in second!

I think what's saving me is having Ohio State out of the West. If only I had gone with my gut and put Florida in the Elite 8 instead of Georgetown, I would be pretty ok.

This is a definitely a year of "who had their bracket busted the least?"

This post has been edited by Tidu-who on 25th March 2013 11:53

--------------------

The clouds ran away, opened up the sky
And one by one I watched every constellation die
And there I was frozen, standing in my backyard
Face to face, eye to eye, staring at the last star
I should've known, walked all the way home
To find that she wasn't here, I'm still all alone

-Atmosphere "Always Coming Back Home to You"

After abusing the scenario generator, my survival is dependent on Miami reaching the Final 4, Ohio State getting bounced ASAP, and Syracuse upsetting Indiana--the most farfetched of the whole bunch.

--------------------

"When I turn the page
The corner bends into the perfect dog ear
As if the words knew I'd need them again
But at the time, I didn't see it."

~"This Ain't a Surfin' Movie" - Minus the Bear

It looks like I can win if Indiana wins it all, or Kansas if Louisville doesn't make the final. However, if Ohio State makes the final I definitely need Indiana to beat them.

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"To create something great, you need the means to make a lot of really bad crap." - Kevin Kelly

Why aren't you shopping AmaCoN?

I'm going to my first tournament games on Friday! I'll be cheering for the Ducks over Louisville and the Spartans over Duke. I'm guessing neither of those outcomes happens, but I'm still gonna cheer my ass off. Now to borrow an MSU shirt from somebody...

--------------------

Hey, put the cellphone down for a while
In the night there is something wild
Can you hear it breathing?
And hey, put the laptop down for a while
In the night there is something wild
I feel it, it's leaving me

There's a ranking?

~checks~

...how the heck am I in first...???

...well, now that I've observed this, this will change soon.

--------------------

Check the "What games are you playing at the moment?" thread for updates on what I've been playing.

You can find me on the Fediverse! I use Mastodon, where I am @[email protected] ( https://sakurajima.moe/@glennmagusharvey )

Hooray! It's CoNalysis time! I grabbed my spreadsheet from last season and entered this season's competitors in - 23 people made their picks, and oddly enough, 20 people are still around with just 15 games to go. This is actually exactly how many people survived through this point in the tournament last season, so if trends keep up, we'll lose 7 people by the time we hit the end of the games on Friday. Who will be kicked out?

These numbers are based on the picks going 50/50 in either direction, even though we know that's not always going to be the case.

Well, let's start with who we lost from those original 23 - Lasz, MogMaster, and Del. Lasz lost two of his Final Four picks in New Mexico and VCU, and his Louisville/Miami final 2 wasn't unique enough to give him any winning combinations. MogMaster relied entirely on Memphis, so when they went down, he was gone. Del made random picks, as usual, and was dead once his final two - UCLA and St. Louis - burst into flames. So adios to those three!

The following percentages exclude ties, since I can't account for them in such a huge spreadsheet right now. We'll have to wait til we're down to 8 or 12 teams left. Ties are currently being awarded to the person currently ahead in the standings.

Neal: 4,790 / 32,798 = 14.6%
GMH: 4,510 / 32,798 = 13.8%
Kane: 3,482 / 32,798 = 10.6%
Sweets: 2,380 / 32,798 = 7.3%
Gabe: 1,840 / 32,798 = 5.6%
Sally: 1,716 / 32,798 = 5.2%
Stiltz: 1,704 / 32,798 = 5.2%
R51: 1,656 / 32,798 = 5.1%
Gears: 1,638 / 32,798 = 5.0%
Geoffrey: 1,536 / 32,798 = 4.7%
finalalias: 1,418 / 32,798 = 4.3%
Kappa: 1,246 / 32,798 = 3.8%
Bobbo: 1,180 / 32,798 = 3.6%
Tidu: 834 / 32,798 = 2.5%
Baralai: 584 / 32,798 = 1.8%
SSJ_Cloud: 518 / 32,798 = 1.6%
MeHael: 518 / 32,798 = 1.6%
Xenon: 484 / 32,798 = 1.5%
Nyte: 384 / 32,798 = 1.2%
Super Moogle: 350 / 32,798 = 1.1%

Let's take a peek at some people who might be eliminated soon.

Super Moogle (1.1%): Features a strong reliance on Syracuse (must beat Indiana) and Louisville. Common final two with lower showing in the first two rounds has hurt.

Nyte (1.2%): Miami must make the final four and Oregon's gotta beat Louisville. He has Oregon in the final four.

Xenon (1.5%): Gonzaga going out hurt him. He needs Kansas to go all the way and Syracuse likely can't be in the final four.

MeHael (1.6%): Combination of New Mexico in the final four and common final two picks mean that he needs a lot to go right - the remaining #1 seeds have to make it far.

SSJ_Cloud (1.6%): Oddly enough he's only missing Gonzaga from the elite eight, but his other picks are too common and push him out from many possibilities. Pretty much needs Miami to beat Indiana to get to the final four.

Baralai (1.8%): Needs Miami to win for the most part, though there are some scenarios where that isn't necessary. In most of them, Ohio State is involved going far. That'd be a weird matchup.

We'll have to see how things go later this week!

In the meantime, have some stats about who was picked most often in each little cluster.

Elite Eight:
Cluster 1: Louisville x17, Oregon x3, Missouri, Oklahoma St, St. Louis.
Cluster 2: Michigan St x14, Duke x8, Memphis.
Cluster 3: Gonzaga x11, Wisconsin x8, Mississippi x2, Kansas St x2.
Cluster 4: Ohio St x15, New Mexico x3, Notre Dame x2, Harvard, Iona, Belmont.
Cluster 5: Kansas x15, VCU x4, Michigan x2, North Carolina x2.
Cluster 6: Florida x12, Georgetown x6, UCLA x2, San Diego St, Minnesota, Northwestern St.
Cluster 7: Indiana x14, Syracuse x7, California, Montana.
Cluster 8: Miami x15, Butler x3, Illinois x3, Marquette x2.

Final Four:
Cluster 1: Louisville x13, Michigan St x4, Duke x2, Oregon x2, Memphis, St. Louis.
Cluster 2: Ohio St x12, Gonzaga x4, Wisconsin x2, New Mexico x2, Harvard, Notre Dame, Belmont.
Cluster 3: Kansas x11, Florida x5, UCLA x2, Georgetown, Michigan, VCU, North Carolina, Minnesota.
Cluster 4: Miami x9, Indiana x6, Syracuse x3, Marquette x2, Butler x2, Illinois.

Final Two:
Cluster 1: Louisville x10, Ohio St x5, Gonzaga x4, Michigan St, Memphis, St. Louis, Oregon.
Cluster 2: Miami x7, Indiana x5, Kansas x3, Syracuse x2, Florida x2, Michigan, Marquette, UCLA, Butler.

Champion:
Louisville x8, Miami x3, Indiana x3, Ohio St x2, Kansas x2, Marquette, Memphis, Michigan St, St. Louis, Oregon.

--------------------

Hey, put the cellphone down for a while
In the night there is something wild
Can you hear it breathing?
And hey, put the laptop down for a while
In the night there is something wild
I feel it, it's leaving me

Perfect amount of analysis for this point in the tourny, Neal, thanks.

I'm really surprised by the prevalence of Miami and, to a lesser extent, Gonzaga in the later rounds. I assumed Miami would be underrated! I'm starting to enjoy Larranaga's special brand of old man crazy more and more.

And for that rogue member with Oregon as the champion... keep that dream alive, baby.

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I find your lack of faith disturbing...

Quote (Kappa the Imp @ 26th March 2013 08:40)

Perfect amount of analysis for this point in the tourny, Neal, thanks.

I'm really surprised by the prevalence of Miami and, to a lesser extent, Gonzaga in the later rounds. I assumed Miami would be underrated! I'm starting to enjoy Larranaga's special brand of old man crazy more and more.

And for that rogue member with Oregon as the champion... keep that dream alive, baby.

That member is Sally.

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"To create something great, you need the means to make a lot of really bad crap." - Kevin Kelly

Why aren't you shopping AmaCoN?