March Madness Starting Ten (2016)

[Young Drachma]

If only someone had gotten Josh Hagins from UALR. 40 points.

[murrayyyyy]

Originally Posted by Young Drachma

If only someone had gotten Josh Hagins from UALR. 40 points.

40 mins, 31 points... Sure you are ready to update scores?

[Young Drachma]

Okay, check my work. But here's the results after Day 1:

wademoore	1986	4
britrock88	1269	9
spleen1015	1268	8
Young Drachma	1254	8
bhlloy		1212	8
murrayyyy	1127	6
Karlifornia	1021	8
BillyMadison	970	9
dolfin		899	9
Ramzavil	847	6
Vince		811	9
jbergey22	786	9
henry296	741	8
PackerFanatic	705	10
Comey		695	9
muns		690	8
kingfc22	542	10
BillyNYC	662	9
Sublime 2	617	9
B&B		502	8
Butter_of_69	482	10
cartman		387	10

Obviously everyone who picked a Powerball has that player in play for the next round, so you have 1 extra player. I didn't see if anyone's powerball got eliminated, but will look now.

[Young Drachma]

Originally Posted by murrayyyyy

40 mins, 31 points... Sure you are ready to update scores?

Shut it.

[murrayyyyy]

You missed Marvell Harris for me

[Young Drachma]

Okay, so Wade lost his Powerball yesterday.

[Young Drachma]

Originally Posted by murrayyyyy

You missed Marvell Harris for me

Fixed. Original score post updated. Thanks. Wade had him too.

[murrayyyyy]

missing scores
Providence, Utah, Miami, Indiana, UNC

[Young Drachma]

Originally Posted by murrayyyyy

missing scores
Providence, Utah, Miami, Indiana, UNC

Updated. Thanks!

[Butter]

So much for the Powerball!

[Young Drachma]

Originally Posted by Butter_of_69

So much for the Powerball!

Hahaha! So true!

[wade moore]

My powerball calculations are wrong right now. Will fix ASAP.

[Young Drachma]

If hadn't thought through the Powerball wrinkle, the ideal way to do it in my mind would've been to have people pick their Powerball AFTER the start of the first games on Thursday. It'll force folks to come back and check, but most people if they're playing do that anyway. And maybe restricting the powerball to be like a 1-8 seed. Kind of how in Top Gun you have to pick a low seed. Maybe the Powerball has to be from a non-double digit seed.

I guess what do you all even think of the idea of it at all? Like it? Want us to ditch it for next year? Curious to hear what folks think, since we didn't really ask. Chime in.

[murrayyyyy]

Originally Posted by Young Drachma

If hadn't thought through the Powerball wrinkle, the ideal way to do it in my mind would've been to have people pick their Powerball AFTER the start of the first games on Thursday. It'll force folks to come back and check, but most people if they're playing do that anyway. And maybe restricting the powerball to be like a 1-8 seed. Kind of how in Top Gun you have to pick a low seed. Maybe the Powerball has to be from a non-double digit seed.

I guess what do you all even think of the idea of it at all? Like it? Want us to ditch it for next year? Curious to hear what folks think, since we didn't really ask. Chime in.

I didn't dig too deep into the powerball theory but here was my view on them. It encouraged me to take a 15-16 seeded guy because it's great value for replacing a powerball's first round score which is usually horrible because they never win (sorry MTSU). So I weighed the value: find a 4 with a high scorer because if they can make it to the third round I would get 16* first round with the 16 seed, then 8* for 2nd round and if they win I get 16* points again for just making it to the game. This is just a little lower than taking a 2 seeded guy and hoping they make the finals. If a 2 seed doesn't make the finals, I get a 2,4,6,8,10 value for the 5 rounds.

So there is still the chance factor as my 4/5 seed powerball guy has to play in the sweet 16 but I thought that was the reason for the powerball. (to encourage taking more lower seeded players).

[Butter]

I like it. Seems like it's going to be a nightmare to score though.

Personally, I feel like everyone is going to lose a player in round 1, so maybe the Powerball comes into play the round after someone drops to 6 players or some other number.

[Young Drachma]

It's not that bad, actually. I mean, it's crude in the spreadsheet, but Wade is an Excel savant (only reason this game has lasted 5 years...is his original spreadsheet) and so, powerball does require a bit more manual math than the rest of it, but...there are only 1 per person and so, it's not that bad in the grand scheme of things.

And yeah, the reason for the Powerball was just to keep things interesting for longer and to keep folks with a glimmer of hope.

What if we all waited to pick the Powerball before the Sweet 16? (Next year, obvs. No one panic.)

[murrayyyyy]

Originally Posted by Young Drachma

What if we all waited to pick the Powerball before the Sweet 16? (Next year, obvs. No one panic.)

Maybe I misunderstand the value of powerball. Why wouldn't everyone take the lowest seed player then? Are you not getting 3*seed value at that point? So if an 11 seed makes it in, wouldn't everyone take the 11 seeds best scorer to get 33 points? Or does their round value reset when they start (so powerball's 1st active round is times 1, etc)

[kingfc22]

I liked having to pick it pre-tourney. My thought process was to take somebody who I thought would make it past the weekend and at the same time it allowed me to take a low risk flyer on a top scorer from a 12+ seed.

[Young Drachma]

Originally Posted by murrayyyyy

Maybe I misunderstand the value of powerball. Why wouldn't everyone take the lowest seed player then? Are you not getting 3*seed value at that point? So if an 11 seed makes it in, wouldn't everyone take the 11 seeds best scorer to get 33 points? Or does their round value reset when they start (so powerball's 1st active round is times 1, etc)

Like I said, I never thought through it. I'm just throwing ideas against a wall to see what folks think. Haha.

I didn't think of this, but you're dead-on. Should keep drafting before the tournament like it is now, because the fog of war and is essentially the difference maker.

I hadn't considered the whole round value reset. We didn't schedule that. Shit is already complicated enough, haha...no way we're gonna make it harder. Though that's an interesting idea: what if you only get the Powerball's point value with no multiplier (next year)?

Would change the strategy considerably and surely incentivize picking who you thought would end up being there in the later rounds, rather than a lotto ticket.

[Young Drachma]

Scoring update through the games already done today (9:05pm EDT)

wademoore	2206	4
Young Drachma	1793	4
britrock88	1650	9
murrayyyy	1407	5
bhlloy		1366	8
spleen1015	1322	8
Karlifornia	1170	8
BillyMadison	1154	8
Vince		1080	9
jbergey22	1073	8
Ramzavail	1062	4
BillyNYC	1060	8
henry296	1022	8
dolfin		979	8
PackerFanatic	946	9
Butter_of_69	890	9
kingfc22	796	9
Comey		775	8
muns		770	7
Sublime 2	671	9
B&B		656	7
cartman		656	10

[murrayyyyy]

I think I have a wizard in my group. 9 players still alive. 2045 pts first round.

1. fred vanvleet 2. jamaal murray 3. chris dunn 4. (AJ english-out) 5. thomas walkup 6. demetrious floyd 7. makai mason 8. buddy hield 9. tyler ulis 10. domantas sabonis

[Young Drachma]

Unofficial scores as of 9:49pm eastern

wademoore	2206	4
britrock88	2112	9
Young Drachma	1793	4
PackerFanatic	1408	9
murrayyyy	1407	5
bhlloy		1366	8
spleen1015	1322	8
Karlifornia	1170	8
BillyMadison	1154	8
Vince		1113	9
Ramzavail	1095	4
jbergey22	1073	8
BillyNYC	1060	8
henry296	1022	8
dolfin		979	8
Butter_of_69	926	8
kingfc22	796	9
muns		803	7
Comey		786	8
B&B		725	6
Sublime 2	671	9
cartman		656	10

[Young Drachma]

Originally Posted by spleen1015

Buddy Hield, Oklahoma
A.J. English, Iona
Grayson Allen, Duke
Ben Bentil, Providence
Kyle Wiltjer, Gonzaga
Quinton Hooker, Notre Dame
Jamal Murray, Kentucky
Georges Niang, Iowa St.
Malcolm Brogdon, Virginia
Jameel Warney, Stony Brook
Denzel Valientine, Michigan St. (POWERBALL)

Quinton Hooker plays for North Dakota, not Notre Dame. Sorry we didn't catch this sooner, but I went to score and had to look it up.

[Young Drachma]

Check my work, as always. But here's the results after the first round of the NCAA tournament. PB means their powerball is still eligible.

wademoore	2338	3
britrock88	2112	9(PB)
Young Drachma	1945	4
murrayyyy	1746	5(PB)
Karlifornia	1509	8
PackerFanatic	1408	9(PB)
bhlloy		1366	8
spleen1015	1322	7
BillyNYC	1192	7
BillyMadison	1154	8(PB)
Vince		1113	9
Ramzavail	1095	4(PB)
Butter_of_69	1078	8
jbergey22	1073	8(PB)
henry296	1022	8(PB)
kingfc22	1001	8(PB)
dolfin		979	8(PB)
muns		869	7(PB)
Comey		806	8(PB)
Sublime 2	803	8
cartman		728	9
B&B		725	6

[britrock88]

[Vince, Pt. II]

Freaking brit.

[Young Drachma]

Post-Saturday results:

britrock88	3426	5
Young Drachma	3173	2
bhlloy		2952	4
PackerFanatic	2904	6
BillyMadison	2706	5
spleen1015	2702	5
jbergey22	2627	8
Karlifornia	2611	6
kingfc22	2212	6
BillyNYC	2560	5
wademoore	2530	2
dolfin		2461	6
Sublime 2	2349	4
murrayyyy	2248	5
Butter_of_69	2190	6
Vince		2069	6
muns		2049	5
henry296	1818	5
cartman		1736	8
Comey		1686	6
B&B		1469	4
Ramzavail	1409	2

[Young Drachma]

Results after Round 2.

Stephen F. Austin gave britrock a commanding lead heading into the Sweet 16, but most of our leaders are almost out of players.

britrock88	5158	2
PackerFanatic	3860	4
bhlloy		3556	4
murrayyyy	3494	2
wademoore	3450	1
Karlifornia	3321	4
jbergey22	3311	7
Young Drachma	3301	1
BillyMadison	3082	4
kingfc22	2718	4
Vince		3009	5
Butter_of_69	2926	4
spleen1015	2846	5
BillyNYC	2788	5
henry296	2646	3
dolfin		2633	6
cartman		2580	7
muns		2505	5
Sublime 2	2493	4
B&B		2101	3
Comey		1908	5
Ramzavail	1649	2

[britrock88]

A 3000-point round! But at the expense of 7 players. C'est la vie.

[Young Drachma]

After the first part of the Sweet 16:

Can jbergey make up 1000 points? I haven't looked at conflicts, but assume there are some overlaps in terms of who is left. Because there's so much chalk left, you have to wonder...tho players the later they stick around do have some value.

britrock88	5158	2
PackerFanatic	4277	3
jbergey22	4094	4
Karlifornia	3912	2
bhlloy		3838	3
kingfc22	3712	2
Vince		3645	2
murrayyyy	3494	2
Butter_of_69	3463	2
wademoore	3450	1
BillyMadison	3448	3
Young Drachma	3301	1
cartman		3252	5
spleen1015	3128	4
BillyNYC	3070	4
dolfin		2915	5
Sublime 2	2832	3
henry296	2829	3
muns		2706	4
Comey		2445	4
B&B		2284	2
Ramzavail	1931	1

[britrock88]

brit: Wiltjer and Gbinije
PF: Hield, Wiltjer, and Ellis
jbergey: Wiltjer, Sabonis, Gbinije, and Ferrell
bhlloy: Wiltjer, Gbinije, and Hield

A Gonzaga Final Four run probably holds the highest scoring potential, and it'd work out in jbergey's favor. All of the group but PF will have a player guaranteed to collect 40-44 times their scoring total in the Elite Eight thanks to the Syracuse/Gonzaga matchup tomorrow.

[jbergey22]

Originally Posted by britrock88

brit: Wiltjer and Gbinije
PF: Hield, Wiltjer, and Ellis
jbergey: Wiltjer, Sabonis, Gbinije, and Ferrell
bhlloy: Wiltjer, Gbinije, and Hield

A Gonzaga Final Four run probably holds the highest scoring potential, and it'd work out in jbergey's favor. All of the group but PF will have a player guaranteed to collect 40-44 times their scoring total in the Elite Eight thanks to the Syracuse/Gonzaga matchup tomorrow.

I still have Ellis as well. Was my powerball.

[Young Drachma]

Forgot about the 10/11 Syracuse/Gonzaga underseed matchup. Fun!

[PackerFanatic]

Take me home, Buddy Buckets!!

[Young Drachma]

Updated scores as of 9:40pm eastern

britrock88	5158	2
PackerFanatic	4637	2
jbergey22	4094	4
Karlifornia	3912	2
bhlloy		3838	3
BillyMadison	3808	2
kingfc22	3234	2
cartman		3648	4
Vince		3645	2
spleen1015	3524	3
murrayyyy	3494	2
Butter_of_69	3463	2
wademoore	3450	1
Young Drachma	3301	1
BillyNYC	3301	3
henry296	3189	2
muns		3030	4
dolfin		2915	5
Comey		2841	4
Sublime 2	2832	3
B&B		2284	2
Ramzavail	1931	1

[Young Drachma]

In 2014, this game came down to the final game. In every other year, the winner has won by less than 80 points.

So if we've learned anything...the longer you've got guys playing, the better.

[Young Drachma]

Like I said...it's never really over in this game so long as you've got guys dancing. Elite 8 will make things super interesting and this year's winner will finish with the most points ever. britrock's lead cut down to just 62 points with three rounds to go.

britrock88	6517	1
jbergey22	6455	1
PackerFanatic	5396	1
bhlloy		5197	2
murrayyyy	4853	1
dolfin		4736	2
BillyNYC	4687	1
Karlifornia	4671	1
BillyMadison	4567	1
muns		4416	2
cartman		4407	3
Vince		4404	1
spleen1015	4283	2
Butter_of_69	4222	1
wademoore	4050	1
kingfc22	4201	1
Young Drachma	3928	0
Sublime 2	3591	2
henry296	3249	2
B&B		3043	1
Comey		2841	4
Ramzavail	1931	1

[jbergey22]

I have 2 players left correct? Perry Ellis and Gbinije.

[Young Drachma]

Originally Posted by jbergey22

I have 2 players left correct? Perry Ellis and Gbinije.

Yeah the totals don't include the powerball.

[britrock88]

Well that stinks, then!

[Comey]

It is amazingly futile that I have four players left, and I'm next-to-last.

[Young Drachma]

Originally Posted by Comey

It is amazingly futile that I have four players left, and I'm next-to-last.

Too much chalk, I assume.

[britrock88]

Yeah, those seed multipliers are a big, big deal.

[Young Drachma]

The scores after yesterday's slate of games:

britrock88	6517	1
jbergey22	6471	1
PackerFanatic	5708	1
bhlloy		5493	2
dolfin		5032	2
BillyNYC	4983	1
Karlifornia	4967	1
BillyMadison	4967	1
murrayyyy	4853	1
cartman		4719	2
muns		4712	2
Vince		4700	1
spleen1015	4579	2
Butter_of_69	4518	1
kingfc22	4859	2
wademoore	4050	1
Sublime 2	3951	1
Young Drachma	3928	0
henry296	3561	1
Comey		3181	2
B&B		3147	1
Ramzavail	2243	1

[Young Drachma]

Originally Posted by britrock88

brit: Wiltjer and Gbinije
PF: Hield, Wiltjer, and Ellis
jbergey: Wiltjer, Sabonis, Gbinije, and Ferrell
bhlloy: Wiltjer, Gbinije, and Hield

So coming back to this post. britrock and jbergey cancel each other out with Syracuse's Gbinije as their only player left (jbergey lost his powerball last night)

If Syracuse wins tonight, then bhlloy will be able to use his Hield advantage to track down britrock, so don't let the 4th place standing fool you, he's in the best position.

[Young Drachma]

After the Syracuse/UVA game:

britrock88	6957	1
jbergey22	6911	1
bhlloy		5933	2
PackerFanatic	5708	1
murrayyyy	5293	1
dolfin		5032	2
BillyNYC	4983	1
Karlifornia	4967	1
BillyMadison	4967	1
kingfc22	4289	1
cartman		4767	1
muns		4760	2
Vince		4700	1
spleen1015	4627	1
Butter_of_69	4518	1
wademoore	4490	1
Sublime 2	3951	1
Young Drachma	3928	0
henry296	3561	1
Comey		3229	1
B&B		3147	1
Ramzavail	2243	1

[Young Drachma]

This game always comes down to the last game or two every year and this year will be no different. Sort of funny given the structure of it, you'd assume that it wouldn't work that way...but alas.

[jbergey22]

If Buddy were to average 25 the next two games.....

25*2*5=250
25*2*6=300
550 total. Needs to get over 1000 to catch up.

I really like britrocks chances.

[Young Drachma]

Originally Posted by jbergey22

If Buddy were to average 25 the next two games.....

25*2*5=250
25*2*6=300
550 total. Needs to get over 1000 to catch up.

I really like britrocks chances.

Someone on the other thread said Buddy is the next Steph Curry. All he has to do is put up 48 and 46 in the next two games to clinch it.

[Young Drachma]

Leading Scorers

* (active)

Michael Gbinje, Syracuse (1600)*
Domantas Sabonis, Gonzaga (1276)
Kile Wiltjer, Gonzaga (1276)
Thomas Walkup, SFA (1050)