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MM Round 2 Picks

by @TheCommish 🏀  MM Free ⚡

Friends in Madness,

In Commish's analysis of our Round 1 survivor picks, I noted we were FAR heavier on Purdue than any other 1-seed and wrote, "the lack of faith in Purdue!"

Turns out those 366 people on Purdue were correct... TOO correct. And paid the ultimate survivor price.

 

ROUND 2 PICKS

 

Despite the Survivor carnage (Purdue felled 366 survivors, Virginia 271, and Arizona 209), nearly 1,000 of us are on to Round 2 in what Commish feels is the most fun pool format in all of sports.

In Bracket land, feast your eyes on what a 28/32 Round 1 looks like by scanning our leader @Randipoli's bracket.

PERFECT in the West. Just one loss in the South and Midwest.

But... BUT... one Final Four team is already down in Arizona. Which is a reminder that we still have a LONG way to go.

And thank god for that, because Commish is in 2,275th place. Yup. I went 14/32, including just 2/8 in the East. I SWEAR I'M SMART ABOUT SPORTS.

 

BRACKET ROUND 1 RECAP

We nailed 67% of our picks, which is pretty good but not as good as last year's 68.7%. We averaged 21.4 points, and 22/32 was our most common score.

Who picked FDU?! Please give some "click to view their bracket" love to our FOUR bravest and boldest souls: @Flynnpic, @JohnnyTheBrick, @freddy222, and @Jenniferking702. Unfortunately, none had FDU advancing to the Sweet 16.

As mentioned above, @Randipoli went 28/32 to grab the sole lead. They need just 12/16 in Round 2 to match last year's top mark of 52 points after two rounds, and 13/16 to set a new SZN Bracket record. 11 people went 27/32, and 58 people went 26/32, including the man himself, @BigDaddy. 

Highest potential Bracket score: There's who has the best score NOW, and who COULD have the best score when they cut down the nets in Houston. Let's look at highest potential across all three of our Brackets:

 

We did best in the West (6.3 wins on average) and worst in the South (4.4 wins). It's likely the East will become our worst bracket after two rounds, as a bunch of us had Purdue in the Sweet 16.

Team SZN record

Did I mention Commish is very nearly in dead last? I knew I was bad at Brackets (and quite good at other pool formats!) but this... THIS is next level. Stat Czar and GM both pulled a respectable 22 points in Round 1. Merf's 18 points would look weak if it weren't for me (you're welcome, Merf).

 

ROUND 2 PICK STATS

 

SURVIVOR

First, a MASSIVE shout-out to @ltd, who might be the most Moxilicious picker in SZN Survivor history.

@ltd went UConn (4-seed), Maryland (8), Furman (13) in Round 1. And, as if that wasn't enough, went Pitt (11-seed), Princeton (15), and FDU (16) in Round 2.

There's going for a Survivor title and then there's GOING FOR A SURVIVOR TITLE. We bow to your holy Moxie, @ltd.

  • We're down to 894 pickers in Round 2
  • As is MM Survivor tradition, we piled on the mid-level seeds who are the beneficiaries of big Round 1 upsets opposite them
  • Mizzou (7-seed) got 473 picks - more than 50% of pickers - to beat 15-seed Princeton
  • And FAU (9-seed) got 455 picks to beat 16-seed FDU
  • Only two of us picked Princeton, while a robust 14 of us picked FDU
  • What's better: Coming up just short in Survivor, or picking a 16-seed in the second round and knowing you'll either be a hero for life or content with your Moxie?
  • YOU KNOW THE ANSWER.
  • Other big picks: 5-seed San Diego State (vs. 13-seed Furman), 2-seed UCLA (vs. 7-seed Northwestern), and 3-seed Xavier (vs. 11-seed Pitt)
  • You have to go all the way down to our 10th biggest pick to find a 1-seed. That's Alabama, with 81 of our picks over Maryland (0 picks)
  • The lowest picked 1-seed? Houston, with just 48 picks over Auburn (which got 3 picks!)
  • As mentioned above, @ltd is absolutely running away with the "highest sum of picked seeds" race thus far, at an incredible 67. Next is @JRicketts at 49, and @billsilk11 and @Babybeckham at 43

PICK'EM

Bracket leader @Randipoli made the same picks in Round 1 of our Round-by-Round Pick'em pool, which was also good enough for 1st place. That pays $100.

Reminder that the Pick'em awards prizes for Overall, Round 1, and Rounds 2-6. So, if you sucked like Commish, you have FRESH LIFE starting today.

  • Alabama towers over everyone else with 1,045 picks (vs. just 25 for their opponent, Maryland)
  • Next biggest picks: UCLA (976 vs. 94 for Northwestern) and Gonzaga (931 vs. 139 for TCU)
  • Noteworthy that both UCLA (2-seed) and 'Zaga (3-seed) got more picks than 1-seeds Kansas and Houston
  • 227 of us picked FDU, and 214 picked Princeton. You know, just a FEW more picks than Round 1
  • The closest we got to favoring a lower seed was 6-seed UK (534 picks) vs. 3-seed Kansas State (536)

 

WEEKLY AWARDS

 

The Wood Award
The best weekly comment (or three), because good luck ever beating John Wooden

@katzmoses (Survivor: Tigers, Owls, Cougars): "I'm a financial advisor so I've got a lot of experience constructing a portfolio. I need some money safely in cash (Houston), a little bit of stability and income (Mizzou, f*** Princeton), and then the wild card situation that doesn't feel right deep down but everybody else bought it so why shouldn't I? (FAU). See you in round 3"
Commish says: If I have 98% of my net worth tied up in Bud Light Lime futures, am I investing wisely?

 

Bracketology Award
Can you convince us that your pick is bulletproof?

@RotoJeff (Survivor: Aztecs, Tigers, Owls): "I would expect that this will be the most common trio of picks, as we’re trying to pick three winners that also won’t win the whole thing, so it’s probably wrong to use them from a game theory standpoint. But I suck at game theory."
Commish says: Is this the opposite of a Bracketology Award winning comment, or very much the Bracketology Award winner? (Voice in the back: Depends on whether SDSU, Mizzou, and FAU win, dummy.) THAT'S NOT HOW THIS WORKS, VOICE IN THE BACK!!

 

Sister Jean Swag Award
Spiciest/wildest take, because no one has as much swag as 102-year-old Sister Jean (March Madness' unofficial hypewoman).

@Sartain (Survivor: Owls, Golden Eagles, Musketeers): "Big taste, bad decisions…"
Commish says:  Do you wear a T-shirt bearing these words every day? If not, may I propose a life-changing fashion choice?

 

 

MORE COMMENTS



@fozlofski (Round-by-Round Pick'em): "FDU FU"
Commish says: You mean Pur-WHO... right? Right.

 

@Patriots_Cluuuuub Survivor: (Hurricanes, Gaels, Horned Frogs): "Gonna let that rip like shotguning a Bud Light Lime"
Commish says: Lots of people drank green beer yesterday. At The SZN we drink green beer every day. Well, not Mondays. Unless the Packers trade Aaron Rodgers on a Monday. Then TAP THAT ELECTRIC GREEN KEG BABY.

 

@dinkaroo (Survivor: Aztecs, Hoosiers, Bruins): "Brusiertecs all the way"
Commish says: If you win, you need to keep this going AND add your three picks from Round 1. Don't let me down, @dinkaroo.

 

@Logan2273 (Round-by-Round Pick'em): "FDU and FU’s Cinderella dreams end, but Princeton lives to see another day"
Commish says: I called up Cinderella and she said "P-U". I think that means do better?

 

@Deacon (Round-by-Round Pick'em): "Tastes like chalk..."
Commish says: WHY DO ALL YOU PEOPLE KNOW WHAT CHALK TASTES LIKE

 

@Corey_Messer (Survivor: Owls, Wildcats, Hurricanes): "Picking"
Commish says: MORE LIKE SURVIVING

 

 

Yours in Hooptopia,
The Commish

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