tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1075593398139537131.post4538454464220381142..comments2024-03-12T02:19:51.554-07:00Comments on Without Geometry, Life is Pointless: March Madness Baby!Avery Pickfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10433339146333801163noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1075593398139537131.post-79936803856164373532011-04-05T15:15:04.740-07:002011-04-05T15:15:04.740-07:00This year's Big Loser: #4 seed Louisville.This year's Big Loser: #4 seed Louisville.Avery Pickfordhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10433339146333801163noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1075593398139537131.post-21480823197582725962011-03-28T21:44:11.031-07:002011-03-28T21:44:11.031-07:00Related to Avery's comment: this is why 11 see...Related to Avery's comment: this is why 11 seeds do so well. The "538" guy had a great piece on this, backed up with data... and suddenly an 11 seed runs into the Final Four, again.<br /><br />http://fivethirtyeight.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/03/15/when-15th-is-better-than-8th-the-math-shows-the-bracket-is-backward/<br /><br />I always look for the Big Loser at the end of a bracket tournament. Been doing it for a long time and so glad I'm not the only sicko.Bowen Kerinshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06715818962840193625noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1075593398139537131.post-44364428592122696102011-03-23T15:52:25.526-07:002011-03-23T15:52:25.526-07:00JD: Do you mean 2^n rounds or 2^n teams with n rou...JD: Do you mean 2^n rounds or 2^n teams with n rounds? I think you have some "off by 1" issues going on. If n=1, you have 2^1 rounds. 2 rounds mean there are 4 teams. There are 8 different brackets you could make with 8 teams. Your expression gives us just 2.<br /><br />I *love* your variant. Seems hard to pick. I've thought about it a bit and I think that this means:<br />a)You'd have to pick the correct winner of the entire tourney<br />b)there is exactly one "big loser" path for any tournament. no more. no less.<br />c)picking a 9 seed wouldn't be the best choice is the higher seed won every game because the 9 seed would lose to the 8 seed which would lose to the 1 seed, which would be favored to win the next game.<br />d)If you expected higher seeds to win every game, you'd pick an 11 seed (which would lose to a 6 seed, the 6 seed would then lose to a 3 seed, the 3 seed would lose to a 2 seed, and the 2 seed would lose to a 1 seed.Avery Pickfordhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10433339146333801163noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1075593398139537131.post-46741868942470383742011-03-19T12:38:41.938-07:002011-03-19T12:38:41.938-07:00For the first question, and an unspecified number ...For the first question, and an unspecified number of complete (2^n) rounds, I am getting 2^(n(n+1)/2) - not what I expected. The partial round is a minor complication.<br /><br />My own favorite odd variant, but no one will put it in a pool - big loser. Not 2nd place. Not the worst bracket. But selecting the team that loses in the first round to a team that loses in the second to the team that loses in the third... If wins followed seedings, 9 seeds would be top candidates. But it rarely works that way.<br /><br />JonathanAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com