ideas for tourney contest

[Dr T Non-Fan]

Anyone up for an NCAA tourney contest?
This year I think there's an issue of the second week's games. The bracket is not completed until first week's games are finished.
Regardless, I have some proposals, and I hope we can work together to come up with finalized contest rules by Friday.

Op: I like to keep them simple. No compensation for choosing low-seeds. It should be about picking correctly, not necessarily about how to game the contest. Besides, you pick a low-seed and it wins, you're compensated by all the suckers who picked the high-seed team.
Idea #1: contestants pick one of each numbered seed. Can't pick two teams playing each other in first round.
Idea #2: More points for later rounds. Powers of 2: 2^(round-1). It's about picking a team that will eventually win.

I'm up for any others. But conflicts will have to be resolved, and I hope that no one will take their ball home with them if their favorite rule is not adopted.

[Kid Rock]

Last year, someone started up a league for this on Yahoo. You may be able to change the settings, but it is an easy and familiar place to do it.

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Kid Rock on 2002-03-07 09:51 ]</font>

[Pillow]

I did the yahoo one last year and thought it was pretty slick. I'd go for it again this year. :smile: Keep us updated!

[Dr T Non-Fan]

I have a slight problem with that, in that I can't see hardly anything sports-related until after hours. I've signed up for yahoo! golf, but since I can't guarantee changing my lineup, I've lost interest.

I can watch everybody's 16 teams, though.
We play for high stakes around here: 1 real beer from each person who finishes behind you. Payable whenever. I just keep a tab.

[urysohn]

This isn't completely thought out, but how about...

ROUND 1: Pick one team from each of the four brackets. Each pick must have a different seed (i.e. you cannot pick 2 #1 seeds). If a team you selected makes it to the Sweet 16, you receive +(seed #) points. #1 seeds score 1 point, 2 seeds score 2 points, etc. If your team fails to make the Sweet 16, you score -(17-seed#) points. #1 seeds receive a 16 point penalty, 2 seeds a 15 point penalty, etc. You MUST pick 4 teams.

ROUND 2 (chosen after the Sweet Sixteen teams are determined): Pick one team from each division. Each pick must have a different seed (this _will_ be possible). If your team makes the final 4, score +(4*seed) points. #1 seeds score 4, 2 seeds score 8, etc. If your team fails to make the final 4, score -(17-seed) for #5-16 seeds and -2*(17-seed) for #1-4 seeds. #1,2,3,4 seeds score -32,-30,-28,-26 respectively. #5,6,etc seeds score -12,-11,etc, points respectively. You must pick 4 teams. If you pick the same team(s) you chose in round 1, positive points for that team are doubled, negative points remain as described.

ROUND 3 (chosen after the Final Four teams are determined): Pick 1 team to win it all. 25 points for correct guesses, 0 points for incorrect guesses. If you choose a team you had selected in both Round 1 and 2, points for this round will be doubled.

[urysohn]

Reading through my note, it sounded a bit complicated. So to summarize:
1. Each of the first two rounds you pick four teams (one from each bracket), each with a different seed. In round 3, you pick one team.
2. Higher seeds receive lower points and higher penalties for making/not-making the next round.
3. You get bonus points for sticking with a team all the way through.
4. "Rounds" coincide with how the games will be played. You don't need to log in on Friday night to make picks for round 2 or 3.

[Don Quijote]

Urysohn. Not bad, but I would simplify by getting rid of the penalty piece. Just get 0 point if your chosen team doesn´t advance. That keeps the scores bunched through the first two rounds so everyone (except Gandalf, of course) has a shot at the final four.

In place of the penalty, how about adding a Cinderella pick? One team, seeded 13 or lower and you get 2 points added to your score for every game they win during the tournament. This team is in addition to the picks that you really expect to move forward.

[Dr T Non-Fan]

Much more complicated than, "Pick 16 teams, one of each seed number."

Everyone's picking Cinderella's that way. The 16th seed is a throwaway. Since everyone has to choose, perhaps some incentive for picking 'dogs correctly will cause more thought into these. How about this: Underdog winners of each game, throughout the tourney, get double points.

Not only that, but people don't have to check and change and switch teams and all that. Dance with the teams you brought. (In other words, less complicated.)

[Don Quijote]

While your approach is less complicated, part of the fun of the pool is coming back after each week-end to revise your picks and argue the should haves / would haves. The football pool thread ended up a few thousand pages long because of this. With a "hold ´em" approach, we won´t see much interaction here after the opening games.

[treyso]

yahoo group id: 8327
pw: picks

[yeppers-wsmn]

I'm in.

[switched]

What do you mean the brackets aren't full before the first week's games? I thought only the LOCATIONS change, not the pairings.

Am I wrong?

[You]

I assume the Yahoo! group uses the same Yahoo! scoring method as their own contest?

[switched]

What do you mean the brackets aren't finished until the first week's games are done? I thought only the LOCATIONS changed, not the pairings.

Am I wrong?

[Dr T Non-Fan]

I don't know. Maybe you're right. Maybe we can still have a pick-em-all kind. Or maybe we could just Yahoo! the whole thing.
My brother knows more about these things. I usually don't watch College B-ball until the tourney anyway. I truly enjoy:
1. The fact that one team won't play any more games, providing a new incentive to win.
2. The fact that the season's almost over.

[urysohn]

I think we should do both - the Yahoo thing is fine (I'm in), but having something just on this board would be good too.

[General Kenobi (ret.)]

switched: I think you're correct.

[urysohn]

DTNF - since you started the thread...did you want to finalize the rules or just bag it and go with the yahoo thing?

[Dr T Non-Fan]

I'm going to bag it, and sign up for badger's tourney.
The deciding factor: less work for me.