Leuthold Memorial Tournament - Day Two Standings

With the First Round (I don't count the First Four as the First Round) coming to a close, there was a massive shake up in the standings already.

Name is followed by total points, points on Day Two, movement (positive or negative) in the standings, and bonuses that person is still eligible for

1 Lauren Faine 367 187 +1 (Champ)

2 Matt Rader 365 194 +13 (Champ)
2 Doug Steiner 365 188 +4 (Champ, Big Loser)
4 Eric Bookmyer 364 195 +14 (Champ)
4 Drew Curth 364 195 +14 (Champ)
6 Justin Reichley 361 189 +6 (Champ, Big Loser)
7 Brandon Lanquist 360 182 -2 (Champ)
8 Tony Falk 358 179 -4 (Champ)
8 Jake Kempf 358 184 -- (Champ, Big Loser)
10 Kevin Faigle 357 171 -9 (Champ, Big Loser)
11 Anthony Tynan 356 186 +6 (Champ)
12 Wells Faine 355 175 -10 (Champ, Big Loser)
12 Matt Barnes 355 186 +6 (Champ)
12 John Montgomery 355 178 -6 (Champ)
15 Matt Fehr 352 178 -7 (Champ, Big Loser)
15 Rachel Hoops 352 180 -3 (Champ)
17 Jake Young 350 185 +6 (Champ)
17 Jeff Fitzwater 350 176 -9 (Champ)
19 John Gray 349 185 +6 (Champ)
19 Kevin Hunt 349 182 +2 (Champ)
21 Bethany Green 346 181 +2 (Champ)
22 Mallory Myers 344 177 -1 (Champ, Big Loser)
23 Andrew Logan 343 171 -11 (Champ)
24 Anne Seiler 340 169 -9 (Champ)
25 Todd Schleucher 339 183 +1 (Champ, Big Loser)
26 Ryan Calhoun 338 165 -15 (Champ)

First, congratulations to Lauren Faine on moving up one (1) spot into first place. And with Duke as her National Champion, she has a good chance to separate herself because nearly 2/3 of the field chose Ohio State compared to just 3 for the Dukies

Second, congratulations to the three (3) people who moved up more than 10 slots in just one day, Matt Rader, Eric Bookmyer and last year's champion, Drew Curth. Curth was helped big time by the 100 points he got for a perfect East Bracket, which proved itself the easiest bracket of Round One.

Also, two more perfect brackets today. Jeff Fitzwater in the West and Todd Schleucher in the East. That leaves the Southwest, mainly thanks to Morehead State and VCU, as the only bracket no one got perfect.

On a disappointing note, this is the first year I've run this tournament that no one has guessed an Upset Special. The Big Loser is as elusive as ever. Only 8 out of 26 members are still eligible after one round.

Leuthold Memorial Tournament - Day One Standings

Here are the standings for Day One, followed by a small breakdown by myself. The name is followed by # of points for the day, plus the bonuses that person is still eligible for.

1 Kevin Faigle 186 (Champ, Big Loser)

2 Wells Faine 180 (Champ, Big Loser)
2 Lauren Faine 180 (Champ)
4 Tony Falk 179 (Champ, Big Loser)
5 Brandon Lanquist 178 (Champ, Big Loser)
6 John Montgomery 177 (Champ, Upset)
6 Doug Steiner 177 (Champ, Upset, Big Loser)
8 Matt Fehr 174 (Champ, Big Loser)
8 Jake Kempf 174 (Champ, Upset, Big Loser)
8 Jeff Fitzwater 174 (Champ)
11 Ryan Calhoun 173 (Champ)
12 Justin Reichley 172 (Champ, Upset, Big Loser)
12 Andrew Logan 172 (Champ, Big Loser)
12 Rachel Hoops 172 (Champ)
15 Matt Rader 171 (Champ, Upset)
15 Anne Seiler 171 (Champ, Upset, Big Loser)
17 Anthony Tynan 170 (Champ, Big Loser)
18 Drew Curth 169 (Champ)
18 Matt Barnes 169 (Champ, Upset)
18 Eric Bookmyer 169 (Champ, Big Loser)
21 Mallory Myers 167 (Champ, Upset, Big Loser)
21 Kevin Hunt 167 (Champ)
23 Jake Young 165 (Champ, Upset)
23 Bethany Green 165 (Champ)
25 John Gray 164 (Champ)
26 Todd Schleucher 156 (Champ, Big Loser)

First, congratulations goes out to my Sports Director, Kevin Faigle, on leading after Day One. A big part of that is because he picked a perfect Southeast Bracket (100 points). That's no small feat considering it was the hardest to pick region for this group.

Morehead State ended up being a good pick for Upset Special after they took down a Louisville squad many thought highly of (avg. ranking: 13.4), but no one went with it, so no points to be found there.

Also, Big Losers took a big hit on Day One. Only 14 of 26 players still have a chance.

Finally, with half of the field somewhere between 170 and 179, there are still a lot of shake ups bound to happen.

2011 Leuthold Memorial Tournament - Bracket Challenge Supplement

Here is a supplement to go along with the Bracket Challenge. It's just something you can look over if you'd like.
 
Team Rankings
Below is the ranking of each team in the tournament with how many competitors ranked them there (in parentheses)
 
East:
1. OSU: 16 (21), 15 (4), 14 (1)
2. UNC: 16 (2), 15 (11), 14 (8), 13 (3), 12 (2)
3. Syracuse: 16 (3), 15 (9), 14 (10), 13 (1), 12 (1)
4. Kentucky: 15 (2), 14 (7), 13 (13), 12 (3), 11 (1)
5. West Virginia: 13 (2), 12 (9), 11 (6), 10 (2), 9 (1), 8 (2), 7 (3), 6 (1)
6. Xavier: 13 (3), 12 (2), 11 (8), 10 (7), 9 (4), 8 (1), 7 (1)
7. Washington: 13 (2), 12 (6), 11 (3), 10 (6), 9 (2), 8 (4), 6 (1), 5 (1) 4 (1)
8. George Mason: 11 (4), 9 (9), 8 (2), 7 (7), 6 (3), 4 (1)
9. Villanova: 11 (1), 10 (3), 9 (3), 8 (7), 7 (3), 6 (5), 5 (3), 4 (1)
10. Georgia: 13 (1), 12 (1), 11 (1), 9 (1), 8 (4), 7 (2), 6 (7), 5 (7), 4 (2)
11. Marquette: 11(2), 10 (5), 9 (5), 8 (4), 7 (4), 6 (4), 5 (2)
12. Clemson: 12 (1), 10 (3), 9 (1), 8 (2), 7 (6), 6 (2), 5 (4), 4 (3), 3 (4)
13. Princeton: 12 (1), 6 (1), 5 (6), 4 (15), 3 (3)
14. Indiana State: 6 (2), 5 (3), 4 (3), 3 (18)
15. Long Island: 3 (1), 2 (23), 1 (2)
16. UTSA: 2 (2), 1 (24) 95

West:
1. Duke: 16 (13), 15 (9), 14 (4)
2. SDSU: 16 (8), 15 (5), 14 (7), 13 (5), 12 (1)
3. UConn: 16 (4), 15 (10), 14 (4), 13 (5), 12 (1), 11 (2)
4. Texas: 16 (1), 15 (1), 14 (6), 13 (7), 12 (5), 11 (3), 10 (1), 8 (1), 6 (1)
5. Arizona: 15 (1), 14 (2), 13 (6), 12 (7), 11 (4), 10 (2), 9 (1), 7 (1), 6 (1), 1 (1)
6. Cincinnati: 14 (2), 13 (1), 12 (3), 11 (6), 10 (2), 9 (4), 8 (2), 7 (3), 6 (2), 5 (1)
7. Temple: 13 (1), 12 (3), 11 (4), 10 (5), 9 (1), 8 (4), 7 (1), 6 (6), 5 (1)
8. Michigan: 12 (1), 10 (2), 9 (4), 8 (3), 7 (6), 6 (5), 5 (2), 4 (2)
9. Tennessee: 14 (1), 12 (2), 11 (3), 10 (3), 9 (4), 8 (10), 7 (2), 3 (1)
10. Penn State: 12 (1), 10 (5), 9 (3), 8 (2), 7 (5), 6 (7), 5 (1), 3 (2)
11. Missouri: 12 (1), 11 (4), 10 (3), 9 (4), 8 (3), 7 (3), 6 (1), 5 (5), 4 (1), 3 (1)
12. Memphis: 12 (1), 10 (2), 9 (2), 8 (1), 7 (5), 6 (1), 5 (8), 4 (6)
13. Oakland: 13 (1), 10 (1), 9 (2), 6 (2), 5 (5), 4 (13), 3 (2)
14. Bucknell: 5 (3), 4 (3), 3 (18), 2 (2)
15. Northern Colorado: 4 (1), 3 (2), 2 (22), 1 (1)
16. Hampton: 2 (2), 1 (24)

Southwest:
1. Kansas: 16 (21), 15 (3), 14 (2)
2. Notre Dame: 16 (3), 15 (12), 14 (4), 13 (5), 11 (1), 10 (1)
3. Purdue: 16 (2), 15 (8), 14 (6), 13 (5), 12 (4), 11 (1)
4. Louisville: 15 (2), 14 (12), 13 (8), 12 (3), 11 (1)
5. Vanderbilt: 14 (1), 13 (2), 12 (6), 11 (3), 10 (2), 9 (3), 8 (5), 7 (2), 6 (1), 5 (1)
6. Georgetown: 15 (1), 14 (1), 13 (5), 12 (6), 11 (7), 10 (3), 9 (1), 7 (1), 6 (1)
7. Texas A&M: 12 (2), 11 (3), 10 (7), 9 (2), 8 (6), 7 (4), 6 (1), 3 (1)
8. UNLV: 12 (2), 11 (2), 10 (3), 9 (8), 8 (4), 7 (3), 6 (3), 5 (1)
9. Illinois: 11 (3), 10 (3), 9 (3), 8 (6), 7 (6), 6 (4), 4 (1)
10. Florida State: 11 (1), 10 (3), 9 (5), 8 (5), 7 (3), 6 (5), 5 (3), 4 (1)
11. VCU: 10 (1), 9 (1), 7 (4), 6 (7), 5 (10), 3 (2), 2 (1)
12. Richmond: 12 (3), 11 (4), 10 (3), 9 (3), 7 (3), 6 (2), 5 (6), 4 (2)
13. Morehead State: 5 (2), 4 (17), 3 (6), 2 (1)
14. St. Peter’s: 6 (1), 5 (2), 4 (4), 3 (14), 2 (4), 1 (1)
15. Akron: 13 (1), 6 (1), 5 (1), 4 (1), 3 (3), 2 (16), 1 (3)
16. Boston: 2 (4), 1 (22)

Southeast:
1. Pittsburgh: 16 (17), 15 (3), 14 (6)
2. Florida: 16 (3), 15 (9), 14 (2), 13 (3), 12 (6), 11 (2), 9 (1)
3. BYU: 16 (1), 15 (2), 14 (6), 13 (3), 12 (6), 11 (5), 9 (1), 8 (1), 6 (1)
4. Wisconsin: 16 (3), 15 (4), 14 (3), 13 (3), 12 (2), 11 (5), 10 (2), 8 (3), 7 (1)
5. Kansas State: 16 (1), 15 (1), 14 (4), 13 (7), 12 (3), 11 (4), 10 (3), 9 (1), 8 (2)
6. St. John’s: 16 (1), 15 (5), 14 (2), 13 (6), 12 (1), 11 (3), 10 (2), 9 (2), 8 (1), 7 (2), 6 (1)
7. UCLA: 15 (1), 14 (1), 12 (1), 11 (3), 10 (1), 9 (4), 8 (3), 7 (3), 6 (4), 5 (3), 4 (2)
8. Butler: 12 (2), 11 (1), 10 (4), 9 (8), 8 (2), 7 (2), 6 (2), 5 (4), 4 (1)
9. Old Dominion: 10 (4), 9 (4), 8 (4), 7 (3), 6 (5), 5 (5), 3 (1)
10. MSU: 15 (1), 14 (2), 13 (3), 12 (2), 11 (1), 10 (4), 9 (1), 8 (2), 7 (5), 6 (1), 5 (1), 4 (2), 3(1)
11. Gonzaga: 10 (2), 9 (1), 8 (6), 7 (6), 6 (7), 5 (2), 4 (1), 3 (1)
12. Utah State: 13 (1), 12 (3), 10 (2), 9 (1), 8 (1), 7 (1), 6 (1), 5 (4), 4 (6), 3 (4), 2 (2)
13. Belmont: 11 (2), 10 (2), 9 (1), 8 (1), 7 (2), 6 (1), 5 (2), 4 (9), 3 (5), 2 (1)
14. Wofford: 9 (1), 7 (1), 6 (3), 5 (4), 4 (3), 3 (13), 1 (1)
15. UC Santa Barbara: 4 (2), 3 (1), 2 (20), 1 (3)
16. UNC-Asheville: 5 (1), 2 (4), 1 (21)

Some info about these rankings:
Most highly regarded #1 seed: Ohio State (avg. ranking: 15.77)
Least highly regarded #1 seed: Duke (avg. ranking: 15.35)
Lowest ranked team: UTSA and Hampton (avg. ranking: 1.08)
Hardest to rank team: Michigan State (ranked in 13 out of 16 slots)
Hardest to rank region: Southeast (131 slots, or 8.2 per team)
Easiest to rank region: East (95 slots, or 5.9 per team)

Bonus Breakdown

Here is how the Bonuses were picked:
National Champ: Ohio State (17), Duke (3), Kansas (3), Pitt (1), San Diego State (1), UConn (1)
Upset Special: Belmont (10), Oakland (7), Wofford (3), Princeton (2), Bucknell (1), Akron (1), Indiana State (1)
Big Loser: Gonzaga (3), Wofford (2), Old Dominion (2), Florida State (2), UCLA (2), Clemson (2), UC Santa Barbara (2), Temple (2), West Virginia (1), Marquette (1), Boston (1), Cincinnati (1), Illinois (1), VCU (1)

Leuthold Memorial Tournament - History and Rules

Hey everyone. I'm back on here for the first time in over a year (sad, I know). Anyway, I do an annual NCAA Tournament Bracket Challenge that's a little bit different, and I've decided to move it to the blog. So, to start off, I'll explain the history, and then, I'll get to the rules.

The Leuthold Memorial Tournament started four (4) years ago while I was a freshman at Ohio University. My high school math teacher, Chris Leuthold, always did this bracket challenge as a way to combine two of his loves, sports and math. So, when I got out of high school, I wanted to continue the tradition. Naturally, it seemed that I should just do it myself with my friends.

We have four past winners. I was the inaugural champ with a small field. The tournament expanded (thanks to a growing Facebook presence) in 2008, with Mike Crofts taking home the title after Kansas won the championship. In 2009, Brandon Lanquist got top prize. And our reigning champion is Drew Curth.

Now that you know the history here are the rules.

1. There is NO bracket involved in this tournament.

2. If there's no bracket, then how does this work?? Let me tell you. There are 16 teams in each region of the tournament, so you do it like this...The team you think will win the most games in each region (AKA your Final Four team) will be assigned the #16. Then, the second best team (your Elite Eight loser) will be a #15, etc. all the way down to #1, who you expect has no chance of winning even once.

3. There are three (3) different Bonus opportunities.
- Champ: Pick the winner of the tournament (100 points)
- Upset Special: Pick a 13-16 seed that you think might win a game (50 points)
- Big Loser: Okay. A bracket IS involved in this. Take a bracket you've filled out and start at the tournament winner. Then, trace back to the team they beat in the title game. Once there, trace back to the team the title game loser beat in the Final Four, and continue all the way back to Round One. That Round One loser is your Big Loser (75 points)

4. Scoring: In the Round One, the team get face value. A #16 gets 16 points for a win. In the Second Round, the points double. In the Sweet 16, they triple, etc.

That's pretty much it. No one has much trouble with it except for some confusion involving the Big Loser. It's an interesting alternative, though, to a regular bracket.

A Simple Resolution...A Huge Impact?

It's that time of year again. New Year's. Time to beat your brow and comb your brain to come up with a resolution that will really blow away not only you, but everyone who knows about it. Easier said than done, right?

Wrong!

With an assist from a good friend, I think I've come across resolution numero uno, year in and year out. Decade to decade. Century to century.

Be. More. Awesome.

That's right. 3 simple words that, if approached correctly, can change your life. It will apply to each day and in every situation. Just break it down.

You want to lose a few pounds, put on some muscle, and generally become a better physical version of yourself? Be more awesome. Go to the weight room and challenge yourself to lift more than you ever have. Get on the track and make yourself run more than you think you can. Look at that dinner plate and leave just a little more than you're used to leaving.

You want to get a good job or do better at your current one? Be more awesome. Put in the extra work to show future or current employers what you're capable of, and put it on yourself to do the job in a way that makes you feel you couldn't have done it better.

You want to make more friends or just be more likable in general? Be more awesome. It's not all about people's preconceptions about you. It falls on you to show people what they should really be thinking of you. Show them not only the kind of person you are. Show them the kind of person you can be, because there's always so much more in us than what's immediately visible.

I think you get the idea. No matter what part of your life needs to see improvement or even just be maintained at its current level, challenging yourself to be more awesome is the answer.

I've always been floored by the capacity for self-improvement in people. They frequently do things that were thought unheard of just to be able to prove it could be done, or to improve the situation of someone else. And now, the time of resolution has come. So, I say, why not challenge yourself at the dawn of a new decade to be more awesome. Make yourself run that extra mile when you don't think you have the energy, get one more rep on the bench press, put a little more time into that project at work, spend an extra half hour studying for that exam, and probably most importantly, reach out to that person you always thought you should have but never did.

You are a powerful person. You can change yourself, change someone else, and change the world by challenging yourself to be more awesome. If you can do it, and everyone else can do it, is there really a doubt that all of humanity can benefit in ways it hasn't seen in years? It isn't about stimulus packages, reforms or bills and laws. It's about you, me and everyone else, and us actually utilizing our ability to change life for the better.

Happy New Year's friends!

NFL Predictions 2009

Hey everyone. After picking a winner for every game in the 2009 season, here are my predictions for what's to come. Ridicule me, agree with me, be indifferent toward me. I don't care. If you have a comment feel free to leave it. If you scroll to the bottom, yes, I did homer my pick this year, but can it really be much worse than my pick of San Diego to go 15-1 and win the Super Bowl last year?? Doubt it. Also, Brett Favre's a bitch.

AFC EAST
New England (12-4, 6-0)
Miami (7-9, 2-4)
Buffalo (7-9, 1-5)
NY Jets (6-10, 3-3)

AFC NORTH
Pittsburgh (13-3, 5-1)
Baltimore (12-4, 5-1)
Cincinnati (7-9, 2-4)
Cleveland (4-12, 0-6)

AFC SOUTH
Tennessee (11-5, 5-1)
Indianapolis (11-5, 4-2)
Houston (11-5, 3-3)
Jacksonville (3-13, 0-6)

AFC WEST
San Diego (10-6, 5-1)
Kansas City (7-9, 5-1)
Denver (3-13, 2-4)
Oakland (1-15, 0-6)

AFC Playoff Seeds
Pittsburgh
New England
Tennessee (better div. record)
San Diego
Baltimore
Indianapolis (better div. record than HOU)

Wild Card
Indianapolis over Tennessee
Baltimore over San Diego

Divisional
Pittsburgh over Indianapolis
New England over Baltimore

Championship
New England over Pittsburgh

NFC EAST
Philadelphia (12-4, 3-3, 9-3)
NY Giants (11-5, 4-2)
Dallas (10-6, 4-2)
Washington (5-11, 1-5)

NFC NORTH
Green Bay (12-4, 4-2, 11-3, 9-3)
Chicago (12-4, 4-2, 11-3, 9-3)
Minnesota (10-6, 4-2)
Detroit (2-14, 0-6)

NFC SOUTH
Carolina (11-5, 4-2)
New Orleans (11-5, 2-4)
Atlanta (10-6, 5-1)
Tampa Bay (3-13, 1-5)

NFC WEST
Arizona (9-7, 5-1)
Seattle (9-7, 4-2)
San Francisco (4-12, 1-5)
St. Louis (1-15, 0-6)

NFC Playoff Seeds
Philadelphia (strength of schedule)
Green Bay
Carolina
Arizona
Chicago
New Orleans (head-to-head over NYG)


Wild Card
Carolina over Chicago
New Orleans over Arizona

Divisional
New Orleans over Philadelphia
Green Bay over Carolina

Championship
Green Bay over New Orleans

Super Bowl
Green Bay over New England

Observations on Cavs-Magic Game 4

I know it has been forever since I've posted, but this is the first time in the entire NBA playoffs that I've watched an entire game, and I'd like to share my thoughts. I'm going to go basically from the later parts of the game since those are the most important.

1. There is absolutely no excuse for LeBron having 8 turnovers, 5 or 6 of them coming in the fourth quarter or overtime. King James, you're the MVP. Are you kidding me?? I understand that you're trying to create, but you do your best creating by driving to the hoop and trying to score. Which brings me to my next point...

2. There is absolutely no excuse for LeBron not hitting free throws in the fourth quarter. Yea, I know he hit the two most pressure-packed free throws of the games, but that doesn't take away the misses...and that goes back to his five misses in the fourth quarter in Game 3 too.

3. Delonte West is the truth. For anyone who saw West go head-to-head under the basket with Dwight Howard, fall hard to the floor and bounce right back up after a necessary hard foul on Mickael Petrius and repeatedly hit fall away jumpers from the post, you know what I'm talking about. In my opinion, the Cavs can't win if West isn't in the game.

4. Dwight Howard stepped up big in overtime, putting his back to the basket and dunking almost at will. And don't say it was because Verejao fouled out. He was still in. Here's my question. Where was Dwight late in the fourth quarter when his team needed him to get the win?? A weak fourth quarter effort for Superman II, but a great effort when it counted most.

5. Rashard Lewis, Courtney Lee, Rafer Alston, Hedo Turkoglu, Michael Petrius...how can the Cavs expect to win when every one of these guys can and will hit a three whenever they have a speck of light between them and the basket. Better turn up the perimeter D Cleveland, or you'll only play one more game.

6. 4.1 seconds left in the fourth quarter: Mike Brown, you proved once again that you are not a great coach by putting Ben Wallace on one of the Magic's best perimeter shooters. Put the injury plagued, old post player on one of Orlando's stars?? Brilliant plan coach. By the way...was that really a 3 that Lewis hit?? I wasn't so sure.

7. 0.5 seconds left in the fourth quarter: LeBron, you got a gift of a foul call that gave you the chance to send the game to overtime. James and whoever it was that fouled him (Petrius?) hit legs against each other, and LeBron went down. In my book, it's a travel and the game's over, but it is what it is. Just another reason for fans to wonder if the league is trying to do their part to see a Kobe-LeBron final.

8. 0.0 seconds left in the fourth quarter: Get over it Dwight Howard. You weren't fouled, and if the refs wanted to, they could have called you for over the back.

9. Apart from LeBron's turnovers, Cleveland really didn't play a bad game. Orlando was outrageous beyond the 3-point line, and sometimes there just isn't a lot you can do about that.

10. One thing you can do Cleveland...keep Z out of the game if Orlando is hitting from the perimeter. Period. Ilgauskas is older and slower and just can't keep pace, especially if he and Verejao are in the game together with Anderson on Dwight Howard. I was that tonight, and it made me sick.

11. Skip to my Lou, Rafer Alston, whatever you're going by these days...you were clutch to the 10th power tonight, and have been for most of the series.

12. Bottom line for Cleveland...you're a miracle shot, one of the best shots in NBA history, from being swept after winning every game in the first two series of the playoffs. I know that there are serious match up problems with a deep perimeter team with a huge post threat like the Magic, but you have to find a way to win. You just have to do it.

13. Finally, for anyone who watched a Cavs game this season, what was one of the most evident things?? They were having fun. They're not having fun anymore. It's all business now, and some teams just can't do both. The Magic are hitting shots, laughing, giving high fives and having a good time (minus their perpetually constipated coach), but the Cavs are serious all the time in this series, and they need to get back to having fun or this series is over.

Prediction Time: The Magic are hungry for their first NBA finals appearance since 1994, but the Cavs will come out strong behind a desperate home crowd in Game 5, winning by about 12. I would be surprised if Cleveland gets another home game this season, though. Mike Brown, I have no faith in you to make the necessary adjustments. Prove me wrong.