Leuthold Memorial Tournament - 2nd Round, Day One

Well, eight tickets to the Sweet Sixteen have been punched, and for this tournament, it's a transition from sister to brother as Wells Faine knocks Lauren off the lead. Here are the standings.

1 Wells Faine 569 214 +11 (Champ)
2 Drew Curth 566 202 +2 (Champ)
3 Kevin Faigle 565 208 +7 (Big Loser)
3 Andrew Logan 565 222 +20 (Champ)
5 Brandon Lanquist 564 204 +2 (Champ)
5 Jake Kempf 564 206 +3 (Champ)
7 Doug Steiner 561 196 -5 (Champ)
8 Lauren Faine 553 186 -7 (Champ)
8 John Montgomery 553 198 +4 (Champ)
10 Kevin Hunt 551 202 +9 (Champ)
11 Justin Reichley 549 188 -5 (Champ, Big Loser)
12 Tony Falk 548 190 -4 (Champ)
12 Eric Bookmyer 548 184 -8 (Champ)
14 Jeff Fitzwater 546 196 +3 (Champ)
15 Matt Fehr 544 192 -- (Champ, Big Loser)
15 Jake Young 544 194 +2 (Champ)
17 Matt Rader 543 178 -15 (Champ)
18 Anthony Tynan 542 186 -7 (Champ)
19 Matt Barnes 539 184 -7 (Champ)
20 Rachel Hoops 536 184 -5 (Champ)
21 John Gray 533 184 -2 (Champ)
22 Anne Seiler 530 190 +2 (Champ)
23 Mallory Myers 527 182 -1 (Champ)
24 Bethany Green 520 174 -3 (Champ)
25 Todd Schleucher 517 178 -- (Champ)
26 Ryan Calhoun 512 174 -- (Champ)

First, Andrew Logan makes the largest jump in the history of this tournament, going from 23rd to 3rd with a 222 point performance. Much of that is due to his 12 point seeds to both Richmond and Butler, while most had them in single digits.

The Pitt loss knocks Kevin Faigle out of the champion race, but he still has a Big Loser in the tournament and moved up 7 spots to 3rd.

There are only two people left that have a possible Big Loser. That loser is Clemson, so for it to happen, Ohio State (the champion pick of 17 people), would have to go out in the Elite Eight or earlier.

Leuthold Memorial Tournament - Round One Notes

Here are some odds and ends of Round One

Easiest region to pick: East (94.2 out of 100 possible points per person)
Hardest region to pick: Southwest (76.7 out of 100)
Highest seed eliminated: Louisville (13.42)
Lowest seed still playing: Morehead State (3.77)
Team giving the most points: Ohio State (396, or 15.77 per person)
Team giving the least points: Morehead State (98, or 3.77)

There were four (4) perfect regions...Kevin Faigle in the Southeast, Todd Schleucher and Drew Curth in the East and Jeff Fitzwater in the West.

Eight (8) people can still correctly pick the Big Loser.

All 26 competitors still have their champion pick.

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!