Dance like no one is watching... it's NCAA Tournament Time

March 13, 2023 11:19 PM

As we do around these parts, it's time to make some brackets based on dubious distinctions and talk about a little basketball.

Bracket links can be found over on the Fanfare post. This is a lot of fun every year and you don't need to know anything about basketball to play, so please come join us!

posted by joycehealy to MetaFilter-Related at 11:19 PM (16 comments total)

If you don't know anything about basketball, choosing your bracket based team colors or mascots are both acceptable strategies.
posted by Tehhund at 12:37 AM on March 14, 2023 [8 favorites]

If you don't know anything about basketball, choosing your bracket based team colors or mascots are both acceptable strategies.

I pick the name that I find more appealing, which traditionally has a very low success rate. I'm sure this year will be different though.
posted by Literaryhero at 5:59 AM on March 14, 2023 [1 favorite]

Probably a better strategy than ranking them based on the strength of their library science programs.
posted by box at 7:58 AM on March 14, 2023 [6 favorites]

> ... talk about a little basketball.

[ narrows eyes ] How small we talking here?
posted by seanmpuckett at 10:12 AM on March 14, 2023 [5 favorites]

box: Probably a better strategy than ranking them based on the strength of their library science programs.

I did one based on 6-year graduation rate, so I will be eagerly looking forward to a very improbable Cinderella run from Princeton.
posted by capricorn at 7:02 PM on March 14, 2023 [1 favorite]

OK, I know nothing about basketball and had to look up what NCAA was. Obviously, I'm in! I made all my choices based on alphabetical order, so I'm sure of picking a winner :-)
posted by dg at 12:03 AM on March 15, 2023 [3 favorites]

I built my bracket yesterday by the methodology I always use, ranked by how cute/likable I find the mascots. I've got Xavier to win it all.

A close contender was TCU for their horrible toad man. Imagine my delight when I looked through their mascot history to find his dime store cryptid origins.
posted by phunniemee at 5:37 AM on March 15, 2023 [6 favorites]

the jayhawks have the benefit of being on the right side of history
posted by dismas at 8:00 AM on March 15, 2023

Very clever of the selection committee--having them play Oral Roberts University in the first round will trick me into briefly rooting for Duke.
posted by box at 10:43 AM on March 15, 2023 [3 favorites]

I just joined the pool at work they did using the Sleeper app. I made my picks based on percentages chosen by others, with toss-ups (say 60-40 or closer) done by vague positive feelings towards schools.

I'm not a basketball person, but it's nice to be included. And I like to be supportive of other sports nerds.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 1:51 PM on March 15, 2023 [2 favorites]

As an academic, I was able to do the better part of a bracket based on the sole criteria of which places have given me and my friends jobs or rejected them from same.
posted by dr. boludo at 8:05 AM on March 16, 2023 [4 favorites]

If you don't know anything about basketball, choosing your bracket based team colors or mascots are both acceptable strategies

I once got totally destroyed by someone who did their bracket entirely based on "intimidation level of mascots."
posted by TwoStride at 9:56 AM on March 16, 2023 [4 favorites]

Ugh, apparently I joined a second group on ESPN and that took me out of the Metafilter group. But given how badly I did yesterday, I don't have much of a chance anyway.
posted by thecaddy at 6:42 AM on March 17, 2023

Lot of grumbling about Arizona getting beaten by Princeton in my office, as most of the brackets had AZ going to the Final Four.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 9:06 AM on March 17, 2023 [1 favorite]

I’m going to need Pitt not to Pitt this game.
posted by joycehealy at 1:21 PM on March 17, 2023

Well, my choosing teams by alphabetical order got me 22nd out of 26 in the men's table and dead last in the women's. Maybe that wasn't the best strategy.
posted by dg at 8:22 PM on April 5, 2023