This year, I decided to try my hand at participating in a NCAAB bracket tournament hosted by the Pastor of a church I attend. This is coming from someone who has never watched a college basketball game in her entire life and doesn't even know who the strong teams are. But, miracles do happen and before the final game of the season, I was tied for 1st place out of 75 players! Can you believe it?! Inexperienced, lil' ole me!
We all got to choose our Champion at the beginning when we were making our Round 1 picks and I had chosen Wisconsin, so if they won, I would get 20 bonus points. But, we all got the opportunity to choose our Champion team again before the final game for 12 points (this was helpful for those whose Champion team had already been eliminated). J picked Duke from the get-go and with Kentucky off the list, he suddenly became a contender for the dough, so he stuck with Duke because he'd need all 32 points to place. But me, I had to complete a thorough analysis of all possible scenarios before making my final decision. I assumed that everyone would stay with their original pick if they picked Wisconsin or Duke, but also considered the possibility that someone would do a little switcheroo to ensure themselves some sort of win (which did happen!). Wisconsin or Duke?
Here is what my (semi-crazy) analytical mind came up with:
Scenario 1 – Duke wins, I bet against myself and pick Duke
Me – 3rd place $300
We all got to choose our Champion at the beginning when we were making our Round 1 picks and I had chosen Wisconsin, so if they won, I would get 20 bonus points. But, we all got the opportunity to choose our Champion team again before the final game for 12 points (this was helpful for those whose Champion team had already been eliminated). J picked Duke from the get-go and with Kentucky off the list, he suddenly became a contender for the dough, so he stuck with Duke because he'd need all 32 points to place. But me, I had to complete a thorough analysis of all possible scenarios before making my final decision. I assumed that everyone would stay with their original pick if they picked Wisconsin or Duke, but also considered the possibility that someone would do a little switcheroo to ensure themselves some sort of win (which did happen!). Wisconsin or Duke?
Here is what my (semi-crazy) analytical mind came up with:
Scenario 1 – Duke wins, I bet against myself and pick Duke
J – 6th place $125
Combined win - $425
Scenario 2 – Duke wins, I stay with Wisconsin
Me – No dice
J – 5th place $200
Combined win - $200
Scenario 3 - Wisconsin wins, I bet against myself and pick Duke
Me – 3rd place $300
J - $0
Combined win - $300
Scenario 3 - Wisconsin wins, I bet against myself and pick Duke
Me – 3rd place $300
J - $0
Combined win - $300
Scenario 4 - Wisconsin wins, I stay with Wisconsin
Me - 1st place $500
J - $0
Combined win - $500
What would you do?
I agonized over this decision for over 6 hours and finally decided to bet against myself and picked Duke. Thank goodness I had gained enough of a lead to have some flexibility with my pick! By picking Duke, I would be guaranteed $300 no matter who won, and would get an additional $125 if Duke won. If I stayed with Wisconsin, I could win $500 or walk away with nothing. I am risk averse, so I'm not surprised with my final pick!
What an amazing game it was.
Duke won! And I almost had a heart attack. I don't know if I can participate in this bracket again next year because my blood pressure shoots through the roof during each game and my heart races when the game is close. Even for me, I scare myself with how intense I get!
Here are the final results.
Look! I picked the correct winning teams in rounds 3-6! Man, just 1 point short of tying for 1st! Next year!
Me - 1st place $500
J - $0
Combined win - $500
What would you do?
I agonized over this decision for over 6 hours and finally decided to bet against myself and picked Duke. Thank goodness I had gained enough of a lead to have some flexibility with my pick! By picking Duke, I would be guaranteed $300 no matter who won, and would get an additional $125 if Duke won. If I stayed with Wisconsin, I could win $500 or walk away with nothing. I am risk averse, so I'm not surprised with my final pick!
What an amazing game it was.
Duke won! And I almost had a heart attack. I don't know if I can participate in this bracket again next year because my blood pressure shoots through the roof during each game and my heart races when the game is close. Even for me, I scare myself with how intense I get!
Here are the final results.
Look! I picked the correct winning teams in rounds 3-6! Man, just 1 point short of tying for 1st! Next year!
