Uh, we’re at Jody’s Club Forest in Staten Island, New York. I mean, I think when people talk about starting it, we didn’t, it wasn’t the brackets we started, we just started ***, *** winner from each region and you know, the champion and total points. From what I was told *** million times, you know, from my father, you know, before he passed was. That you know they were just hanging one day and he was *** creative guy and you know he would like to come up with some things to add business in *** way so that was his whole beginning of it and the first year they did it it was 1977 and there were 88 people to get in it and it was at $10 *** ticket. So the total prize was $880 in 1977. The word of mouth just really took it to *** level where we never in *** million years would have ever imagined where it got. Our last year was 2006. We had 1.6 $160,000. That final prize was $1.6 million. The day, the cutoff day for submitting tickets was as big as any other holiday around here. And Saint Patty’s Day is *** big day around here, but I mean it was, everybody came out, wives, you know, families came out. It was *** good time. Did you know? I used to have *** table lined up along the back and you’d have people collecting money collecting money and there were multiple different people, you know, we had elected officials getting in it we had, you know, we had which we knew everyone knew everyone was getting in it like, you know, Mike and the Mad Dog were getting in like people were like, that’s how popular it was like we were getting calls from California, uh, when the war was going on in Iraq. They were, there were tickets being sent to Iraq. In December of ’06, we were, uh, it was like *** Tuesday morning I believe, and two agents came in. They questioned my dad about running the pool and this and that and they said you’re under investigation. Um, fast forward, um, I would say about right then and there the pool was over. There wasn’t even *** debate amongst. My parents like, oh we’re gonna run it, we’re not gonna run it. We were, it was over right there, right that day in December. Now you could look up on the TV and I can watch *** game and my son could say, what’s Vandule and what’s this and that, like, to me, it’s just like. That’s crazy because gambling is just so accepted now. I’ve been asked like if we would ever start it up again. I just don’t even know if I could, could legally do it. I don’t, you know, but if I did it, it would, I think it would skyrocket right away. Yeah.
This professor’s math model predicts rare Final Four outcome
Davidson professor Tim Chartier’s model predicts the Final Four and a Cinderella team.
The men’s basketball selection committee revealed on Sunday the 68 teams that will compete in the NCAA Division I men’s basketball tournament.Now comes the tough part: predicting which teams will advance through the six-round tournament.This year’s bracket may feel particularly challenging, with all four No. 1 seeds boasting high offensive efficiency.Tim Chartier attributes the difficulty of predictions to the parity among teams, meaning more teams are evenly matched. Chartier, a professor of mathematics and computer science at Davidson College, agrees that making predictions for this year’s tournament was challenging. He specializes in data and sports analytics, particularly ranking systems. He teaches students how to develop mathematical formulas and models to predict winners using bracketology and ranking methods.Chartier and his students analyze the performance of 350 teams across 5,000 games. Their methods consider factors such as strength of schedule, home and away performances, and advanced statistics, particularly offensive efficiency.After crunching the numbers, here’s who they predict will move on in the tournament.Final Four Chartier’s models project all four No. 1 seeds — Duke, Florida, Houston and Auburn — will reach the Final Four. “We have an extremely strong set of No. 1 seeds. So believe it or not, after all of this work, we have the No. 1 seeds as being our Final Four,” he said.Since the tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1985, there’s only been one instance in which all four No. 1 seeds reached the Final Four. In 2008, Kansas, North Carolina, Memphis and UCLA made history by doing so. “We probably will not see all four of them, but we can’t seem to break that in our method, which is kind of interesting,” said Chartier. Cinderellas“Normally, we’re pretty quick on finding Cinderella teams, and for some reason, we’re not finding them as quickly,” said Chartier. A “Cinderella team” refers to a lower-seeded team making a deep tournament run, such as reaching the Sweet 16 or beyond.Chartier and his researchers identified No. 12 Colorado State as the likeliest team to have a Cinderella run.Though not a true Cinderella, he also sees No. 8 Gonzaga as a strong lower seed with potential for a deep run. Likely seed upsetChartier predicts No. 12 Colorado State is the team likely to upset its No. 5 opponent. Historically, No. 12 seeds have upset No. 5 seeds 55 times in 156 matchups since 1985.Another upset to watch: No. 11 Drake over No. 6 Missouri. Several of Chartier’s models predict Drake winning their first game, with one model even showing them advancing past the second round.Champion For the championship? Chartier predicts Duke and Florida will face off for the title. His projections favor Duke winning it all. The round of 64 for the 2025 NCAA men’s division I basketball tournament begins on Thursday. The championship game will be held at Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, on April 7. PHNjcmlwdCB0eXBlPSJ0ZXh0L2phdmFzY3JpcHQiPiFmdW5jdGlvbigpeyJ1c2Ugc3RyaWN0Ijt3aW5kb3cuYWRkRXZlbnRMaXN0ZW5lcigibWVzc2FnZSIsKGZ1bmN0aW9uKGUpe2lmKHZvaWQgMCE9PWUuZGF0YVsiZGF0YXdyYXBwZXItaGVpZ2h0Il0pe3ZhciB0PWRvY3VtZW50LnF1ZXJ5U2VsZWN0b3JBbGwoImlmcmFtZSIpO2Zvcih2YXIgYSBpbiBlLmRhdGFbImRhdGF3cmFwcGVyLWhlaWdodCJdKWZvcih2YXIgcj0wO3I8dC5sZW5ndGg7cisrKXtpZih0W3JdLmNvbnRlbnRXaW5kb3c9PT1lLnNvdXJjZSl0W3JdLnN0eWxlLmhlaWdodD1lLmRhdGFbImRhdGF3cmFwcGVyLWhlaWdodCJdW2FdKyJweCJ9fX0pKX0oKTs8L3NjcmlwdD4=
WASHINGTON —The men’s basketball selection committee revealed on Sunday the 68 teams that will compete in the NCAA Division I men’s basketball tournament.
Now comes the tough part: predicting which teams will advance through the six-round tournament.
This year’s bracket may feel particularly challenging, with all four No. 1 seeds boasting high offensive efficiency.
Tim Chartier attributes the difficulty of predictions to the parity among teams, meaning more teams are evenly matched.
Chartier, a professor of mathematics and computer science at Davidson College, agrees that making predictions for this year’s tournament was challenging. He specializes in data and sports analytics, particularly ranking systems. He teaches students how to develop mathematical formulas and models to predict winners using bracketology and ranking methods.
Chartier and his students analyze the performance of 350 teams across 5,000 games. Their methods consider factors such as strength of schedule, home and away performances, and advanced statistics, particularly offensive efficiency.
After crunching the numbers, here’s who they predict will move on in the tournament.
Final Four
Chartier’s models project all four No. 1 seeds — Duke, Florida, Houston and Auburn — will reach the Final Four.
“We have an extremely strong set of No. 1 seeds. So believe it or not, after all of this work, we have the No. 1 seeds as being our Final Four,” he said.
Since the tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1985, there’s only been one instance in which all four No. 1 seeds reached the Final Four. In 2008, Kansas, North Carolina, Memphis and UCLA made history by doing so.
“We probably will not see all four of them, but we can’t seem to break that in our method, which is kind of interesting,” said Chartier.
Cinderellas
“Normally, we’re pretty quick on finding Cinderella teams, and for some reason, we’re not finding them as quickly,” said Chartier.
A “Cinderella team” refers to a lower-seeded team making a deep tournament run, such as reaching the Sweet 16 or beyond.
Chartier and his researchers identified No. 12 Colorado State as the likeliest team to have a Cinderella run.
Though not a true Cinderella, he also sees No. 8 Gonzaga as a strong lower seed with potential for a deep run.
Likely seed upset
Chartier predicts No. 12 Colorado State is the team likely to upset its No. 5 opponent. Historically, No. 12 seeds have upset No. 5 seeds 55 times in 156 matchups since 1985.
Another upset to watch: No. 11 Drake over No. 6 Missouri. Several of Chartier’s models predict Drake winning their first game, with one model even showing them advancing past the second round.
Champion
For the championship? Chartier predicts Duke and Florida will face off for the title. His projections favor Duke winning it all.
The round of 64 for the 2025 NCAA men’s division I basketball tournament begins on Thursday. The championship game will be held at Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, on April 7.
