# March Madness
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/march-madness/981233
**Category:** The Game Room
**Tags:** basketball-nba
**Created:** [March 15, 2023, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/march-madness/981233 "2023-03-15T21:21:32Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 2
### Author:  [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)
#### Post date: [March 18, 2023, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/march-madness/981233/21 "2023-03-18T23:58:11Z")
Another thrilling game while Arkansas knocks out Kansas after barely having the lead most of the game.
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### Author:  [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)
#### Post date: [March 19, 2023, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/march-madness/981233/22 "2023-03-19T00:22:51Z")
#15 Princeton advances to the Sweet 16 with an upset of seventh-seeded Missouri.
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### Author:  [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)
#### Post date: [March 19, 2023, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/march-madness/981233/23 "2023-03-19T02:32:36Z")
Towards the end of the Princeton-Missouri game, they showed happy fans in the Princeton section of the stands, two of whom were taking cellphone photos of the action on the court. One of them had a Louis Vuitton case for her cellphone.
Classic Ivy League rooter.
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### Author:  [@flurb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flurb)
#### Post date: [March 19, 2023, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/march-madness/981233/24 "2023-03-19T02:49:08Z")
Not a single team from last year’s Final Four makes it out of the first weekend (and two of them didn’t even make the field).
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### Author:  [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)
#### Post date: [March 19, 2023, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/march-madness/981233/25 "2023-03-19T06:19:11Z")
> [@Ponch8](#):
>
> Only the second 16-over-1 upset of all time, the first being Maryland-Baltimore County over Virginia in 2018. Reading some commentary, this FDU-over-Purdue game makes the UMBC-over-UVA game look like a mild surprise.
#16 Fairleigh Dickinson’s upset over #1 Purdue inspired me to watch the [2018 #16 UMBC upset over #1 Virginia](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2018_UMBC_vs._Virginia_men%27s_basketball_game). [The game is available on YouTube](https://youtu.be/snISurWcFo8). I hadn’t seen it before. It was a sloppy first half with low and inept scoring ending in a 21-21 tie. In the second half UMBC slowly yet convincingly pulled ahead to lead it by 13, 16, then 20 points.
It was discussed five years ago here:
> [@UMBC becomes 1st 16 seed to beat a #1 seed](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/umbc-becomes-1st-16-seed-to-beat-a-1-seed/810713):
>
> The 188th ranked team in the nation becomes the first ever win by a 16 seed team. There will be no perfect brackets this year, mighty Casey has struck out. (Never mix a sports metaphor). Not squeaked by either, a decisive 74-54 game. Dennis
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### Author:  [@That\_Don\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/That_Don_Guy)
#### Post date: [March 20, 2023, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/march-madness/981233/26 "2023-03-20T19:20:48Z")
After the first weekend, here is the current breakdown of the money shares - remember that each share is counted for each of the next six years:
(Numbers in parentheses indicate how many teams from that conference remain; each can earn up to 2 more shares)
14 (3) - SEC
13 (1) - Big 10
12 (2) - Big 12
9 (3) - Big East
9 (1) - ACC
6 (1) - Pac-12
5 (1) - Mountain West
4 (1) - West Coast
3 (1) - American
3 - NEC
2 (1) - Conference USA
2 (1) - Ivy
2 - Southern
2 - Southland
The other 18 conferences each got 1 share.
Each share will be worth about $285,400 in 2024, and increases each year until it gets to $326,000 in 2029. The money goes to the conferences, which are “supposed to” divide it equally among their schools, but I have heard that some conferences pocket some, if not all, of it (“well, we have to pay for the conference track & field championship somehow…”)
A conference gets a share for each team in the tournament, and a share for each win outside of the final four. First Four wins do count.
In case anyone is wondering what happens to, say, Texas’s and UCLA’s shares in future years: all shares earned in a tournament will remain with the conference the team was in at the time.
Also, the women’s tournament does not generate any shares (at least, not yet); any profits from that tournament (and all other NCAA tournaments, for that matter) are kept by the NCAA. I am not sure what happens with NIT money.
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### Author:  [@EastUmpqua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EastUmpqua)
#### Post date: [March 21, 2023, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/march-madness/981233/27 "2023-03-21T23:15:02Z")
Just for fun, I submitted a bracket for my work group (it cost me another $20) that was an autofill based only on the BPI seed. It’s at 94.3%. Which is better than my bracket that I spent hours working on. That hurts my feelings, a little 😆
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### Author:  [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)
#### Post date: [March 24, 2023, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/march-madness/981233/28 "2023-03-24T00:39:51Z")
I’m a U of Michigan alumni, but am cheering for Michigan State. They just tied it 82-82 to go to overtime here in the sweet 16.
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### Author:  [@Chingon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chingon)
#### Post date: [March 24, 2023, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/march-madness/981233/29 "2023-03-24T02:05:19Z")
That was an amazing game. Best in years.
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### Author:  [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)
#### Post date: [March 24, 2023, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/march-madness/981233/30 "2023-03-24T04:26:45Z")
Had great bracket until tonight. FAU and Gonzaga took out TWO of my Final Four teams.
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### Author:  [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)
#### Post date: [March 24, 2023, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/march-madness/981233/31 "2023-03-24T16:17:07Z")
> [@Chingon](#):
>
> That was an amazing game. Best in years.
Was it? I thought I’d seen more exciting games in this tournament, even.
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### Author:  [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)
#### Post date: [March 24, 2023, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/march-madness/981233/32 "2023-03-24T16:23:19Z")
Well, yeah it was a pretty good game. Back and forth, overtime.
Gonzaga over UCLA was really good. FDU over Purdue was great this year.
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### Author:  [@EastUmpqua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EastUmpqua)
#### Post date: [March 24, 2023, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/march-madness/981233/33 "2023-03-24T20:22:26Z")
Texas - Xavier tonight at 6:45 pm west coast time. Can’t wait! Texas, I’m good. Xavier, I owe some coworkers some money.
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### Author:  [@EastUmpqua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EastUmpqua)
#### Post date: [March 25, 2023, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/march-madness/981233/34 "2023-03-25T01:28:04Z")
There goes another #1
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### Author:  [@SwissMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SwissMan)
#### Post date: [March 25, 2023, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/march-madness/981233/35 "2023-03-25T01:30:25Z")
All four #1 seeds have been eliminated; this will make the Final Four the first since 2011 to have no #1 seeds.
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### Author:  [@SwissMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SwissMan)
#### Post date: [March 25, 2023, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/march-madness/981233/36 "2023-03-25T01:41:30Z")
Indeed, from what I can tell, this will be the first time EVER in a 64+ team tourney that no #1 seed has made it to at least the regional final.
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### Author:  [@EastUmpqua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EastUmpqua)
#### Post date: [March 26, 2023, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/march-madness/981233/37 "2023-03-26T20:16:11Z")
Well I’m conflicted. If Texas looses to Miami, I win $80.00 from my office mates. But in another group (my buddies), I have Texas to take it all, but for me to be on top, they have to win the championship. And there’s no money to win. Go Texas!
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### Author:  [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)
#### Post date: [March 30, 2023, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/march-madness/981233/38 "2023-03-30T13:53:23Z")
What is the lowest combined ranking of a set of Final Four teams?
This year we have a:
5th, 9th, 5th, and a 4th ranked team.
No top 3 seeds made it and it got me wondering, what is the lowest ranked set of four teams to make it this far?
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### Author:  [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)
#### Post date: [March 30, 2023, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/march-madness/981233/39 "2023-03-30T14:08:15Z")
> The lowest-seeded Final Four came back in 2011 with No. 3 UConn, No. 4 Kentucky, No. 8 Butler and No. 11 VCU. The four schools had an average seed of 6.5, besting the previous record of 5.5 from 2000.
> **[Where 2023 Final Four Ranks Among Lowest-Seeded Fields in March Madness History](https://www.nbcmiami.com/news/sports/could-2023-final-four-feature-lowest-seeded-field-in-march-madness-history/3001425/)**
>
> One 4-seed, two 5-seeds and a 9-seed. This year’s Final Four features one of the lowest-seeded fields in men’s NCAA Tournament history.
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### Author:  [@Mighty\_Mouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Mouse)
#### Post date: [March 30, 2023, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/march-madness/981233/40 "2023-03-30T14:12:40Z")
Do not the highest (lowest?) total seeding, but the first time with no 1, 2 or 3 seed.
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