Bracketologists and sports fans alike bring out the pens and begin studying the stats in anticipation of March Madness. But what if a computer did all the work for you?
PickMyBracket.com is the chance to sit back and let the computer do the difficult selection for you. You don’t have to spend hours analyzing statistics for your favorite team, or spend copious amounts of time squeezing team names into tiny bracket boxes. Now you just make two simple choices and let the computer do the rest.
PickMyBracket.com creates a bracket in seconds when you pick two choices from eight different categorical options. Users can select a stat they want emphasized, like rebounds or assists. Next, users select a random factor to be emphasized, like co-ed hotness or mascot. After these selections the computer produces a bracket from the original 68 teams all the way to the ultimate champion.
Jeff Potter and Nick Walter from Brigham Young University have developed a way for the computer to create a full bracket for you in seconds. The computer program pulls statistical data from ESPN and then compares these stats to pick a winner. A random factor is thrown in the mix so that different brackets are created every time.
Walter says, “The idea for Pick My Bracket came from my dad who is a computer savvy guy, but an even bigger sports fan. For around the past 10 years he made an excel file that filled out your March Madness bracket for you based off of team’s ranks and some randomness. He called it ‘The Pickalator.’ I have been learning how to make websites in school and at my job, so I thought this would be a great chance to bring The Pickalator to the whole world!
“There are a lot of people invited to participate in a March Madness bracket competition, but in the end they don’t fill out a bracket. They’re too busy or they don’t feel like they know enough about basketball to participate. We’re trying to help these people experience the fun of March Madness.”
Potter adds, “We are allowing people who were busy during basketball season and haven’t had time to understand all of the teams to make a bracket and be part of March Madness. Lots of people don’t have any clue who Xavier is or what the rankings are, but they want to be part of the bracket competition. This is a fun and quick solution!”
You can find PickMyBracket on Facebook and Twitter. If you like PickMyBracket on facebook and share the page with five friends you will be entered into a drawing for the new iPad. The goal is to get 5000 people using the site and at least 2000 likes on Facebook. Potter and Walter are looking for a solid foundation to be even more successful next year. They hope to bring even more innovations to next year’s March Madness.