Read This First!!!

If this is your first time reading this blog and/or you have no familiarity with a scientific approach to bracket picking, this page should explain a lot of the terminology/abbreviations used throughout this blog. I will also provide links to articles which explain the tools and concepts if you have the yearning for knowledge.

Rule #1: Use this blog at your own discretion. You are responsible for any use or employment of the information provided in this blog. I am not legally liable for any bracket contest you enter. This blog is not legally liable for any bracket contest you enter.

General Definitions
Upset - When a worse-seeded team defeats a better-seeded team and the seed difference is 4 or more.
RPI - Ratings Percentage Index - NCAA's defunct (and inexact) measure of team quality
NET - NCAA Evaluation Tool - NCAA's current (and trial-balloon) measure of team quality
SOS - Strength of Schedule

Bracket Abbreviations
R64: Round of 64 Games (1v16, 2v15, 3v14, 4v13, 5v12, 6v11, 7v10, and 8v9 match-ups)
R32: Round of 32 Games (1/16 vs 8/9, 2/15 vs 7/10, 3/14 vs 6/11, and 4/13 vs 5/12 match-ups)
S16: Sweet 16 Games
E8: Elite 8
F4: Final 4
NR: National Runner-Up
NC: National Champion

UPM: Upset-Potential Match-up - A match-up between two teams that fits the definition of "upset."
O: Over-seeded Team (also OS) - A team with a better seed when efficiency metrics suggest the team should have received a worse seed (i.e. - a 1-seeded team that grades out as a 3-seeded team).
U: Under-seeded Team (also US) - A team with a worse seed when efficiency metrics suggest the team should have received a better seed (i.e. - an 8-seeded team that grades out as a 5-seeded team).

Model Abbreviations
M-o-M: Mad-o-meter - A tool constructed by Pete Tiernan of Bracket Science that measures the total sanity/insanity of a given tournament.
AM: Aggregation Model (Link) - Sum of the Seeds for each round
     - In the format of "R32AV - S16AV - E8AV - F4AV - CGAV - NCAV"
     - Example Given:  160 - 63 - 27 - 16 - 4 -1
     - Usually found in the Final Edition of the Quality Curve Anaylsis
AV: Aggregate Value (Same Link as AM) - Sum of all seeds in a particular round of a tournament
QC: Quality Curve (Link) - Graphical representation of Top 50 Efficiency-rated teams
SC: Seed Curve (Same Link as QC) - Graphical representation of Seed-groups by efficiency ratings
SGLT: Seed-group Loss Table (Link)
R&I: Return and Improve Model (Link) - A model predicting improvement on previous tournament success based on the percentage-return of particular statistical categories.
ET: Experience Talent Model (Link) - A model measuring tournament quality based on the accumulated experience gained by talented players (Top 100-ranked high school recruits)

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