NCAA Tournament Bracket Watch: Kansas State, TCU and Providence make big moves

Looking back, 2022 may be remembered as the year artificial intelligence began to rise. One big breakthrough: the release of OpenAI Chat GPT End of November. The bot is designed to mimic human conversation, but it can also write college-level essays, compose lyrics, and answer detailed questions in seconds.

Perhaps this time next year, ChatGPT and other AI tools will create Bracket Watch, analyzing results and rankings and spitting out 68 fields in record time. This week we decided to play around with it and see how close we are to losing our jobs (and like the Terminator is visiting from the future). ChatGPT still has some notable limitations. We don’t know much about what will happen beyond 2021, nor do we provide predictions. The answer was equivalent to “ask me again later”. (“Tournaments are still ahead and there are many variables that can affect team performance and seeding.” Hmmm, thanks.)

ChatGPT gives us a quick thesis on why March Madness is so great (“This tournament is known for its high level of competition and drama, as upsets and Cinderella runs are common”) He gave me NET ranking strengths and weaknesses. But the most memorable and slightly frightening moment came when I requested a poem about AI and college basketball. This flashed through:

AI and college basketball,
Two worlds that seem far apart,
But, full of excitement and thrills,
And the desire to be number one in the heart.

AI, the world of technology and innovation,
pushing the boundaries of what we know,
Eternally learning and evolving,
Never-ending growth.

College basketball, a world of athleticism and skill,
teamwork and determination,
Pursuit of victory and glory,
A constant striving for perfection.

Two seemingly different worlds,
But both are driven by a common goal,
to be the best at what they do,
And leave their mark all over the world.

hey we know Loco’s Basilisk, I mean, let’s just say “Robot Frost Rules”. We are, for one, Welcome our new AI rulerLet’s face it: Computers already have a big say in how the NCAA tournament is run through the NET system and other metrics like KenPom, BPI and Sagarin. Seeding fields requires constant push/pull to interpret both algorithmic analysis and human-driven results.

It’s important to remember that the selection committee considers “who you beat”. More than “Where did you rank?” last season saw that debate get into full swing when several teams had NET numbers and other efficiency metrics that didn’t match what they were actually working on. I was. The committee consistently won and lost.Examples included Wisconsin (Selected Sunday NET 24th place) 3rd seed acquisition, providence (No. 32 in NET) In response to No. 4 Rutgers Winning the General Invitation field despite having a NET of 77.Conversely, a highly ranked team lacking significant wins such as malay state (Net 21st, 7th seed), San Francisco (22nd/10th) and Virginia Tech (27th/11th) are also not doing well.

Computer rankings certainly serve a useful purpose, perhaps especially now. Best college basketball team ever. almost indistinguishableso metrics are a key differentiator. houston Entering Thursday, NET, KenPom, Sagarin, BPI, T-Rank #1 and a week later U Conn (twice) and Purdue Both lost, it must elevate the Cougars. Good team Kansas, Missouri When LSUswho had a soft schedule early on but backed it up with good wins? Metrics help sort it out.

People should always have the last word until we are finally replaced and harvested. A blend of judgment and computer analysis can help.

66 days until Selection Sunday, notes on second bracket:

• The new overall first seed is Kansas, based on the current National Champion’s 7-1 record in quads 1 and 2. The Jayhawks also did it against his 12th toughest schedule in the NETs. UConn dropped from his #1 spot on the seed list to #5. But it shows how close the top teams were.

• A week of chaos—with a small sample size yet—made big moves. Kansas moved up the 5 seed line after back-to-back quad 1 wins, including his spectacular 116-103 in Texas on Tuesday. Pittsburgh (4-1 in quad 1) went from barely on the radar to the 10th seed after defeating North Carolina and Virginia. Rutgers’ upset at Purdue pushed it out of the first four to the seventh seed. Providence’s convincing victory over UConn allowed the Monks to enter the field safely.When TCU An 11-game win streak over Baylor brought back great momentum.

• This week’s Final Four pairings will be Midwest vs. East and West vs. South based on the seed list. * indicates an automatic bidding modifier for the meeting. Based on a combination of results and indicators.

• question? complain? Type “em” in a comment and BracketBot (patent pending) will attempt to respond.

(photograph Jalen Wilson: Ed Zurga/Getty Images)