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2026 Women’s March Madness Bracket and Predictions

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March Madness is back, and in this post, we will discuss the Women’s side!  My post for the Men’s tournament was released yesterday , but I am especially excited for the Women’s because we could have a Final Four featuring all four 1-seeds…which is something that never feels right. For the Women’s tournament, there are four main metrics I use:   record against top 25 teams, three-point percentage, free throw percentage, and defensive rating.   Unlike the men’s tournament where there is one or two metrics that are key in predicting a winner, it really is a balance of each and how the team plays, especially since some teams have dominated while rarely shooting threes (South Carolina) while others have had struggles due to a lack of consistency from deep.   Defensive rating is usually a better indicator in the first few rounds since most of the higher ranked teams are also strong defensively. In my bracket, I have UConn beating UCLA in the Championship, which is a r...
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2026 Men’s March Madness Bracket and Predictions

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March Madness is back, and in this post, we will focus on the madness that I expect will ensue on the Men’s side (my post about the Women’s tournament will be released tomorrow).  The reason I word it this way is because for the first time, I have absolutely no idea who will win the tournament, let alone make the Final Four. For the Men’s tournament, there are four metrics I use:  draftability score (a metric I created that looks at players who could be drafted while favoring those who are older), three point percentage, defensive rating, and free throw percentage.  The best of these metrics at predicting the winner has been the draftability score, while free throw percentage has been an predictor of upsets in the early rounds. Historically, a score of at least 10 has been a strong indicator of a team winning the championship.  There is a slight problem:  there are 17 teams remaining that have a score of at least 10, while another has a score of 9 that shoul...
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2025-26 NBA Trade Deadline Grades

The trade deadline is in the books, and it was surprisingly exciting and busy.  After a delay in finalizing these (I was on my honeymoon during the trade deadline and then was trying to write all of them when I got back).  The trades are in order by the popularity of the trade in my opinion.  Unless otherwise noted, I listed the trades based on reported instead of how they were finalized.     James Harden for Darius Garland Cleveland receives : James Harden L.A. Clippers receive : Darius Garland, 2026 2 nd round pick   Cleveland Grade: B This is such a strange side for both sides, and while it’s understandable for Cleveland, it is weird to see a team trade an All-Star guard who fits well with the team (albeit one who has been injured most of this year) for a legend having a great year who is 10 years older.   On top of that, they had to give up the pick despite odds being good that Garland (if healthy) will be better than Harden in 3 s...
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