The good thing about living in a University city like Champaign-Urbana, is that there are minds working up god-knows-what at all times to try to innovate and create things that help others.
The NCAA tournament starts today — and if you’re still looking for some help filling out your bracket, last minute, perhaps the U of I Computer Science department can help you out.
Per this article in the U of I News Bureau — BracketOdds might help:
The NCAA men’s basketball tournament – commonly known as March Madness – begins March 14. Millions of college basketball enthusiasts will be filling out their brackets, hoping to predict the outcome of all the games. In an interview with News Bureau physical sciences editor Liz Touchstone, computer science professor Sheldon H. Jacobson discusses patterns he’s observed in the tournament and how data analytics can provide guidance for fans filling out brackets. Working with U. of I. students, he also oversees the BracketOdds website, a STEM learning lab for his students, to provide fans with useful tips in filling out their brackets.
There’s plenty more in the article linked above, which is a fun read.