Introduction As I’ve watched soccer over the years, I’ve become more convinced that goalkeepers are undervalued. My basic reasoning was that the most highly valued players, strikers, are involved in maybe half of a team’s goals scored. But goalkeepers are involved in every goal prevented. With extra free time due to the pandemic, I’ve decided to […]
Better Late Than Never: March Madness Follow Up
April means the end of March Madness, which marks the end of my latest science experiment: my March Madness Algorithm. As I have detailed in previous posts I am in a March Madness pool where participants get points for making correct picks that other user did not pick. The more users who did not make […]
The Madness Returns Part 1: Updating the Algorithm
After a solemn eleven month wait it is finally March again, which means it is finally not pathetic for me to reopen my code from last March to generate my March Madness bracket. In case you missed my post from last year about my bracket and algorithm you can find it here. In short, I […]
Similarity Measures for Data Science
Similarity Measures for Data Science Introduction Understanding whether two entities are alike is a core data science and business question. We may be comparing customer segments, trying to predict customer behavior based off similar customers in the past, or recommending new products to customers. All of these questions require a similarity measure for comparing […]
Turning March Madness Upset Down Part 2: Bracket Results Analysis
If there is one thing that screams April, it is the championship game of March Madness. This year I decided to join a March Madness pool along with 55 other people and two cats. My pool’s scoring system is unconventional; instead of simply getting points for making the correct pick, your score is based off […]
Turning March Madness Upset Down:Using Game Theory, Behavioral Economics, and Greedy Algorithms on an Alternative March Madness Bracket
As mid march rolls in and the Washington, DC area sees its first real snow of the year (wait, what?!), office workers across country begin spending their precious time furiously filling out brackets. This year I decided to go all in and join a $5 NONREFUNDABLE bracket pool. After committing to spending such a large […]