Which NCAA Tournament Teams Should You Favor Given the Public's Picks?

Ask yourself: do you think about what teams your neighbor is picking in an NCAA Tournament bracket as you select your bracket's winners?

Because the majority of people don't.

We all know that if you select an off-the-wall team to win the National Title, and that team ends up victorious, then you're probably in good shape to win your pool. But, many times, the process in choosing that sort-of-outlier-of-a-team is random. There's no logic. You're just picking the 6 seed because, well, no one else is.

That's bad process.

It's time to add a little math to the mix. Using ESPN's  Who Picked Whom data for this year's March Madness bracket, let's take a look at the best values in this year's tournament based on the public's picks. To put this another way -- in larger pools, which teams have the best chance of returning a whole lot of value for your pool?

Here's a hint: It's not Kansas.

Playing the Public