Navigating March Madness with ChatGPT

As March Madness intensifies, both the NCAA men’s and women’s basketball tournaments are down to the Sweet 16. Many fans, including myself, look forward to the excitement of the games and the opportunity to compete in bracket pools. This year, I got some surprising help in making my predictions.

Athletic Acumen and AI

While I have a solid background in basketball, having attended UCLA and followed the NBA closely, I found myself a bit out of touch with college basketball this year. In an effort to keep up and perform well in my bracket pool, I decided to leverage an AI tool: ChatGPT. This decision yielded impressive results, with ChatGPT accurately guessing 28 out of 32 first-round games and 14 of 16 in the second round.

My Tournament Strategy

Despite my limited knowledge of the teams this year, I was determined to improve my chances in the pool. With enticing prizes for the top five finishers, I set out to create a competitive bracket using ChatGPT.

Understanding the Odds

While the odds of creating a perfect bracket are astronomically low at 1 in 9.2 quintillion, my goal was simply to outperform my friends and family in the pool. Using AI wouldn’t guarantee victory, but it definitely offered me a strategic advantage over traditional guessing.

Crafting the Bracket with ChatGPT

When using ChatGPT, there are various approaches one could take to fill out a March Madness bracket. Below are a few strategies and examples of prompts:

Conservative Approach

A safe strategy focuses mostly on the favorites while allowing a few historically reasonable upsets:

Prompt Example: "Fill out my March Madness bracket with a focus on the favorites, including a couple of calculated upsets."

Moderate Risk

If you believe in more upsets, you can ask for a balanced mix:

Prompt Example: "Fill out my March Madness bracket with a blend of strong favorites, some calculated upsets, and at least one dark horse team."

High-Risk Strategy

For the bold, there’s even the chance to go for big upsets and surprise teams:

Prompt Example: "Fill out my March Madness bracket with a bold approach, focusing on major upsets and a good Cinderella story."

Whatever approach you choose, it’s advisable to expect some follow-up questions from the AI that can refine your bracket. I opted for a moderate strategy that balanced risk and safety.

The Bracket Produced by ChatGPT

For my bracket, I utilized the prompt:

“Fill out a complete March Madness bracket for me, incorporating a mix of strong favorites, calculated upsets, and at least one dark horse. Make sure to consider the First Four teams.”

After some adjustments and guiding it to use the official NCAA website for accuracy, this was the bracket ChatGPT generated:

First Four Games

(16) Alabama State defeated (16) Saint Francis (PA)
(16) Mount St. Mary’s defeated (16) American
(11) North Carolina defeated (11) San Diego State
(11) Texas defeated (11) Xavier

South Region Results

First Round:
- (1) Auburn defeated (16) Alabama State
- (5) Michigan defeated (12) UC San Diego
- (4) Texas A&M defeated (13) Yale
- (6) Ole Miss defeated (11) North Carolina
- (3) Iowa State defeated (14) Lipscomb
- (2) Michigan State defeated (15) Bryant
Second Round:
- (1) Auburn defeated (8) Creighton
- (5) Michigan defeated (4) Texas A&M
- (2) Michigan State defeated (7) New Mexico

Sweet 16 Highlights

(1) Auburn defeated (5) Michigan
(2) Michigan State defeated (3) Iowa State

Elite 8 Highlights

(1) Auburn defeated (2) Michigan State

Following this strategy proved successful as ChatGPT performed well, capturing both favorites and some upsets. In the first and second rounds, it showed notable accuracy, including identifying unexpected outcomes, thus enhancing my enjoyment and competitive spirit.

Exploring the Women’s Tournament with ChatGPT

Though not as widely followed, the NCAA women’s basketball tournament also presents opportunities for bracket pools. I took the same approach with ChatGPT to fill out a hypothetical women’s bracket.

My Prompt for Women’s Basketball

“Fill out a complete women’s March Madness bracket for me, focusing on strong favorites, a few calculated upsets, and at least one dark horse.”

ChatGPT’s Response

The resulting bracket noted key favorites like South Carolina and UConn, predicted some upsets such as Louisville over Arizona, and even highlighted Louisville as a potential dark horse with the chance to make a deep run.

Incorporating AI into the bracket-making process for March Madness not only simplifies decision-making but also adds an exciting element to the tournament experience. As the games unfold, having AI-enhanced predictions adds a layer of enjoyment to the unpredictable nature of the competition.