College basketball fans are a dedicated bunch, so we came up with a “dedication score” based on their LinkedIn Profiles to select who we think will be the winner. Here’s the formula: For each school in the tournament, we calculated (# of current students and alumni with the word “basketball” in their profile) / (total # of current students and alumni) = Dedication Score The school with the higher “dedication score” wins their game and advances in the bracket. Read more: http://blog.linkedin.com/2013/03/18/picking-winner-of-ncaa-basketball-tournament-using-linkedin-data/

1. Picking a Champion
The NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament is underway, and we thought we’d try our hand
at picking the Champion. By looking at how often each school’s alumni and students mentioned
“basketball” in their profiles, we came up with a “Dedication Score” that we used to select a winner
1 Louisville 1.52 for each game. How does our bracket compare to yours? 1 Kansas 1.81
Louisville 1.51 Kansas 1.81
16 N.C. A&T* 1.51 16 Western Ky. 1.43
Louisville Kansas
8 Colorado St. 0.82 8 UNC 1.50
Missouri 1.14 UNC 1.50
9 Missouri 1.14 1.51 1.81 9 Villanova 1.31
Louisville Kansas
5 Oklahoma St. 0.91 5 VCU 0.91
Oregon 1.47 Akron 1.10
12 Oregon 1.47
Oregon
1.51 1.81 12 Akron 1.10
S. Dakota St.
4 Saint Louis 0.90 4 Michigan 0.86
Saint Louis 0.90 S. Dakota St. 1.18
13 New Mexico St. 0.81 1.47 1.18 13 S. Dakota St. 1.18
Valparaiso Kansas
6 Memphis 1.05
St. Mary’s 1.64
Midwest Champion South UCLA 0.98
6 UCLA 0.98
11 St. Mary’s* 1.64 1.80 1.81 11 Minnesota 0.78
3 Michigan St. 1.13
Valparaiso Gonzaga University UCLA
3 Florida 0.86
Valparaiso 1.80 Northwestern St. 0.94
14 Valparaiso 1.80 1.80 15,720 Students & Alumni on LinkedIn 0.98 14 Northwestern St. 0.94
Valparaiso Georgetown
7 Creighton 1.34 7 San Diego St. 0.99
Creighton 1.34 San Diego St, 0.99
10 Cincinnati 0.96
Duke
1.80 1.03 Georgetown
10 Oklahoma 0.84
2 Duke 1.77 2 Georgetown 1.03
Duke 1.77 Georgetown 1.03
15 Albany (N.Y.) 0.83 1.77 1.03 15 Fla. Gulf Coast 1.03
Gonzaga Butler
1 Gonzaga 2.46 1 Indiana 1.65
Gonzaga 2.46 2.46 2.15 Indiana 1.65
16 Southern U 1.18 16 JMU* 1.27
Gonzaga Indiana
8 Pittsburgh 0.81 8 NC State 1.20
Wichita St. 1.23 NC State 1.20
9 Wichita St. 1.23 2.46 1.65 9 Temple 0.94
Gonzaga Indiana
5 Wisconsin 0.92 5 UNLV 0.91
Wisconsin 0.92 UNLV 0.91
12 Ole Miss 0.88
Kansas St.
2.46 1.65 Syracuse
12 California 0.83
4 Kansas St. 1.14 4 Syracuse 1.57
Kansas St. 1.14 Syracuse 1.57
13 La Salle* 1.03 1.14 1.57 13 Montana 1.01
Gonzaga Butler
6 Arizona 1.03
Belmont 1.36
West East Butler 2.15
6 Butler 2.15
11 Belmont 1.36 2.46 2.15 11 Bucknell 1.17
Belmont Butler
3 New Mexico 0.75 3 Marquette 1.97
New Mexico 0.75 Marquette 1.97
1.36 2.15
14 Harvard 0.58
Belmont ?.?? Butler
14 Davidson 1.93
7 Notre Dame 1.34 7 Illinois 1.01
Notre Dame 1.34 Illinois 1.01
10 Iowa St. 0.96
Notre Dame
1.36 Computing the Dedication Score 2.15 Pacific
10 Colorado 0.78
2 Ohio St. 0.95 2 Miami (Fla.) 1.05
Iona 1.25 School’s student and alumni profiles with the words “basketball” Pacific 1.10
15 Iona 1.25 1.34 1.10 15 Pacific 1.10
Dedication Score =
School’s total number of students and alumni with LinkedIn profiles
*Play-in games were decided based on Dedication Score
Top Tournament Schools On LinkedIn
Most Student & Alumni Profiles Biggest Alumni Group Most Profiles with “Basketball” Home Court Advantage1
UC Berkeley - 212,094 Michigan State University - 44,360 Indiana University Bloomington - 2,545 University of Florida - 8,163
Data as of March 15, 2013 Most alumni on LinkedIn who live or work in Atlanta (Final Four host city)
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