PickHoops Press Package

PickHoops QuickFact

During PickHoops history, the national semifinals have featured two #1 seeds six times, making this the most common occurrence. PickHoops QuickFact

Since PickHoops was founded, only twice did seeds #1, #2, and #3 in a region all fail to advance to the round of 16. This happened in 2 regions in 2000. PickHoops QuickFact

During PickHoops history, only 10 schools have made the round of 16 more than 5 times (Duke, Michigan State, Kentucky, Kansas, Connecticut, Arizona, UCLA, Syracuse, UNC, and Texas). PickHoops QuickFact

Since 1996, Florida has 3 appearances in the national semifinals. PickHoops QuickFact

During PickHoops history, Arizona has made the round of 16 nine times. PickHoops QuickFact

During PickHoops history, the Big 10 has had six different schools advance to the national semifinals (Michigan State, Ohio State, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Indiana). PickHoops QuickFact

Since 1996, the Colonial Athletic Association has had two different schools advance to the national semifinals (George Mason and Virginia Commonwealth). PickHoops QuickFact

During PickHoops history, the most common number of #1 seeds in the national semifinals is 2 (six times) and 1 (five times). PickHoops QuickFact

Since 1996, only 5 out of 64 national semifinal teams were seeded lower than #5. In 2011, there were two (#8 Butler and #11 Virginia Commonwealth). PickHoops QuickFact

Since 1996, the Big East has had seven different schools advance to the national semifinals (Connecticut, West Virginia, Villanova, Georgetown, Louisville, Marquette, and Syracuse). PickHoops QuickFact

Since PickHoops was founded, only 7 times have seeds #1, #2, #3, and #4 in a single region all advanced to the round of 16. PickHoops QuickFact

Since PickHoops was founded, 10 different schools have won the national championship. PickHoops QuickFact

Since 1996, the Horizon League, the Conference USA, the Mountain West, and the Atlantic 10 have each sent one school to the national semifinals. PickHoops QuickFact

During PickHoops history, only two #9 seeds have made it to the round of 16. PickHoops QuickFact

Since PickHoops was founded, eighteen teams have advanced to the round of 16 at least 5 times. PickHoops QuickFact

Since 1996, only one team seeded lower than #5 has reached the national championship game (#8 Butler in 2011). PickHoops QuickFact

During PickHoops history, nine out of sixteen national semifinals have had at least one Big 10 team. PickHoops QuickFact

Since PickHoops was founded, the lowest average seeding in the national semifinals was in 2011, when the #3, #4, #8, and #11 advanced, making an average seeding of 6.5. PickHoops QuickFact

In sixteen years, more #12 seeds (11) have advanced to the round of 16 than #7, #8, or #9 seeds. PickHoops QuickFact

Since 1996, the smallest number of #1 seeds to advance to the round of 16 is 2 (two times). PickHoops QuickFact

Since PickHoops started, Duke is 3-1 in the national semifinals. PickHoops QuickFact

Since PickHoops started, 55 #1 seeds have made it to the round of 16, an average of more than 3 per year. PickHoops QuickFact

Since PickHoops was founded, UNC has 6 appearances in the national semifinals. PickHoops QuickFact

Since 1996, Kansas has 3 appearances in the national semifinals. PickHoops QuickFact

Since PickHoops was founded, only two #9 seeds have made it to the round of 16.

PickHoops Press Package

PickHoops is a small company based in Durham, NC, that manages national college basketball tournament bracket contests at http://www.pickhoops.com/ .

PickHoops started in 1996 when a bunch of computer geeks got tired of scoring their brackets by hand and applied web technologies, then brand new, to solve the problem. The first year PickHoops handled less than 40 brackets; the 2006 version handled tens of thousands across many hundreds of office groups and promotional contests.

Web surfers can sign up for a 50-bracket pool for $9.95, and invite their friends to play for no additional charge. PickHoops also handles larger pools ideal for corporate promotions, such as radio stations, that handle 500 brackets or more.

It takes longer to score a typical pool by hand over the entire 6-round tournament than to actually play a game of college basketball.

PickHoops competes in a crowded field dominated by large media, web, and sports companies. PickHoops distinguishes itself by allowing more customization of scoring systems and tiebreakers and exclusive features like the Quick Pick. The PickHoops Quick Pick lets the computer fill out a bracket with randomly selected teams. The advanced statistical algorithm takes into account past tournament results to pick only the likeliest upsets. Recently a Quick Pick finished first in a pool of more than 30 "real" players.

Another innovative PickHoops feature is the Basketball IQ score. PickHoops asks each user to describe their own level of basketball knowledge on a scale of 1 to 5, where 1 is "none" and 5 is "all-knowing", and then compares their own rating with their actual results.

PickHoops also distinguishes itself from larger companies by offering pages with no advertising, no spam, and by not selling its users' data to marketing companies.

Office pool gambling is illegal in many states, although enforcement is unevenly applied. PickHoops was originally created for "teambuilding" within a corporation, as a means to bring its employees together with a fun activity. PickHoops does not include features that specifically cater to gambling, and is designed for amusement only.

PickHoops was founded by Chris Hehman (pronounced Hay-men), a graduate of Virigina Tech who doesn't have any time to watch college basketball with the demands of running PickHoops.

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