I'm going to take a beating on this one. I can see it already.
You're going to look down at the below table and mutter to yourself, "What a freaking idiot." You're then going to write a nasty comment in the commenting box thing and feel better about yourself.
Then, because I'm truly am an idiot, I will likely insult your intelligence while putting on my best Don Rickles impression.
Then, because you'll obviously hate my guts, you'll say, "He's just a clown on the Internet." You'll then stew about it for a while and decide to hunt me down. When you do, you'll knock me across the head with a folding chair. Not because you want to, but because it'll be the closest weapon to you when you burst into my apartment fuming with rage and incredulousness that somehow the "Fun Factor" scale didn't meet your approval.
Then, because I've received untreatable head trauma, I'll bleed out on the floor and we'll never have to look at another "Fun Factor" table again.
Anyway, below is the fun-down for this weekend. If you have no idea what a "Fun Factor" is, it's probably best to read this quick tutorial before giving yourself an aneurysm.
RANK | DATE | TIME | TEAM | TEAM | FUN FACTOR |
1. | May 15 | 7:30 | Syracuse | Siena | 5.9719 |
2. | May 15 | 3:00 | Virginia | Bucknell | 5.9116 |
3. | May 14 | 12:00 | Johns Hopkins | Hofstra | 5.7598 |
4. | May 15 | 5:15 | Denver | Villanova | 5.4451 |
5. | May 14 | 5:00 | Duke | Delaware | 4.9662 |
6. | May 14 | 7:30 | Cornell | Hartford | 4.9368 |
7. | May 15 | 1:00 | North Carolina | Maryland | 4.9186 |
8. | May 14 | 2:30 | Notre Dame | Pennsylvania | 3.8212 |
Here are some quickie thoughts:
- I wholly expect Syracuse to destroy Siena. Remember: the "Fun Factor" doesn't only look at whether a game will be tightly contested; it is slanted toward games that feature offensively-capable teams. I don't expect Siena to slow down just for the Orange (they're the seventh-fastest team in the country). They also can the bean at a crazy rate (they're first nationally in offensive effective shooting percentage). The Saints should run and shoot and generally make the game interesting, even if they're getting their brains beaten in.
- On North Carolina-Maryland: This is the game that I'm most looking forward to this weekend. I write this in bold type for two reasons: A) just because it's seventh on the fun factor scale doesn't mean it won't be the most competitive game on the schedule; and B) Justin will accuse me on Monday for thinking that this game would turn out crappy when I clearly don't think so. The reason this one is so low is because the "Fun Factor" doesn't like the potential pace of this game: Maryland is 50th-nationally in possessions per 60 minutes; North Carolina is 44th. Also, Carolina doesn't grade out so hot on the pythagorean win expectation (the Tarheels still need that defense to come around). Regardless, this is still the best game of the weekend; I plan to drink many beers as I watch it from my couch. Clear? Good.
- Notre Dame-Pennsylvania is going to be tough to watch. Two relatively wayward offensive teams that make their money on defense and play some of the slowest games in the country. I'd say pass, but I'm and idiot so I'll still watch.
- Don't sleep on Virginia-Bucknell. In my gut Hofstra-Hopkins is the second-best game on the bill this weekend, but I am very interested to see what the Bison can do down in Charlottesville.
What are your feelings on the games this weekend? Leave 'em in the comments below.