Jordan Brenner

Writer and Editor at Freelance

Meadowlark Media | Underdogs podcast https://t.co/6oedOnG4zD Contributor to The Athletic Previous stops: ESPN, B/R #PressOn

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Articles

No more March Madness Cinderellas? NIL, transfer portal boosting favorites over underdogs

2 weeks ago | nytimes.com | Jordan Brenner |Peter Keating

What do you do when you write an annual series about NCAA tournament upsets during a year when there aren't any? You take stock and start thinking about the future. And right now, we're wondering whether March has forever lost much of its madness, courtesy of NIL payments and the transfer portal. The 2025 tourney started with chalk and never relented. After one round, only three teams seeded 11th or higher remained: No. 11 Drake, No. 12 Colorado State and No. 12 McNeese.
The women's 2025 NCAA Tournament was a setback for Cinderellas. Is there hope?

3 weeks ago | nytimes.com | Peter Keating |Jordan Brenner

Two years ago, as the universe was just falling in love with Caitlin Clark, we trained our statistical model, Slingshot, on the women's NCAA Tournament for the first time. And an obsession of a different kind set Slingshot's spreadsheets aflutter.
With NCAA Tournament underdogs dwindling, can Arkansas keep Cinderella dancing?

4 weeks ago | nytimes.com | Peter Keating |Jordan Brenner

NCAA Tournament fans know that look. The eye-catching garments, the stylish hair, the sleek, slip-on shoes ... only it usually isn't John Calipari in the role of Cinderella. And yet, with the Sweet 16 set to begin Thursday, here we are. Where are the actual upsets this year? A whopping 13 of the top 16 seeds are still alive, leaving very little room for serious underdogs. Right now the men's bracket looks a lot more like a quirky news segment at Reed College than Villanova in 1985.
Should Michigan State, Maryland fear second-round upsets? Here's the case for underdogs.

1 month ago | nytimes.com | Jordan Brenner |Peter Keating

No. 2 Michigan State Spartans vs. No. 10 New Mexico LobosUpset Chance: 21.3 percentOur model sees Michigan State as roughly 11 points per 100 possessions better than New Mexico. The Lobos, then, need to find a way to generate more possessions to make up for that edge. So let's talk about turnovers. The Lobos force opponents to cough the ball up on 20.4 percent of possessions, 32nd in the country.
Can McNeese, Drake keep marching to the Sweet 16? Here are their upset chances.

1 month ago | nytimes.com | Peter Keating |Jordan Brenner

Thursday was a pretty good day for Slingshot. Not only did our statistical model get to enjoy 16 games over 12 hours, it also got some stuff right. Like McNeese over Clemson. And Drake over Missouri. It suffered some setbacks, too - we're looking at you, VCU and UCSD. But Slingshot isn't one to dwell in the past. Instead, let's turn its attention to Saturday's second-round games that meet the Bracket Breakers's upset qualification of at least a five-seed difference. No. 4 Purdue Boilermakers vs.
Tech You Need to Know: Sensepass: Revolutionizing Retail Payments

1 month ago | the-lead.co | Jordan Brenner

Retail Tech You Need To Know By Jordan Brenner VP of Sales & Partnerships at The Lead What is the problem you are solving, and who are you solving it for? SensePass solves the problem of complex payment systems for retailers and retail brands. SensePass enables seamless and instant digital wallet transactions without app downloads or registrations. What does it mean? The ability to streamline checkout processes, reduce costs, and enhance the customer payment experience, in-store and online....
Breaking down potential first-round upsets in the 2025 Women's NCAA Tournament

1 month ago | nytimes.com | Peter Keating |Jordan Brenner

With NCAA Tournament bracket-filling now fully underway, our upset-minded statistical model, Slingshot, is pointed toward the women's bracket. Before we serve up region-by-region predictions, let's set the table with a couple of big-picture observations. First, coaches, ADs, fans and analysts have all noticed that with interest in (and revenues from) women's basketball exploding in recent years, talent has been flooding into the game and dispersing around Division 1.
The most likely upsets in the Midwest Region for the 2025 Men's NCAA Tournament

1 month ago | nytimes.com | Jordan Brenner |Peter Keating

The Midwest doesn't feature a game with upset odds greater than 30 percent. (Well, fine, greater than 30.2 percent.) But that doesn't mean there aren't some fascinating matchups. In fact, this region is home to the likeliest No. 4-vs.-No. 13 upset on our board. Below, you'll find a game-by-game analysis of every first-round matchup with Bracket Breaker implications in the East.
The most likely upsets in the West region for the 2025 Men's NCAA Tournament

1 month ago | nytimes.com | Jordan Brenner |Peter Keating

For the second straight season, the West region features a matchup that would be an upset only in terms of seeding. Last year, No. 11 New Mexico was favored against No. 6 Clemson. This year, it's No. 12 Colorado State over No. 5 Memphis by 2.5 points as of Monday morning. But that's not the only game where our upset projection model likes the lower seed's chances. Below, you'll find a game-by-game analysis of every first-round matchup with Bracket Breaker implications in the West.
The most likely upsets in the South region for the 2025 Men's NCAA Tournament

1 month ago | nytimes.com | Jordan Brenner |Peter Keating

Brackets explode most spectacularly when both sides of a matchup cooperate to produce an upset. And the South will provide multiple chances for that to happen: Two favorites with glaring weaknesses are set to face the region's two strongest underdogs, pending the results of a play-in game. Below, you'll find a game-by-game analysis of every first-round matchup with Bracket Breaker implications in the South.