Neil Greenberg

Sports Writer at The Washington Post

Sportswriter and stats geek (not nerd) for @washingtonpost. I got science for any occasion. Postulating theorems, formulating equations.

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Articles

Which NFL teams are expected to be better - or worse - in 2025?

1 week ago | adn.com | Neil Greenberg

As the NFL draft approaches, betting markets already offer a snapshot of shifting expectations. Win totals - the projected over/under season victories set by oddsmakers - can serve as a barometer of public and professional sentiment, influenced by everything from offseason acquisitions to coaching changes. Some teams have seen their win totals surge compared with their 2024 performance, signaling optimism. Others have tumbled, based on red flags about roster depth, injuries or other challenges.
Which NFL teams are expected to be better — or worse — in 2025?

1 week ago | washingtonpost.com | Neil Greenberg

Which NFL teams are expected to be better — or worse — in 2025? (washingtonpost.com) Which NFL teams are expected to be better — or worse — in 2025? Betting markets expect big improvement from the Chicago Bears and the New England Patriots — and big declines for several 2024 powerhouses. By Neil Greenberg 2025041616151100 As the NFL draft approaches, betting markets already offer a snapshot of shifting expectations.
Why Alex Ovechkin’s assault on Wayne Gretzky’s record is so extraordinary

2 weeks ago | washingtonpost.com | Neil Greenberg

Why Alex Ovechkin’s assault on Wayne Gretzky’s record is so extraordinary (washingtonpost.com) Why Alex Ovechkin’s assault on Wayne Gretzky’s record is so extraordinary No one has ever scored goals quite like Alex Ovechkin. Not even Wayne Gretzky. By Neil Greenberg 2025040412051900 Wayne Gretzky's NHL record of 894 goals once seemed to be an untouchable, unbreakable milestone.
Best bets for a chalky men’s Final Four

3 weeks ago | washingtonpost.com | Neil Greenberg

Best bets for a chalky men’s Final Four (washingtonpost.com) Best bets for a chalky men’s Final Four Expect a slow-paced slugfest between Duke and Houston — and a relatively comfortable Florida win over Auburn. By Neil Greenberg 2025040217080400 March Madness has been anything but mad this year. Favorites of six or more points are 32-2 straight up during the NCAA men's basketball tournament.
March Madness teams with the easiest, hardest routes in the NCAA tournament

4 weeks ago | washingtonpost.com | Neil Greenberg

The NCAA men’s basketball tournament has reached the Sweet 16, meaning the path to the Final Four is coming into focus. That is especially engaging during a tournament in which chaos has taken a back seat to chalk. For just the sixth time since the field expanded to 64 teams in 1985, every No. 1, No. 2, No. 3 and No. 4 seed advanced into the second round. It’s only the second tournament since 2008 without a single No. 13, No. 14, No. 15 or No. 16 seed pulling off a first-round upset.
Women’s March Madness predictions: Look for UCLA, UConn to come out of Spokane

1 month ago | spokesman.com | Neil Greenberg

The early rounds of the NCAA women’s basketball tournament generally don’t incite as much madness as the men’s event. Higher seeds are typically much more successful on the women’s side; no seed lower than a No. 3 has won the women’s tournament over the past two decades, a span in which Connecticut won the men’s tournament as a No. 7 and a No. 4 seed.
Analysis | The most vulnerable top seeds in the 2025 men’s basketball tournament

1 month ago | washingtonpost.com | Neil Greenberg

For every double-digit seed that walks off the court a winner in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament, there is a highly seeded team sobbing in their hot cocoa sooner than anyone expected. Sometimes the ingredients for an upset come primarily from the underdog, but sometimes the signs of a loss can be found in the favorite’s résumé. To attempt to identify the latter, we examined the 16 highest seeded teams to find any that appear particularly vulnerable to an earlier-than-expected exit.
Analysis | How to pick a tiebreaker in your March Madness pool

1 month ago | washingtonpost.com | Neil Greenberg

You’ve locked in your picks for the men’s NCAA tournament — ideally with the Perfect Bracket as your guide. You’ve identified the best first-round upsets, weighed the top contenders and crossed off the pretenders. Now, there’s just one final step: Choose a tiebreaker, which in most pools is the total points scored in the championship game.
Analysis | The perfect bracket to win your women’s March Madness pool

1 month ago | washingtonpost.com | Neil Greenberg

The early rounds of the NCAA women’s basketball tournament generally don’t incite as much madness as the men’s event. Higher seeds are typically much more successful on the women’s side; no seed lower than a No. 3 has won the women’s tournament over the past two decades, a span in which Connecticut won the men’s tournament as a No. 7 and a No. 4 seed.
Analysis | The perfect bracket to win your March Madness men’s pool

1 month ago | washingtonpost.com | Neil Greenberg

The Perfect Bracket, an annual exercise in immodesty, is not actually intended to reach perfection. The point of the exercise is to craft an NCAA tournament bracket with a realistic shot of winning a reasonably sized pool by highlighting selections that have excess value relative to conventional wisdom. By standing out from the crowd, this is a bracket that’s designed to finish first or somewhere approaching last — with no in-between.