March Madness: so many games, so little time. The tournament begs an obvious question — how do you separate the "meh" from the must-watch?
The mobile app Thuuz (pronounced "thooze," like enthusiasm) can do that for you. The app uses algorithms to rate games in real time according to excitement on a scale of zero to 100 (see photo), then notifies you once your personal threshold for drama is reached. It's been available for Android and iOS since last fall, but it's adding a set of new social features late next week — just in time for March Madness.
"Our thesis is you don't have to get out of work," says CEO Warren Packard. "Let Thuuz monitor every game and just take a time-out to watch the best ten minutes."
Here's how Thuuz works. You provide information on the sports and teams you like and how hardcore a fan you are. The biggest fans will be notified anytime a game reaches 75 on the app's excitement scale, less invested fans when games reach 90, and the most casual when a game nears 100. If your favorite team is blowing someone out, you'll hear about that too, just for kicks.
Packard says the most dedicated fans typically receive two notifications per sport per day, fans with middling interest two per week, and the most casual fans two per month.
The new social functionality will allow friends to follow and share games with one another on Thuuz. You'll be able to share games you're looking forward to as well as crescendos of excitement. Packard says the personalized friends feature is "a really nice complement" to the purely algorithm-based notifications.
Down the line, Packard says the company will add notifications for fantasy sports players and gamblers. But for this year's March Madness, Thuuz is already an excellent addition to the sports fan's app arsenal.
Have you tried Thuuz already? Do you think it's a good idea? Let us know in the comments.
BONUS: March Madness Must-Follows on Twitter
Jeff Goodman is a CBSSports.com writer. His SiriusXM show, Inside College Basketball, regularly has interesting and timely guests as well. Follow his Twitter feed to find out who's on when.
Katz covers college basketball for ESPN and ESPN.com. He provides a non-stop stream of breaking news, tidbits and quick-hit analysis.
Ken Pomeroy is legendary in hardcore college basketball circles for his advanced team metrics and statistical analytics. Follow him to satisfy your geeky side or get an extra edge in your bracket pool. He also gets bonus points for the hoops-data thing being only a side gig; by day, he's a meteorologist in Utah for the National Weather Service.
One of the sweetest passers in recent college basketball memory, point guard Kendall Marshall steers the ship for title contender North Carolina. He's active and funny on Twitter, too, so worth a follow.
Can big man Jared Sullinger lead the Ohio State Buckeyes to the Final Four? Columbus Dispatch beat writer Bob Baptist will track their journey after covering the team all season long.
Bilas is a sentient college basketball analyst for ESPN and was a star player himself at Duke in the 1980s. And to help get each morning started, Bilas followers are treated to a daily rap lyric followed by the tagline, "I gotta go to work." Random? Yes. Funny? Also yes.
Mark Titus rose to prominence when he started the Club Trillion blog as a benchwarmer for Ohio State. (The name refers to a little used reserved's typical stat-line of a couple minutes followed by nine zeroes.) Now he works for the site Grantland, and brings a funny, unique perspective to the college basketball writing game. He even ranks current benchwarmers (see left).
Winn covers college hoops for Sports Illustrated and SI.com. His articles are especially cool for their advanced statistical analysis, charts and infographics.
Yes, this is an NCAA basketball list, but half the fun of March Madness is seeing future NBA players battle for glory against college stars destined to fade into obscurity. Jonathan Givony is a respected judge of pro talent, so follow him for the lowdown on how NBA teams see this March's college heroes.
No team in college basketball provokes a greater polarity of love and revulsion than Coach K's Duke Blue Devils. The blog Blue Planet provides a homer's perspective on the Devils, so follow them to either fan your fandom or further fuel your hate.
Kyle Tucker is the Kentucky beat writer for Louisville's Courier-Journal newspaper. Follow him for the local angle as the young Wildcats try to leverage their precocious talent into eternal NCAA glory.
Not everyone can be a Kentucky or a North Carolina. The Mid-Majority covers the college basketball world's many smaller conferences, bringing you scores from far and wide (see left). Follow them for insight on who might be this year's George Mason or VCU and crash the big boys' Final Four party.
Thamel does a stellar job covering college sports for The New York Times. He's sure to produce a cavalcade of interesting game stories and features throughout the end of college basketball's regular season and into tourney time.
Rob Dauster is a college hoops writer who founded the blog Ballin' is a Habit. He also contributes to NBCSports.com and SI.com. Follow him for solid stories from a passionate perspective.
The Syracuse Orange are a top contender for the March Madness crown. This feed provides analysis and insight on Syracuse hoops from the local Post-Standard newspaper. Reporters Mike Waters and Donna Ditota will provide the inside updates as Syracuse tries for its second national title in 10 years.
Davis covers the college game for Sports Illustrated and CBS. His feed will provide you with a heavy dose of information from all angles of the sport.
Jeff Goodman is a CBSSports.com writer. His SiriusXM show, Inside College Basketball, regularly has interesting and timely guests as well. Follow his Twitter feed to find out who's on when.
Katz covers college basketball for ESPN and ESPN.com. He provides a non-stop stream of breaking news, tidbits and quick-hit analysis.
Ken Pomeroy is legendary in hardcore college basketball circles for his advanced team metrics and statistical analytics. Follow him to satisfy your geeky side or get an extra edge in your bracket pool. He also gets bonus points for the hoops-data thing being only a side gig; by day, he's a meteorologist in Utah for the National Weather Service.
One of the sweetest passers in recent college basketball memory, point guard Kendall Marshall steers the ship for title contender North Carolina. He's active and funny on Twitter, too, so worth a follow.
Can big man Jared Sullinger lead the Ohio State Buckeyes to the Final Four? Columbus Dispatch beat writer Bob Baptist will track their journey after covering the team all season long.
Bilas is a sentient college basketball analyst for ESPN and was a star player himself at Duke in the 1980s. And to help get each morning started, Bilas followers are treated to a daily rap lyric followed by the tagline, "I gotta go to work." Random? Yes. Funny? Also yes.
Mark Titus rose to prominence when he started the Club Trillion blog as a benchwarmer for Ohio State. (The name refers to a little used reserved's typical stat-line of a couple minutes followed by nine zeroes.) Now he works for the site Grantland, and brings a funny, unique perspective to the college basketball writing game. He even ranks current benchwarmers (see left).
Winn covers college hoops for Sports Illustrated and SI.com. His articles are especially cool for their advanced statistical analysis, charts and infographics.
Yes, this is an NCAA basketball list, but half the fun of March Madness is seeing future NBA players battle for glory against college stars destined to fade into obscurity. Jonathan Givony is a respected judge of pro talent, so follow him for the lowdown on how NBA teams see this March's college heroes.
No team in college basketball provokes a greater polarity of love and revulsion than Coach K's Duke Blue Devils. The blog Blue Planet provides a homer's perspective on the Devils, so follow them to either fan your fandom or further fuel your hate.
Kyle Tucker is the Kentucky beat writer for Louisville's Courier-Journal newspaper. Follow him for the local angle as the young Wildcats try to leverage their precocious talent into eternal NCAA glory.
Not everyone can be a Kentucky or a North Carolina. The Mid-Majority covers the college basketball world's many smaller conferences, bringing you scores from far and wide (see left). Follow them for insight on who might be this year's George Mason or VCU and crash the big boys' Final Four party.
Thamel does a stellar job covering college sports for The New York Times. He's sure to produce a cavalcade of interesting game stories and features throughout the end of college basketball's regular season and into tourney time.
Rob Dauster is a college hoops writer who founded the blog Ballin' is a Habit. He also contributes to NBCSports.com and SI.com. Follow him for solid stories from a passionate perspective.
The Syracuse Orange are a top contender for the March Madness crown. This feed provides analysis and insight on Syracuse hoops from the local Post-Standard newspaper. Reporters Mike Waters and Donna Ditota will provide the inside updates as Syracuse tries for its second national title in 10 years.
Davis covers the college game for Sports Illustrated and CBS. His feed will provide you with a heavy dose of information from all angles of the sport.
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