Cinderella Wears a Cement Slipper: The Tournament Squares Pool

We are on to the Sweet 16 and the most important lesson we have learned is that the impact of NIL and the transfer portal is significant! Early evidence suggests that the power conferences are going to dominate the NCAA tournament for the foreseeable future and there just doesn't seem to be a way to produce true Cinderella's anymore. Small school success will be ever more difficult because they will not be able to attract or hold onto real talent. 

It is true that Texas (11 seed), Iowa (9 seed) and Tennessee (6 seed) upset higher ranked teams to play in the second weekend, but like EVERY other school remaining, they are from power conferences. Teams playing in this year's Sweet 16 hail from the following conferences:

This is only the second time that the Sweet 16 has been made up of only power conference teams. When was the last time it happened? Last year. Yeah, Sorry George Mason, no second weekend basketball for you possibly ever again. 

Couple of other notes from the weekend:

• America's University has it's man! Welcome back to the Dome Gerry McNamara. Hopefully, we will meet you with some improved NIL commitments and set you up with a chance to really succeed.
• I will pat myself on the back for things I have written in this space in the past that continue to be true. 
• Kansas is not good is not good and that fouling strategy at the end of the St John's game was poorly executed and an indication of poor coaching
• I will continue to believe that Virginia is a trash fire that probably should have lost to Wright State on Friday
• Even with losing Florida last night, we still have a pretty chalky Sweet 16. I should have learned this would be the case a couple of years ago.
• For the second time in three years, I get the chance to remind you that an 11-seed is NOT a Cinderella. We are done with those Possibly forever. 
• Olivier Rioux, the 7'9" Florida Center recorded a DNP Coaches Decision yesterday. The only conclusion that I can draw other than he just doesn't like basketball is that I don't know ball at all.

As for the Squares Pool, the results are below. We have some people racking up a bunch of early victories! Congratulations to Tony Lasch, Karl Kailing and Ryan White as they are our only three time winners so far.

We have a couple of days to catch our breath, then we are back at it! Happy Monday everyone.

--Your Tournament Host

NCAA Tournament Pool - Round 2/Day 2

*Please note - there will be no update on Friday after the Thursday Sweet Sixteen games.  My schedule for work/life just will not permit it.  There will be a full Sweet Sixteen post on Saturday!*

AND DOWN GOES FRAZIER!!! DOWN GOES FRAZIER!!! DOWN GOES FRAZIER!!!  We knew that we had to lose at least one champion, as Iowa State and Kentucky played against each other.  But, WE LOST FOUR!!!  And with Florida and Kentucky both losing, we will not have a repeat champion.  But Pepster, Kentucky didn't win last year.  Correct!  But, their starting point guard Denzel Aberdeen did, as a player for the Florida Gators before transferring to the Wildcats this year.  So he cannot repeat either.  

And speaking of Florida, my lovely wife Racecar attended the Florida games in Tampa with fellow entrant Jenna Finkelstein, of St.  Petersburg, Florida.  Here is a picture of them after the round 1 game ...

And here is a picture of them after the second round game...

Florida lost because Todd Gulden inexplicably called for a full court press while up 2, which allowed a pick to free up Iowa to run downcourt unmolested to create a 3-on-2 fast break, allowing Alvaro Fulgueiras hit a wide-open three from the corner, that busted almost everybody's bracket to some extent.  EXCEPT ...the four brave souls that selected Iowa over Florida to earn the upset bonus.  Those entries, Paul Cummings of Palm City, Florida, Carolyn Fowler of Greenacres, Florida, Rylee Montague of Lille, France and Biscuit Zdrowak of Orlando, Florida, earn the collective "Picks of the Day".  Particular props to Paul Cummings, who not only selected Iowa over Florida, but also made the second-round game his guarantee!!!  Congrats Paul - lots of points there!

On another note, Fulgueiras is a great story.  Playing at Iowa from Spain, he hadn't seen his mom since school started in August just prior to coming out for Friday's first-round game.  And although it was touching to see them hug after he hit the shot - which will definitely show up in One Shining Moment - I fear that if Iowa advances and further, that his Mom might turn into a Sister Jean type of situation - where the media coverage overshadows the team.

And speaking of One Shining Moment, we had not one, but two buzzer-beaters yesterday!!!  The first came when St. John's Dylan Darling was able to just blow by his defender from the point to get to the rim for a relatively easy layup, as St. John's defeated Kansas by two.  Fulgueiras and Darling, Otega Oweh awaits you!

Not only did Florida and Kentucky lose, but so did Kansas and Virginia - leaving our collective champion selections a little lighter.  They are:  ALABAMA, ARIZONA, CONNECTICUT, DUKE, Florida, HOUSTON, ILLINOIS, IOWA STATE, Kansas, Kentucky, MICHIGAN, MICHIGAN STATE, North Carolina, PURDUE, and Virginia.

Of note, the Kentucky game was a particularly physical battle, as the refs let a lot go.  (Please note this is not a complaint on the officiating, as games take on a life of their own, and as long as the refs are consistent, the players have to adjust.)  I only note this because I remarked, in two separate text groups, that if the referees are going to allow overly-physical play, that will always favor the team with a Serbian.  Factor that knowledge in on future bets.

Speaking of Dylan Darling, here are my Stats of the Day.

Stats of the Day

5.  Laila Hall, North Carolina - 3 blocks in her women's tournament game - IN ONLY 17 MINUTES!!!

4.  Kentucky - 20 turnovers in the game.  Hard to win playing like that

3.  Tamin Lipsey, Iowa State had 5 steals - 1/4 of those 20 Kentucky turnovers

3.  Matt Painter, Purdue Coach and Alumnus - Won his 500th game

1.  2 points - The total number of points scored by Dylan Darling for St. John's over Kansas

  

Yes, you read that correctly.  Darling, who scored the last-second, game-winning, buzzer-beater against Kansas, scored his only two points of the game on that shot!

Players of the Day

10.  Fletcher Loyer, Purdue - 24 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists, 1 steal

9.  Olivia Miles, TCU - 18 points, 10 rebounds, 8 assists, 1 steal

8.  Tavon Banks, Iowa - 20 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal

7.  Olivia Olson, Michigan - 27 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals

6.  Latrell Wrightsell, Alabama - 24 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals

5.  Mikaylah Williams, LSU - 24 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal

4.  Tamin Lipsey, Iowa State - 26 points, 3 rebounds, 10 assists, 5 steals

3.  Syla Swords, Michigan - 26 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, 1 block

2.  Alex Karaban, Connecticut - 27 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block

1.  Madison Booker, Texas - 40 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals

Before we get to the standings, it is time for the NCAA Tournament history lesson, brought to you by Iowa defeating Florida - a 9-seed beating a 1-seed.

We head back to the 199 NCAA Tournament, second round, on March 15 specifically, inside the Cox Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.  The number 1 seeded Kansas Jayhawks had a tremendous season, entering the tournament 34-3.  They thoroughly annihilated Prairie View A&M 110-52 in the first round (sound familiar to this year?), behind the play of its two stars, Paul Pierce (who had 25 points and rebounds) and Raef Lafrentz (who added 20 points and a game-high 15 rebounds).  Rhode Island had itself a high-scoring game, hanging 97 on Murray State to win comfortably by 23.  Rhode Island had 6 different players score in double-digits in this game, including its star player (name redacted for suspense), to setup the game against the Jayhawks.

In the second round game, Kansas was again paced by its two stars, as Pierce scored 23 and Lafrentz scored 22, while Lafrentz contributed a game-high 14 rebounds.  But, nobody else on the team put up double-digit scoring, which would be costly against an ordinarily well-balanced Rams squad.  Pierce would go on to become the 10th pick in the NBA draft by the Boston Celtics, and have a stellar, NBA Championship winning, borderline Hall of Fame career.  Lafrentz would himself be selected third in the same draft by the Denver Nuggets, and have a long (11 year) but ordinary career in the NBA.  So basically, they could play.

But even their talents were not enough for the Jayhawks as they fell 80-75 to Rhode Island.  Rhode Island's stellar point guard, Tyson Wheeler, directed the offense, and ended up with 20 points, 5 rebounds, and 8 assists, the majority of those going to the true star of the game Cuttino Mobley.  Mobley ended the game with 27 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, and even added 2 steals at the defensive end.

This game stands out in my mind because we often see these type of games as huge upsets, but forget that sometimes these smaller, lesser known schools, have some absolute studs.  Cuttino Mobley himself was drafted in the second round of the 1998 draft - 41st by the Houston Rockets - the same draft in which LaFrentz and Pierce went much, much higher.  Mobley played 11 full seasons in the NBA, averaging exactly 16 points again for the Rockets, Magic, Kings, and Clippers, and was the type of bucket-getter which every team needs, either as a third-option or off the bench.  In retrospect, you see Mobley' s NBA-level talent, and you can see how Rhode Island - the 9 seed - could be the 1 seed Kansas.  

Similar to when Lehigh's C.J. McCollum dropped 30 on Duke as the 15th-seeded Mountain Hawks defeated the 2-seeded Blue Devils in 2012.  (You knew I had to slip in a Duke comment somewhere!)  McCollum went on to be the 10th overall pick in the 2013 draft by the Portland Trail Blazers, and is still playing as I type this for the Atlanta Hawks, and has averaged over 17 points per game for his NBA career. 

Well, enough about history.  Let's get to the standings.  A reminder that I am human, and make mistakes.  Feel free to let me know if you think I made one on your bracket and I will be happy to double-check it.

Standings after Round 2

1.  Max Macon 2 - 71

     Rich Samuels - 71

3.  Jason Spuhler - 70

4.  Mitchell K (Lamb) - 64

     Jeff Plamondon 1 - 64

     Ashley Poer 1 - 64

     Pepe Sosa 1 - 64

     Steven Usma 2 - 64

9.  Paul Cummings 1 - 63

     Crew Ferguson - 63

     Kyle Henderson - 63

     Brigadier General Kareem Montague - 63

     Brittany Sosa - 63

     Measha Williams (Buddy Canes 1 Bracket) - 63

     Josh Zdrowak - 63

16.  Glen Merchant - 62

       Henry Transecki - 62

       Steven Usma 1 - 62

19.  Jonathan Cox 2 - 61

       Karen Katz 1 - 61

       Martha Kroesen - 61

       Day Yi 1 - 61

23.  Megan Corrado - 60

       Stephanie Henderson - 60

       Steven Usma 5 - 60

       Chuck Whitcomb - 60

27.  Daniel Barsky 2 - 59

       Brent Bellinger A - 59

       Brent Bellinger B - 59

       Si ("Papa Si") Nichols - 59

       Cheryl Spuhler - 59

32.  Ty Hedgpeth - 58

        Braeden Helland - 58

        Paul Kludt - 58

        Dave Piasecki - 58

        Annette Pritchard 1 - 58

        Justin Yung - 58

38.  Jim Coleman - 57

       Megan Cox - 57

       Carolyn Fowler - 57

       Mark Holbert 2 - 57

       Matt Hopps - 57

       Guy Hughes - 57

       Karen Katz 2 - 57

       David Kennedy - 57

       Mac Kroesen - 57

47.  Vincent Plamondon - 56

        Pepe Sosa 2 - 56

        Floyd Fonte 1 - 56

50.  Hazy Frank - 55

       Mango Merchant - 55

       William Pujals - 55

53.  Daniel Barsky 1 - 54

       John Hedgpeth - 54

       Shane Jernigan 2 - 54

       Max Macon 4 - 54

       Benny Merchant 4 - 54

       Rylee Montague - 54

       Steven Usma - 54

       Jonathan Wasserman 2 - 54

61.  Adam Jorgensen - 53

       Monte Lambert 1 - 53

       Duncan Merchant - 53

       Mike Wolff 1 - 53

       Bubba Zdrowak - 53

66.  Dwayne Cushman - 52

       Blake Jackson - 52

       Natalie Moon - 52

69.  Joel Chernoff - 51

       Floyd Fonte 2 - 51

       Alyssa Hopps - 51

       George Walks 3 - 51

       George Walks 1 - 51

       Keith Zdrowak - 51

75.  Colleen Giamberini - 50

       Carolyn Fowler & Jane Reynolds - 50

       Silas Nichols - 50

       Biscuit Zdrowak - 50

79.  James Garvin - 49

       Max Macon 1 - 49

       Salvatore Plamondon - 49

       Javier Rodriguez 2 - 49

       Jasmine Tran - 49

       Measha Williams (Canes 2 Bracket) - 49

85.  Randy Bennett - 48

       Jonathan Cox - 48

       Paul Cummings 2 - 48

       Jenna Finkelstein - 48

       Monte Lambert 2 - 48

       Kingfish Parham 2 - 48

       Katie Zdrowak - 48

92.  Trey Angus - 47

       Barbara Curlett - 47

       Floyd Fonte 3 - 47

       Gracie Fonte - 47

       Dawn Lamb - 47

       Sean McInerney 2 - 47

       Sean McInerney 3 - 47

       Matt Thibaut - 47

       Day Yi 2 - 47

101.  Paul Cummings 3 - 46

         Justine Frank - 46

         Mike Litsey - 46

         Sasha Moon - 46

         Jeff Plamondon 2 - 46

         Lily Spuhler - 46

107.  Jenna Finkelstein 1 - 45

         Jacey Fowler - 45

         Shane Jernigan 1 - 45

         Katie Kollmeyer - 45

         Keith W 2 (Lamb) - 45

         Jane Reynolds - 45

         George Walks 2 - 45

114.  Skip LaForte - 44

         Max Macon 3 - 44

         Sean McInerney 1 - 44

         Annette Pritchard 2 - 44

         Amanda Staudt - 44

         Measha Williams (Canes 3 Bracket) - 44

120.  Marcus Jackson - 43

         Javier Rodriguez 1 - 43

         Jonathan Wasserman 1 - 43

         Stacia Wilkaitis - 43

124.  Quinn Jackson - 42

         Chris Simmons - 42

         Stephanie Soplop 1 - 42

         Stephanie Soplop 2 - 42

128.  Keith W 1 (Lamb) - 41

         Ashley Poer 2 - 41

         Carolins Spuhler - 41

         Steven Usma 4 - 41

         George Walks 1 - 41

133.  Arlene Amo Hopps - 40

         Kingfish Parham 1 - 40

135.  Colbie (Lamb) - 39

         Hannah Sosa - 39

137.  Barkley Sosa - 38

         Amy Zdrowak - 38

139.  Mark Holbert 1 - 37

140.  Allison Parker - 35

141,  Mike Wolff 2 - 34

System Error: NCAA Tournament Squares Pool

Unfortunately, we are having some issues that require my attention at the Commissioner's Mansion and I didn't have a chance to write a post today. Here are the winners from Saturday's games:

Good luck today everyone! 

--Your Commissioner

NCAA Tournament Pool 2026 - Round 2/Day 1

 

And welcome back to another installment of the NCAA Tournament Pool 2026.  Some better and more exciting play yesterday compared to Friday, but other than the Kentucky-Santa Clara game, that is a really low bar.  That being said, the Nebraska-Vanderbilt game was OUTSTANDING!!!  If it had occurred in a later round, it would be one remembered for quite some time!

To start this post, I forgot to include the list of our champions in yesterday's post.  So, I will start off with that for today.  Our collective champion selections are:  ALABAMA, ARIZONA, CONNECTICUT, DUKE, FLORIDA, HOUSTON, ILLINOIS, IOWA STATE, KANSAS, KENTUCKY, MICHIGAN, MICHIGAN STATE, North Carolina, PURDUE, and VIRGINIA.  Nine of these teams are in play today, with at least one matchup having two championship selections face each other - Kentucky and Iowa State - meaning at least one team will fall.

And speaking of falling, WE HAVE A NEW LEADER.  Max Macon 2 of Jupiter, Florida has taken over first place.  We also have a new leader in the race to the bottom.  Allison Parker of Washington, DC is officially in last place (although there are entries ahead of her that are in much worse shape).  I only mention her here because she always, and I mean ALWAYS, makes sure to draw red hearts around Duke for every round she picks them.  So, she gets what she deserves.  And speaking of Duke, let's get straight to the Players of the Day.

Players of the Day (Men's Edition)

8.  Coen Carr, Michigan State - 21 points, 10 rebounds, 1 steal, 2 blocks

7.  Graham Ike, Gonzaga - 25 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal

6.  Yexel Lendenborg, Michgan - 25 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block

5.  Rob Martin, High Point - 30 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists

4.  Tyler Tanner, Vanderbilt - 27 points, 2 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 steals

3.  Cam'Ron Fletcher, High Point - 25 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals

2.  Darius Acuff, Jr., Arkansas - 36 points, 1 rebound, 6 assists, 1 steal

1.  TIE - Gregory Nixon, Paul Szelc, and Clarence Armstrong

Who are these three?  They were the officiating crew for the Duke-TCU game.  After an absurdly one-sided foul fest (which they ultimately rectified late in the game after it was essentially over), they missed an obvious basket interference call on Duke that would have brought Duke's lead down to 7.  Instead, they called a technical foul on TCU coach Jamie Dixon.  The resulting free throws and the ball - which led to a three point - turned the game from a 7-point difference into a 14-point difference with 8:40 left to go, essentially ending the game.  Now, yes, I know it wasn't over and 8:40 is ordinarily a lot of time, but if you were watching the game you saw, IT WAS OVER.  Unless the coach jumps into the play, or touches an official, you simply cannot call a technical foul three for words, especially since Dixon stated he neither cursed nor raised his voice.  Szelc has to have thick skin and swallow his whistle there.

And yes, Duke fans will call me a "hater," and they are DAMN RIGHT on that, but good reason. Christian Laettner should have been ejected from that 1992 Elite Eight game.  Period!  But Duke isn't all I hate on.  In yesterday's blog I gave a little dig to Florida's backup center - WAY BACKUP - Olivier Rioux, who at 7'9" is officially the world's tallest teenager in history (Guinness verified!).  I saw a picture of him leaving the stadium yesterday.

Now I sent this to fellow participant Silas Nichols of Washington, DC, as well as co-host of this blog Sinickal.  At least one of them has an unhealthy obsession with how bad Olivier Rioux is.  I am just mentioning this because I want to see if he posts this in his write-up on the Squares Gambling Pool - which is the other tournament being hosted on this site - with or without accreditation (which obviously won't happen if he reads this first!).  But, we will see.

So, instead of just digs, I want to give credit to four brackets - the ones that selected Texas over Gonzaga - which upset was worth five additional bonus points.  Those entries were (listed in orders of their standings:  Pepe Sosa 1 of Riviera Beach, Florida, Brittany Sosa of Charlotte, North Carolina, Braeden Helland of Jacksonville, Florida, and Steven Usma 1 of Miami, Florida.  But Pepster, that is only 4 names.  I thought you said there were five, you might be thinking.  There are 5.  And that fifth entrant wins the illustrious "Pick of the Day" Award!!!  The award goes to Brigadier General Kareem Montague of Lille, France.  And yes, that "Brigadier General" is a rank, not a nickname.  If I were to use his nickname I would say "Monty", but we actually have two "Monte" entries in the pool, so I would rather use his rank.  And I use it more importantly because he has earned that, and much, much more from all of us.  Kareem has been a long-time participant of this pool (and I don't remember specifically if he participated in earlier iterations from when we were in college or not), and he has been a longer-time participant of serving the American people and our allies.  Congratulation Kareem, and thank you!

  Now back to on the Court.

Players of the Day (Women's Edition)

10.  Mackenly Randolph, Louisville - 20 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal

9.  Lauren Betts, UCLA - 22 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 1 block

8.  Kymora Johnson, Virginia - 28 pints, 7 rebounds, 6 assists

7.  Mikayla Blakes, Vanderbilt - 30 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists

6.  Hannah Hidalgo, Notre Dame - 23 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists, 8 steals

5.  Jazzy Davidson, USC - 31 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals, 1 block

4.  Achol Akot, Oklahoma State - 28 points, 10 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 block

3.  Ava Heiden, Iowa - 29 points, 7 rebounds, 1 steal, 2 blocks

2.  Joyce Edwards, South Carolina - 27 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 1 block

1.  Audi Crooks, Iowa State - 37 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist

And since I have given you a lot of stats here, let's go straight to my stats of the day.

Stats of the Day

5.  67 - the points South Carolina defeated Southern by in the Women's Tournament

4.  5 Straight - Men's Wrestling Titles for Penn State

3.  6 straight - Women's Swimming and Diving Titles for Virginia

2.  8 - steals for Hannah Hidalgo of Notre Dame

1.  3 - Number of Players to average 30+ points and 6+ assists through two rounds in an NCAA Tournament game (Darius Acuff, Jr., Arkansas - 2026, Jimmer Fredette, BYS - 2011, Billy Donovan, Providence, 1987).

So, that reminds me ...

Jimmer Fredette might have been one of the more natural scorers the NCAA has seen in modern vintage, having scored 52 in one game at BYU.  Due to his lack of size for a scoring guard (6'2") and relative lack of athleticism, he never really blossomed on the NBA level despite being drafted 10th overall by the Milwaukee Bucks.  He did spend 5 years to start his career in the NBA (and two later), but he ultimately made his mark in the Chinese Basketball Association, where he won an MVP, and averaged 37.6 points per game - including a game where he dropped 40 in one quarter.  He ultimately transitioned to 3x3 where he was USA Basketball's 2023 Athlete of the Year.

In 2011, BYU had a squad.  They rose as high as number 3 in the polls, before settling in as a 3-seed in the NCAA tournament.  Jimmer Fredette - a first team All-American, had not only advanced his games throughout his four years, but he finally had a running mate on the Cougars in Brandon Davies, a 6'10" big man who complemented Fredette in so many ways on the Court.  Davies was the second-leading scorer on the team, averaging 11.1 points per game, and a team-high 6.2 rebounds per game.  This was the year where BYU could go from a potential Cinderella to a real threat!

The Cougars had a test from Wofford in the first round, but ultimately prevailed 74-66 behind Fredette's 32 points, 4 rebounds and 7 assists.  BYU advanced to the second-round to face Gonzaga.  The Bulldogs proved to be no match as BYU blitzed them 89-67 with Fredette having another spectacular game.  He scored 34 points, and added 2 rebounds and 6 assists.  Off to the Sweet Sixteen they went.  But waiting in the Sweet Sixteen were the Florida Gators, who ended BYU's run 83-74 despite Jimmer's 32 points, 2 rebounds and 5 assists.  Nobody else for the Cougars scored in double figures, and Davies contributed absolutely zero.  In fact, he contributed nothing for the entire tournament.

Why is that?  Well, I'll tell you.  The sophomore power forward was suspended from the team on March 1, just before the start of the conference tournament.  What was his transgression?  A DUI perhaps?  Maybe some marijuana possession to ease the pressure of a tournament run?  Speeding ticket?  Bar fight?  Or worse, something domestic?  No - to all of these.  Davies had the audacity to commit the dangerous act of having premarital sex with his girlfriend.  As sex is a violation of the school's Honor Code, pre-soaking, Davies was kicked out of school. No word as to whether race had anything to do with this, but you can guess what the scuttlebutt was at the time as it was rumored that she was white, and he is black.  With Davies, BYU was projected to be a number one seed.  Without him, the school had a big "What If" moment.

The incident did lead to a hilarious joke from Seth Meyers when he hosted the ESPYS.  Talking about the situation with Davies, Meyers described how Davies was dismissed from the team but also mentioned that nobody ever speaks about his girlfriend.  Meyers then told the audience, "But she went to Arizona State, so she received extra credit!"

Now in a transition from a historical look at the NCAA Tournament, to somebody who might be a reference in this historical section in a few years, Robbie Avila.  The St. Louis big man is a delight to watch, and is subject to many nicknames which are just absolutely outstanding.  Since St. Louis is no longer in the NCAA Tournament after its loss to Michigan yesterday, here is my tribute to Avila - his best nicknames.

1.  Cream Abdul-Jabbar

2.  Larry Nerd (also Larry Blurred) (Doubly funny because Avila used to play at Indiana State)

3.  Milk Chamberlain

4.  College Jokic

5.  SLU Alcindor  

Now, let's get to the standings!

As always, feel free to double-check my scoring on your brackets, as I stare at a lot of numbers for a couple of hours a day and I do make mistakes.  But, if I have to check your bracket, I will review the entire bracket for errors.  I say this just so you should make absolutely sure you feel that I made a mistake with your bracket.  Onto the standings ...

Standings after Round 2/Day 1

1.  Max Macon 2 - 61

2.  Jason Spuhler - 60

3.  Rich Samuels - 57

4.  Pepe Sosa 1 - 56

5.  Crew Ferguson - 55

     Martha Kroesen - 55

7.  Stephanie Henderson - 54

     Glen Merchant - 54

9.  Measha Williams (Buddy Canes 1 Bracket) - 53

     Day Yi 1 - 53

     Josh Zdrowak - 53

12.  Paul Kludt - 52

       Mitchell K (Lamb) - 52

       Henry Transecki - 52

       Steve Usma 2 - 52

16.  Jonathan Cox 2 - 51

       Megan Cox - 51

       Cheryl Spuhler - 51

       Brittany Sosa - 51

20.  Megan Corrado - 50

       Jeff Plamondon 1 - 50

       Ashley Poer 1 - 50

       Annette Pritchard 1 - 50

       Steve Usma 1 - 50

       Steve Usma 3 - 50

       Steve Usma 5 - 50

27.  Brent Bellinger B - 49

       Kyle Henderson - 49

       Brigadier General Kareem Montague - 49

30.  Ty Hedgpeth - 48

       Braeden Helland - 48

       Dave Piasecki - 48

       Vincent Plamondon - 48

       Chuck Whitcomb - 48

       Justin Yung - 48

36.  Daniel Barsky 2 - 47

       Brent Bellinger A - 47

       Jim Coleman - 47

       Mark Holbert 2 - 47

       Guy Hughes - 47

       Karen Katz - 47

       David Kennedy - 47

       Mac Kroesen - 47

       Mango Merchant - 47

45.  Dwayne Cushman - 46

       Pepe Sosa 2 - 46

       Jonathan Wasserman 2 - 46

48.  Hazy Frank - 45

       Matt Hopps - 45

       Karen Katz - 45

       Duncan Merchant - 45

       Si "Papa Si" Nichols - 45

       William Pujals - 45

       Bubba Zdrowak - 45

       Keith Zdrowak - 45

56.  John Hedgpeth - 44

       Shane Jernigan 2 - 44

       Max Macon 4 - 44

       Benny Merchant - 44

60.  Floyd Fonte 1 - 43

       Adam Jorgensen - 43

       Monte Lambert 1 - 43

       Mike Wolff 1 - 43

64.  Blake Jackson - 42

65.  Joel Chernoff - 41

       Max Macon 1 - 41

       Rylee Montague - 41

       Matt Thibaut - 41

69.  Daniel Barsky 1 - 40

       Jonathan Cox 1 - 40

       Paul Cummings 3 - 40

       Carolyn Fowler - 40

       Natalie Moon - 40

74.  Paul Cummings 1 - 39

       Floyd Fonte 2 - 39

       George Walks 3 - 39

       George Walks 4 - 39

       Measha Williams (Canes 2 Bracket) - 39

79.  Carolyn Fowler and Jane Reynolds - 38

       Colleen Giamberini - 38

       Sasha Moon - 38

       Silas Nichols - 38

       Kingfish Parham - 38

       Amanda Staudt - 38

       Katie Zdrowak - 38

86.  Barbar Curlett - 37

       Floyd Fonte - 37

       Gracie Fonte - 37

       James Garvin - 37

       Alyssa Hopps - 37

       Marcus Jackson - 37

       Shane Jernigan - 37

       Katie Kollmeyer - 37

       Dawn Lamb - 37

       Keith W 2 (Lamb) - 37

       Salvatore Plamondon - 37

       Javier Rodriguez 2 - 37

       Jasmine Tran - 37

99.  Randy Bennett - 36

       Paul Cummings 2 - 36

       Jenna Finkelstein - 36

       Jutine Frank - 36

       Quinn Jackson - 36

       Monte Lambert 2 - 36

       Mike Litsey - 36

       Jeff Plamondon 2 - 36

       Chris Simmons - 36

       Measha Williams (Canes 3 Bracket) - 36

109.  Trey Angus - 35

         Jenna Finkelstein - 35

         Sean McInerney 2 - 35

         Sean McInerney 3 - 35

         Javier Rodriguez 1 - 35

         Steven Usma 4 - 25

         George Walks 1 - 25

         Day Yi 2 - 35

117.  Skip LaForte - 34

         Kingfish Parham 1 - 34

         Annette Pritchard 2 - 34

         Stephanie Soplop 1 - 34

         Stephanie Soplop 2 - 34

         Lily Spuhler - 34

123.  Jacey Fowler - 33

         Mark Holbert 1 - 33

         Keith W 1 (Lamb) - 33

         Ashley Poer 2 - 33

         Jane Reynolds - 33

         George Walks 2 - 33

         Jonathan Wasserman 1 - 33

         Stacia Wilkaitis - 33

         Biscuit Zdrowak - 33

132.  Arlene Amo Hopps - 32

         Max Macon 3 - 32

         Sean McInerney - 32

         Amy Zdrowak - 32

136.  Hannah Sosa - 31

         Caroline Spuhler - 31

138.  Barkley Sosa - 30

139.  Colbie (Lamb) - 29

140.  Mike Wolff 2 - 28

141.  Allison Parker - 27

A 40-Degree Day of Basketball: The NCAA Tournament Squares Pool

To quote the philosopher Stringer Bell, yesterday was "like a 40-degree day. Ain't nobody got nothing to say about a 40-degree day. Fifty? Bring a smile to your face. Sixty? Shit, they is damn near barbecuing on that motherfu&$er. Go down to 20, they get their bitch on. Get their blood complaining. But forty? Nobody give a fu&k about 40."

Yesterday, I watched some of a lot of games. Went to dinner and missed a few games. Saw the really important stuff like the end of the Kentucky-Santa Clara game and gladly didn't see more than a couple of minutes of the Florida-Prairie View game. Well, I did see Olivier Rioux enter the game in garbage time for Florida and record 2 points, 2 rebounds and an assist. I still can't understand that situation. He is 7'9" and cannot get on the floor! Friends have told me that my obsession with him is unnatural, and I get it. But as I wrote last year, this has to be considered the most incredible story in sports. I still believe that. 

But I digress. The point I was trying to make is that yesterday was a 40-degree day. When everything was done late last night all of the favorites advanced, save a couple of 9 seeds beating 8 seeds. 

Chalky ball with some standout performances. Most notable to me was Tarris Reed from UConn. 31 points and 27 rebounds last night against Furman, and UConn needed every bit of it. Reed outrebounded the Furman team and it is the first 30/25 in the NCAA tournament since Elvin Hayes did it 58 years ago. Just a dominant performance.

As for the squares pool, the Day 2 results are below. This wraps up Round 1 meaning that games are now worth 50 points.

On to Round 3. Good luck everyone!

--Your Tournament Host

NCAA Tournament Pool 2026 - Round 1/Day 2 Results

 

Welcome back.  Was anybody else singing Lemon Pound Cake to the tune of Under the Boardwalk in their heads while watching games yesterday?  Just me?  Ok.  Well, that song is genius.

Day 2 of the first round started off with an all-time classic.  Just an awesome basketball game between the 10 seed Santa Clara and the 7 seed Kentucky.  Close all game, back-and-forth at the end (something like 50+ lead changes!!!), and after now-Kentucky legend Otega Oweh scored a tough lay-in with about 9.9 seconds left in the game to tie it, Santa Clara sharpshooter Allen Graves etched his name in NCAA lore by nailing a game-winning three-pointer with 2.4 seconds left.  Or did he?  The aforementioned Oweh, received the inbound pass, drove the left sideline until just after half court and put up a heave that banked in for his 8th consecutive Kentucky point in a row, and sent the game to overtime.  [Ed. Note - It is about time Kentucky ended up on the positive side of a last-second shot.  See Laettner, Christian and Maye, Luke].  From there, Kentucky took over pounding the ball inside to Mouhamed Dioubate, and Brandon Garrison providing the defense on switches as the big man blocked not one, but two three-point shots on the perimeter to seal the win for the Wildcats.  Garrison had 6 blocks in the game! 

A note on Dioubate, he is Muslim, which means this weekend is Eid al-Fitr, meaning an end to Ramadan and an end to his requirement to refrain from all food and drink during the daylight.  If this means Kentucky's most athletic player will be able to hydrate and properly and timely replenish his food, nutrients and fluids, this could mean problems for the Midwest bracket!!!

The rest of the games were seriously boring.  REALLY Boring.  Not one upset (by our definition) occurred, with the only interesting point being that all 4 nine seeds won for the first time since 2019 and only the sixth time ever.  And, since the game was so boring, I won't really mention the games at all (except for my stats and players of the day).  But there were some really cool things that happened in college sports yesterday, so I will discuss those until the games get interesting again.

First, Alabama pitcher Tyler Fay threw a no-hitter last night as the Crimson Tide baseball team won 6-0.  Now, Fay didn't no-hit just any team like Southwestern Central, he did it against NCAA and SEC powerhouse Florida, currently 18-3 and ranked 18th in the country couldn't touch Fay as he struck out 13 and only walked 2 in a 132-pitch gem.

The NCAA Women's tournament started yesterday, and TCU's Olivia Miles - a transfer from Notre Dame - earned a 12-16-14 triple double to become the only person, man or woman, with an NCAA tournament triple double for multiple teams.  Yes, we watch women's basketball here.  And while on the subject, let's give a shout out to participant Alyssa Hopps of Quincy, MA, who just completed her first-year on Babson College's women's team, and finished with 5.9 points per game and 4.5 rebounds per game in an average of 14 minutes.  No doubt her role will be expanding in her next three years - and we hope to see her in the Division III version of the tournament soon!

Now back to our regularly scheduled program.

There were some very interesting stats from yesterday's games.  My favorite are:

Stats of the Day

6.  Florida reserve center Olivier Rioux - all 7'9" of him - played 2 minutes and scored 2 points.  This is like if any other team had a giraffe play and actually score a basket!!!

5.  4-0.  The records of the 9 seeds against the 8s.  For only the 6th time ever.

4.  Brandon Garrison of Kentucky had 6 blocks, and UCLA's Donovan Dent had 6 steals against UCF.  That's some serious defense.

3.  Skyy Clark lost 1 tooth while diving for a loose ball and taking an elbow to the face.

2.  Florida's 114-55 decimation of Prairie View A&M is the largest blowout by a 1-seed in NCAA tournament history, and the second largest blowout ever.

1.  1,077 - The number of assists by Purdue's Braden Smith in his NCAA career, surpassing Duke legend and recently fired coach of Arizona State Bobby Hurley.  Congrats Braden.  

Upon reading the "Stats of the Day" list, you may have asked yourself, "Self, I wonder what the largest blowout in NCAA tournament history was," and "I wonder if Pepster will tell us."  Well, I know the answer to both of those queries, and soon you will too.

Way back on March 11, 1963, in McGraw Memorial Hall in Evanston, Illinois, the mighty Loyola Ramblers crushed Tennessee Tech 111-42, a 69-point spread.  In the immortal words of the legendary sports anchor Warner Wolf, "If you had Tennessee Tech and 68, YOU STILL LOST!!!"  All five Loyola starters scored in double figures, whereas Bobby Young (14) and Eddie Mason (10) had more than half of Tennessee Tech's points.

Loyola would eventually make it to the Final Four, held in Freedom Hall in Louisville that year.  Behind Lee Hunter's 29 points and 18 rebounds, and with a huge assist from Jerry Harkness (20 points and 11 rebounds), Loyola would defeat the Duke Blue Devils 94-75.  Duke was led by eventual MOP Art Heyman, who valiantly tried to keep Duke in the game with his 29 points and 12 rebounds, but it was not enough.  In the finals Loyola would face Cincinnati, who crushed Oregon State 804-48 in the semifinals paced by George Wilson's 24 points and 13 rebounds.

In the finals, Loyola had a balanced scoring attack led Hunter's 16 (with 11 boards), Vic Rouse's 15 (and 12 rebounds), with Huntre chipping in 14.  The leading scorer in the game was Cincinnati's Ron Bonham, who drummed his way to 24 points while playing all 45 minutes of the game, which went into overtime.  In fact, 9 of the 10 starters played all 45 minutes, with only the Bearcats Dale Heidotting earning time off the bench.  His four minutes were largely to spell George Wilson, who experiences some late foul trouble.

In this close, largely back-and-forth game, the Loyola Ramblers prevailed, winning the first (and only) men's basketball championship.

Other than the Kentucky-Santa Clara game, the most interesting thing about the games were the press conferences.  In particular two coaches shined in that regard.

First up is Byron Smith, the head coach of Prairie View A&M, who when asked what his team could do to try to slow Florida down as his team was down 60-21 at halftime responded succinctly, "We need some help from the Lord."

Next up is Kevin Willard, Villanova's coach who told the reporter that he was going to "Fire his Staff" at halftime, and that he needed to "get a new staff."  After the game he simultaneously doubled-down on his statement and said it was a joke.  

So, I guess I should discuss some of the play during yesterday's games.

Players of the Day (Women's Edition)

10.  Taleysia Cooper, Tennesse - 24 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals

9.  Mia Nicastro, Western Illinois - 21 points, 9 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, 1 block

8.  Brooke Carlson, Colorado State - 26 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, 

7.  Allie Turner, Gonzaga - 27 points, 1 rebound, 4 assists

6.  Brookly Meyer, South Dakota State - 29 points, 7 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 block

5.  Carys Baker, Texas - 21 points, 14 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 blocks

4.  Toby Fournier, Duke - 24 points, 7 rebounds

3.  Taryn Barbot, Charleston - 36 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 2 steals

2.  Olivia Miles, TCU - 12 points, 16 rebounds, 14 assists, 2 steals, 1 block

1.  Avery Howell, Washington - 30 points, 9 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals

Players of the Day (Men's Edition)

10.  Armani Lyles, Akron - 26 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks

9.  Darryn Peterson, Kansas - 28 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist

8.  Braden Smith, Purdue - 26 points, 3 rebounds, 8 assists

7.  Malik Reneau, Miami - 24 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks

6.  Dominique Daniels, Cal Baptist - 25 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal

5.  Killyen Toure, Iowa State - 25  points, 11 rebounds, 6 assists

4.  Ja'Kobi Gillespie, Tennessee - 29 points, 3 rebounds, 9 assists, 3 steals

3.  LaBaron Philon, Alabama - 29 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 steals

2.  Otega Oweh, Kentucky - 35 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 steal, 1 block

1.  Tarris Reed, Connecticut - 31 points, 27 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals

And now, for our own "Players of the Day", this was not particularly difficult to select the "Picks of the Day."  Primarily because 3 stood out.  With no major upsets of which to speak, a decent amount of entries had 14 of the 16 games correct, 8 had 15 games correct, and 3 went a perfect 16-0 yesterday.  We might have had 4, but Floyd Forte of Grand Haven, Michigan - who otherwise went 15-0, forgot to select a winner of the Kentucky-Santa Clara game.  Another entrant, Ty Hedgpeth of Wilmington, North Carolina, went 15-1, with her only loss being her selection of Santa Clara, which I can only assume was an attempt at payback for all of my Duke jokes throughout the years.  (Did you see my stab at Bobby Hurley earlier?).  But, with that, the "Picks of the Day" go to the perfect 16-0 selections of Measha Williams (Canes 1 Bracket) of Houston, Texas, Steven Usma 3 of Miami, Florida, and Lily Spuhler of Acworth, Georgia.

As we approach tipoff of the Michigan-St. Louis game, good luck everyone, and remember, all games today are worth 2 points each (and some might be subject to upset bonuses!)

As always, please double check my scoring, and if you find a discrepancy, please let me know.  I will 

double-check it for you, as I am only human.  Just remember my admonition from before, I will double-check the entirety of your bracket.  Now, onto the standings!!!

FIRST ROUND STANDINGS

1.  Jason Spuhler - 48

2.  Max Macon 2 - 47

3.  Rich Samuels - 45

4.  Megan Cox - 43

     Crew Ferguson - 43

     Martha Kroesen - 43

     Day Yi 1 - 43

8.  Stephanie Henderson - 42

     Steven Usma 2 - 42

10.  Josh Zdrowak - 41

11.  Megan Corrado - 40

       Paul Kludt - 40

       Mitchell K. (Lamb) - 40

       Glen Merchant - 40

       Henry Transecki - 40

16.  Jonathan Cox 2 - 39

       Cheryl Spuhler - 39

       Measha Williams (Buddy Canes 1 Bracket) - 39

19.  Jeff Plamondon 1 - 38

       Ashley Poer 1 - 38

       Annette Pritchard 1 - 38

       Steven Usma 3 - 38

       Steven Usma 5 - 38

       Chuck Whitcomb - 38

25.  Brent Bellinger B - 37

       Kyle Henderson - 37

       Pepe Sosa 1 - 37

28.  Ty Hedgepeth - 36

       Dave Piasecki - 36

       Vincent Plamondon - 36

       Jonathan Wasserman 2 - 36

32.  Daniel Barsky 2 - 35

       Brent Bellinger A - 35

       Jim Coleman - 35

       Mark Holbert 2 - 35

       Karen Katz 1 - 35

       David Kennedy - 35

       Mango Merchant - 35

       Si "Papa Si" Nichols - 35

       Bubba Zdrowak - 35

       Keith Zdrowak - 35

42.  Shane Jernigan 2 - 34

       Brittany Sosa - 34

       Pepe Sosa 2 - 34

       Justin Yung - 34

46.  Matt Hopps - 33

       Guy Hughes - 33

       Mac Kroesen - 33

       Monte Lambert - 33

       Duncan Merchant - 33

51.  Dwayne Cushman - 32

       Benny Merchant - 32

53.  Floyd Fonte 1 - 31

       Hazy Frank - 31

       Braeden Helland - 31

       Adam Jorgensen - 31

       Karen Katz 2 - 31

       Rylee Montague - 31

       William Pujals - 31

       Matt Thibaut - 31

       Steven Usma 1 - 31

       Measha Williams (Canes 2 Bracket) - 31

       Mike Wolff 1 - 31

64.  Daniel Barsky 1 - 30

       Jonathan Cox 1 - 30

       John Hedgpeth - 30

       Blake Jackson - 30

       Max Macon 4 - 30

       Brigadier General Kareem Montague - 30

       Sasha Moon - 30

       Amanda Staudt - 30

       Katie Zdrowak - 30

73.  Joel Chernoff - 29

       Shane Jernigan 1 - 29

       Dawn Lamb - 29

       Max Macon 1 - 29

       Salvatore Plamondon - 29

       George Walks 3 - 29

       George Walks 4 - 29

80.  Colleen Giamberini - 28

       Quinn Jackson - 28

       Silas Nichols - 28

       Kingfish Parham 1 - 28

       Kingfish Parham 2 - 28

       Lily Spuhler - 28

86.  Paul Cummings 1 - 27

       Marcus Jackson - 27

       Katie Kollmeyer - 27

89.  Paul Cummings 3 - 26

       Jenna Finkelstein 2 - 26

       Carolyn Fowler - 26

       Skip LaForte - 26

       Monte Lambert 2 - 26

       Mike Litsey - 26

       Natalie Moon - 26

       Jeff Plamondon 2 - 26

       Chris Simmons - 26

       Barkley Sosa - 26

       Measha Williams (Canes 3 Bracket) - 26

100.  Trey Angus - 25

         Jenna Finkelstein - 25

         Floyd Fonte 2 - 25

         Gracie Fonte - 25

         Jacey Fowler - 25

         James Garvin - 25

         Mark Holbert - 25

         Keith W 2 (Lamb) - 25

         Sean McInerney 2 - 25

         Sean McInerney 3 - 25

         Javier Rodriguez 2 - 25

         Jasmine Tran - 25

         George Walks 2 - 25

         Stacia Wilkaitis - 25

         Biscuit Zdrowak - 25

115.  Randy Bennett - 24

         Paul Cummings 2 - 24

         Carolyn Fowler & Jane Reynolds - 24

         Justine Frank - 24

         Arlene Amo Hopps - 24

         Sean McInerney 1 - 24

         Annette Pritchard 2 - 24

         Stephanie Soplop 1 - 24

         Stephanie Soplop 2 - 24

124.  Barbara Curlett - 23

         Floyd Fonte 3 - 23

         Alyssa Hopps - 23

         Ashley Poer 2 - 23

         Jane Reynolds - 23

         Javier Rodriguez 1 - 23

         Caroline Spuhler - 23

         Steven Usma 4 - 23

         George Walks 1 - 23

         Jonathan Wasserman 1 - 23

         Day Yi 2 - 23

135.  Max Macon 3 - 22

         Amy Zdrowak - 22

137.  Colbie (Lamb) - 21

         Keith W 1 (Lamb) - 21

         Allison Parker - 21

         Hannah Sosa - 21

141.  Mike Wolff 2 - 20

A Sad Day One Notebook: The NCAA Tournament Squares Pool

As many of you know, I am a proud alumnus of America's University - also known as Syracuse. Unfortunately, our men's basketball program is currently in a down period and while this is my favorite time in the sports calendar, this is a sad time.

Despite it all, I have to believe that this situation will all work itself out and we will get back to prominence. Eventually. I hope. Damn, I really hope it happens soon! 

Why did I start this post this way? Well, it informs how I have to watch the early rounds of the NCAA Tournament this year. I have the goal of doing some advance scouting of potential coaches to help recover the glory of America's University. With that, here are some of my notes from the first day of games:

• First, watching 16 games each on Thursday and Friday, and 48 games total over the first weekend is a job. I am out here grinding! Yesterday featured three different bars and my basement for viewing. Thirteen HARD hours.
• The first bar of the day, Walters Sports Bar was live! High Point University had the largest watch party yesterday with at least 25 bougie, purple clad alumni losing their minds. There was a lot going on in this game. High Point played from behind and in critical situations without fear and with great confidence. Definitely a sign of outstanding coaching. Is the next stop for Flynn Clayman an interview at America's University?
• Also, what about Wisconsin. My lord! Wisconsin has lost in the first or second round of the tournament in 6 of the last 8 years. And, one of the years that they didn’t make the tournament was because there was no tournament due to COVID. They are a disaster for a major conference program! 
• Nebraska? The only early window blowout? As noted by friend of the blog Kev-O, Nebraska basketball has existed since 1896. This was their first NCAA tournament win.
• Louisville survived the University of South Florida yesterday, but they are in trouble in this tournament! USF couldn't buy a basket in this game and we discovered that Louisville can't handle full court pressure. USF shot just 39% from the field and 15% (5 for 33) from 3 yesterday. Putrid. And they were still in this game. Solid coaching performance from Upstate NY native Bryan Hodgson. Is his next stop an interview at America's University?
• What an effort from Sienna yesterday. They simply ran out of gas at the end of that due to a lack of depth. Four of the five starters played all 40 minutes of the game and Gerry McNamara only made his first substitution with 0:10 left in the game to give a foul. Even Jon Scheyer had to admit he had been outcoached by the Syracuse alumnus. Does this mean that the next stop for Gerry McNamara is an interview to be the next coach of America's University?
• How about McNeese? Also a valiant effort that waned late. I would be willing to entertain a interview with Billy Armstrong to lead America's University, but only if Amir Khan is hired also as a paid graduate assistant. You remember our favorite student manager from last year, don't you?
  
  
• How about the old guys? Tom Izzo is still getting it done. He is only 71? He has been head coach at Michigan St for 31 years. And talk about stability, the school has only had two coaches since 1975. On the other end of the spectrum is John Calipari. Everywhere he lands, he builds the exact same long, athletic team. Acuff and that Arkansas team are going to be a tough out.
• BYU's AJ Dybantsa is a beast! He scored 50% of his teams points and it needed to be more. Also, did anyone else note that the BYU basketball team represents like the French National Soccer Team?

  

  
  
• St. Louis! And Robbie Avila! I wonder if we can get Josh Schertz out of his extension and get him into America's University for an interview. 
• After watching that North Carolina debacle, I feel like I am going to have to start talking about them like I do the University of Virginia. As a dumpster fire. If you don't remember my tirade about that, you can revisit it here.
• What about Michigan, Texas A&M, Houston, Illinois and Gonzaga you ask? Yeah, I watched them. 

With the first day of games completed, we have our first slate of winners. Congratulations to Mick Magee and Kyle Armstrong for being multiple winners on Day 1. 

On to Day 2!

--Your Tournament Host