That leaves our "Picks of the Day" to the 38 entries that selected Michigan into the Elite 8. This means that Saturday's games will have little effect on the pool, unless you are the few of the 38 Michigan "Elite Eighters" to have selected Michigan to advance to the Final Four - or further. This also means that tonight's games (and thus Sunday's games) are where entries are going to separate from each other. as Villanova, Purdue, Kansas and Duke were selected by a number of brackets to advance.
Since 68 of us received zero points yesterday, I will not award a "Worst Pick of the Day Award", but rather give a "Hard Luck Award" to Barkley Sosa of Riviera Beach, Florida, who by selecting Kentucky, Nevada and Gonzaga, just missed out on a ton of points (especially with the Nevada game) with Nevada losing by 1 and Kentucky losing by 3. (Yes, she had Nevada in the Elite 8!) Heartbreaking Barkley.
We now have only four of the original thirteen different champions remaining as Gonzaga and Kentucky have been eliminated. Those teams will continue to be listed in every update in bold so long as they remain in the pool. Arizona, Cincinnati, Duke, Florida, Gonzaga, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Michigan State, North Carolina, Villanova, Virginia and Xavier. Three of the four have games tonight. Will we lose anyone tonight?
The highest ranking brackets to lose a champion yesterday were Jim Coleman of Boynton Beach, Florida at 13 (Gonzaga) and Kingfish Rod Parham of Snellville, Georgia - a former champion at 52 (Kentucky).
With all of the upsets, the Florida State Seminoles, the 9th seed in the Western bracket, are in the Elite 8. This is Florida State's third Elite Eight (1972, 2003), and in 1072 they advanced the the final game, losing to UCLA 81-76, with the Bruins Bill Walton being named Most Outstanding Player. But for today's history lesson, I want to focus not on a player, or a team, or even a game, but rather a coach. Florida State's Leonard Hamilton has been around forever.
Hamilton started as an assistant coach at Austin Peay in Clarksville, Tennessee in 1971 through 1974. Basketball afficianados will recognize this Austin Peay team as having James "Fly" Williams, one of the most renown street basketball players of all time. In fact, Complex.com named Fly Williams the 6th greatest streetball player of all time, behind only Connie Hawkins, Julius Erving, Pee Wee Kirkland, Earl "the Goat" Manigault, and Joe "the Destroyer" Hammond - in ascending order. Hamilton was a major reason that Fly moved from Brooklyn to Clarksville to play basketball, and Fly ended up third in the nation in scoring his sophomore season. (The students used to chant, "The Fly is open, let's go Peay!"). For a look at a snapshot of Fly Williams and playground basketball in general, Rick Telander's Heaven is a Playground focuses on one summer of basketball (1973) in Foster Park in Brooklyn.
Hamilton made such a name for himself as an assistant at Austin Peay, that none other than the legendary Joe B. Hall of Kentucky hired him to be his chief assistant/main recruiter, and Hamilton proved himself worthy being one of the primary architects of Kentucky's 1978 champions. Hamilton stayed at Kentucky through 1985, and then became a head coach at Oklahoma State (1986-1990), Miami (1990-2000), the NBA's Washington Wizards (2000-2001) and then to Florida State, where he has been head coach since 2002).
His career record is 525-417, he has won a Big East regulars season championship (2000), an ACC tournament championship (2012) and has been named national coach of the year (1995), Big East Coach of the Year (1995, 1999), and ACC coach of the year (2009, 2012).
Hamilton is much-maligned as a game coach, probably a bit more than he deserves, but has always been a great recruiter, and he has been coaching basketball at the collegiate level or above since 1971. For reference, Duke's Mike Krzyzewski - often thought of as a "Dean" of coaches (Carolina fans - see what I did there?), had his first coaching job 3 years AFTER Hamilton's.
With regard to the bracket, Bryan van Gorder Canajoharie, New York and Hollywood, California still leads, despite earning zero points yesterday, but that is because most of us received that score. I expect some movement in the standings today.
Remember to check my math, and let me know if you have any questions regarding your bracket.
On to the standings ...
1. Bryan van Gorder - 63 - North Carolina
2. George Walks 3 - 61 - Virginia
3. Biscuit Zdrowak - 60 - Michigan State
5. Max Macon 2 - 57 - Michigan State
11. Greg Kummerlen - 54 - North Carolina
Rich Samuels 2 - 54 - Villanova
Sasha Moon - 57 - Villanova
7. Anthony LaPira - 56 - Michigan State
Max Macon 4 - 56 - Virginia
9. Thomas Bean 1 - 55 - Villanova
Max Macon 4 - 56 - Virginia
9. Thomas Bean 1 - 55 - Villanova
Rich Samuels 1 - 55 - Kansas
Rich Samuels 2 - 54 - Villanova
13. Jen Armstrong - 53 - Michigan State
Thomas Bean 2 - 53 - Michigan State
Jim Coleman - 53 - Gonzaga
Carolyn Fowler and Jane Reynolds - 53 - Villanova
Jessica Samuels - 53 - Villanova
Day Yi 2 - 53 - Villanova
20. Ty Leatherman - 52 - Virginia
Day Yi 2 - 53 - Villanova
Justin Yung - 53 - North Carolina
George Walks 6 - 52 - Michigan State
22. Steffan Alexander - 51 - Florida
Dan Barsky - 51 - Virginia
Carolyn Fowler 51 - Kansas
Carolyn Fowler 51 - Kansas
Jacey Fowler 1 - 51 - North Carolina
Traci Sheehan - 51 - Duke
Steven Usma 3 - 51 - Michigan
28. Albert Harper III - 50 - Michigan State
Mango Merchant - 50 - Michigan State
Barkley Sosa - 50 - Kentucky
Steven Usma 3 - 51 - Michigan
28. Albert Harper III - 50 - Michigan State
Kyle Sheehan - 50 - Duke
Joshua Zdrowak - 50 - Kansas
33. Brittany Sosa - 49 - Duke
Steven Usma 2 - 49 - Villanova
35. Adam Jorgensen 2 - 48 - Michigan State
Dan Laishley - 48 - Virginia
Noel Martinez 2 - 48 - Villanova
Noel Martinez 2 - 48 - Villanova
Abigail Sosa - 48 - Michigan State
Cheryl Spuhler - 48 - Duke
Cheryl Spuhler - 48 - Duke
George Walks 2 - 48 - Kansas
Josh and Katie Zdrowak - 48 - Villanova
42. Adam Jorgensen 1 - 47 - Duke
Chris Kroesen - 47 - Xavier
42. Adam Jorgensen 1 - 47 - Duke
Chris Kroesen - 47 - Xavier
Debbie Igdaloff Nieman - 47 - Virginia
Edy Pecan - 47 - Michigan
Measha Williams 3 "Spread" - 47 - Virginia
Edy Pecan - 47 - Michigan
47. Jenna Finkelstein - 46 - North Carolina
James Garvin - 46 - Villanova
Steven Usma 5 - 46 - Villanova
50. Pepe Sosa - 45 - Villanova
Wes Wiggins 2 - 45 - Michigan State
52. Kingfish Rod Parham - 44 - Kentucky
Allison Parker - 44 - Virginia
Samantha Sheehan - 44 - Duke
Samantha Sheehan - 44 - Duke
55. Bill Ganoe 1 - 43 - North Carolina
Bill Ganoe 2 - 43 - Virginia
Colleen Hamilton 1 - 43 - Virginia
Katie Kollmeyer - 43 - Villanova
Jonathan Wasserman - 42 - Duke
63. Steve Jorgensen - 41 - Arizona
Karen Katz - 41 - Virginia
65. Jacey Fowler 2 - 40 - Cincinnati
Alvaro Gonzalez - 40 - Michigan State
Max Macon 3 - 40 - Villanova
Max Macon 3 - 40 - Villanova
Hannah Sosa - 40 - Florida
George Walks 5 - 40 - Arizona
70. Brent Bellinger - 39 - Virginia
Paul Cummings - 39 - Villanova
Arlene Amo Hopps - 39 - Villanova
Jeff Plamodon - 39 - Virginia
George Walks 4 - 39 - North Carolina
Measha Williams 2 "Upset City"- 39 - Duke
78. Carter Alexander - 38 - Florida
Kent Armstrong - 38 - Villanova
Joe Carter - 38 - Virginia
Eric Inge - 38 - Virginia
85. Cathy Donahue - 37 - Duke
Duncan Merchant - 37 - Virginia
Katie Zdrowak - 37 Villanova
89. Bill Foman - 36 - North Carolina
Jeremy Spuhler - 36 - Duke
96. Col. Kareem Montague - 34 - Villanova
Steven Usma 1 - 34 - Kansas
98. Colleen Hamilton 3 - 33 - North Carolina
Michael Litsey - 33 - Villanova
100. Colleen Hamilton 2 - 32 - Villanova
Doug Tuttle - 32 - Florida
105. Griffey Parker - 27 - Xavier
100. Colleen Hamilton 2 - 32 - Villanova
Steven Usma 4 - 32 - Duke
103. Ashley Poer - 30 - Virginia
Amy Zdrowak - 30 - Michigan State
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