2023 NCAA Tournament Pool - Elite 8/Day 2

 

So, getting a late start on this today, but I promise we will finish strong, just like the Miami Hurricanes, who looked all but finished until they decided to lock-down their defense, and hace efficient offense led by Christian Laett, um, I mean, Jordan Miller, who finished 7-7 from the field and 13-13 from the free throw line as Miami stormed back to defeat Texas 88-81.  And please note, if you think that today's history lesson is going to be about that Christian Laettner reference, then you don't know me at all.  (To be fair, some of you literally do not know me at all!)

And the Miami win came on the wings of a San Diego State victory over Creighton in which the Aztecs' Darrion Trammell hit his second free throw - after missing his first free throw - with one second left to lift SDSU over Creighton 57-56.  I am not going to get into the Ryan Nembhard foul with one second because - IT WAS A FOUL.  I hate to see a game end that way, but it was the correct call.  (See Chiefs, Kansas City).

Anyway, also foul is that we do not have that many collective chances to earn points in the pool.  Only 9 entries have FAU, Miami or Connecticut in the final game, but, with 16 points per game available for the final four - and 28 for winning the final - if one of your teams win you will rocket up the standings.  With only 9 entries, it will sure make my calculations quick and easy.

A side note, I will post after the semi-finals, but it will not be as exhausting as these daily reports have been, primarily because I will be in Houston and focusing my blogging efforts on our daily activities.  Those entries will also be on this blog, so feel free to follow along.

Since nobody, and I mean nobody, had San Diego State in the Final Four (nor Creighton to be honest), the Miami win knocked all of the Texas choices - and there were many - out of the pool.  That means we have some changes to our top 3!  Drew Foster of Lake Worth Beach, Florida remains in first, and Rich Samuels 1 of Palm Beach Gardens, Florida remains in second place.  I have recently learned that Rich will be joining his Miami Hurricanes in Houston for the festivities.  I am sure that we will meet up at some point during the weekend.  Now in third place is Steven Usma 2 of Miami, Florida who earned points with Miami making the Final Four.  Steven Usma 2 is the highest ranked bracket that can still score points.  Javier Rodriguez 2 of Coral Gables, Florida, lurking in fourth place is the highest ranked bracket with Miami winning it all.  Stephanie Henderson of Ft. Worth, Texas is the highest ranked bracket with Connecticut winning the tournament, while Steven Usma 2 of Miami, Florida is the highest ranked bracket with Connecticut in the finals.  As stated numerous times, Arlene Amo Hopps of Quincy, Massachusetts has Florida Atlantic winning the championship.

Stats of the Day

3.  Jordan Miller of Miami's perfect game shooting (7-7 from the field; 13-13 from the free throw line)

2.  This is the first time in the last 18 years that Connecticut's women will not be in the Elite 8.

1.  This is the first time in the last 14 years that Connecticut's women will not be in the FINAL FOUR!

Players of the Day

6.  Marcus Carr - Texas - 17 points/2 rebounds/6 assists

5.  Ryan Kalkbrenner - Creighton - 17 points/6 rebounds/2 blocks

4.  Wooga Poplar - Miami - 16 points/6 rebounds/4 assists/2 steals/1 name of Wooga

3.  Lamont Butler - San Diego State - 18 points/2 rebounds

2.  Darrion Trammell - San Diego State - 12 points/5 rebounds/1 assist

1.  Guess?  No, seriously, Jordan Miller - Miami - 27 points/2 rebounds/2 assists, 1 steal/1 block

And, speaking of Jordan Miller, let's turn to Miami.  See, San Diego State and Miami won on Sunday, but I have already written about San Diego State's history in an earlier write-up.  And, I refuse to reminisce about the Christian Laettner game, so Miami it is.  And, I am just going to do something I don't think I have ever done in the history of this tournament pool.  I am going to just introduce you to some of the best basketball players - or at least the most accomplished - in the history of Miami Hurricane basketball.

Honorable mention on this list is current player Isaiah Wong, who is 1st team All-ACC this year, after making the third-team All-Conference last year.  He is currently the fifth-leading scorer in Miami history, 48 points behind fourth-place Darius Rice.

Dick Hickox, who played from 1958-1961 finished as a second team All-American in 1960.  He has scored the 10th most points in Hurricanes history.  Hickox came back as an assistant coach from 1967-1971, where he coached, among others ...

Don Curnutt, who played from 1967-1970, and finished as the second leading scorer in Miami history, and is currently third.  He was a second team All-American in 1970.

Shane Larkin, who played from 2011-2013, was a first round draft pick in the NBA, taken 18th overall by the Atlanta Hawks.  He has bounced around several NBA tams as well as a couple of European League teams, currently playing for Anadolu Efes in Turkey.  He finished as a 2013 second team All-American and was a finalist for the Wooden Award - given to the best player in college basketball.

Tim James played from 1995-1999, and he was named first team All-Big East in 1998 AND 1999, and was the Big East Player of the Year in 1999, a season in which he was named third team All-American.  He is currently the seventh-leading scorer in school history, the seventh-leading rebounder for Miami, and even the second highest total of blocks.  James was drafted in the first round by the Miami Heat with the 25th pick.  He played 3 seasons in the NBA, before galavanting around the globe playing professional ball for several additional seasons.  Miami retired his number (40) in 1999.

And forgive me as I think out loud as I know there is one player that I am missing - oh yeah, the greatest Hurricane basketball player of all time - Constantin Popa.  Popa, a 7'3" Romanian, played from 1991 through 1995 and has the most blocks in the history of Miami basketball.  Ok, sorry, I can't even finish typing this with a straight face.

IT'S RICK BARRY!!!!  Of course it's RICK BARRY!!!  WHO ELSE COULD IT BE BUT RICK BARRY!!!

Barry played from 1962-1965, and was a first team All-American in 1965.  He is the career scoring leader in school history, has the highest two scoring season for Miami, and the top 8 scoring games, with 59, 55, 54, 52, 51, 51, 50, and 50.  He also led the NCAA in scoring in 1965.  He has the most rebounds in Miami history, has the top two rebounding seasons for Miami - and also 5th - and he has the first and third highest rebounding games with 29 and 27, and 3 more of the top 11.  He also shot free throws underhanded.  His jersey number (24) ws retired in 1976.

The San Francisco Warriors drafted Barry second in the 1965 draft - behind Fred Hetzel, (who?) - He played in the NBA/ABA for fifteen season with 4 different franchises (although he played with the Warriors on two separate occasions).    He won the ABA championship in 1969, and the NBA championship in 1975 - also winning the Finals MVP.  He was an 4-time ABA All-Star and an 8-time NBA All-Star, winning the All-Star game MVP in 1967.   He was a 9-time All-ABA or All-NBA first team, and a 1 time second teamer.  He won NBA Rookie of the Year, and was the NBA scoring champion in 1967, and the NBA steals leader in 1975.  He was inducted into the College Basketball Hall of Fame and the Basketball Hall of Fame.  So basically, he is THE standard of Miami Hurricanes basketball.  Although he is just slightly better than Constantin Popa.

His five sons, Scooter (Kansas), Jon (Pacific/Georgia Tech), Brent (Oregon State), Drew (Georgia Tech) and Canyon (Florida) all played at least collegiate basketball, and Brent is the current Vice-President of Basketball Operations for the NBA.

Now, if you look at the best players in Miami history, you will see that they are all guards/wing players - excepting Popa.  That is very on brand with the Hurricanes, as they currently start 7 guards, and 1 very large small forward playing center.  Which leads us to the ...

Social Media Post of the Day

From Twitter:

Thanks for following the Tournament Pool posts, and good luck to everybody in the Final Four.  Follow our travels right here at WeMakeItRain.blogspot.com

Remember, the semi-finals are worth 16 points per game, so if you have Florida Atlantic, Miami or Connecticut, you have the opportunity to rise dramatically in the standings should your prediction hold true.  Now on to the standings.  As always, double check my math, and let me know if you think I need to review your score.  

1.  Drew Foster - 78

2.  Rich Samuels 1 - 77

3.  Steven Usma 2 - 75 - Marquette/Connecticut

4.  Javier Rodriguez 2 - 73 - Miami/Alabama

5.  Allison Parker - 72

6.  Dana Williams - 71

7.  Arlene Amo Hopps - 70 - Florida Atlantic/Gonzaga

8.  Steven Usma 4 - 66 - Miami/Arizona

9.  Carolyn Fowler - 65

     Jacey Fowler II - 65

     Mitch K (Lamb) - 65

     Sasha Moon - 65

13.  Stephanie Henderson - 64 - Connecticut/Baylor

       John Hopps - 64

       Guy Hughes - 64

16.  Martha Kroesen - 64

17.  Jonathan Cox - 63 - Connecticut/Marquette

18.  Carolyn Fowler and Jane Reynolds - 62

       Rich Samuels 2 - 62

       Joshua Zdrowak - 62

21.  George Fox 3 - 61

       Shane Jernigan 2 - 61 - Duke/Connecticut

       Ty Leatherman - 61

       Silas Nichols - 61

25.  Scott Bieterman 2 - 60

       Steven Usma 5 - 60

27.  Scott Bieterman 1 - 59

       Shane Jernigan 1 - 59

       Skip LaForte - 59

       Kisha Marzouca 1 - 59

       Jane Reynolds - 59

32.  Justin Gaeta - 58

       Karen Katz - 58

       Jeff Plamondon 2 - 58

       Steven Usma 1 - 58 - Arizona/Connecticut

36.  Marcus Jackson - 57

       Jessica Samuels - 57

       Justin Yung - 57 - Arizona/Connecticut

39.  Sal DiSanza - 56

       Blake Jackson - 56

       Mike Wolff - 56

42.  Brittany Sosa -55

       Bubba Zdrowak - 55

44.  Edy "Almond" Pecan - 54

       Jason Spuhler - 54

46.  Bill Ganoe 1 - 53

       Colonel Kareem Montague - 53

48.  Jacey Fowler I - 52

       Matt Okell 1 - 52

       Kingfish Parham - 52

51.  Bill Ganoe 2 - 51

       Kyle Henderson - 51

       Quinn Jackson - 51

       Dan Laishley - 51

       Sean McInerney 4 - 51

       Brian McMahon - 51

       Ashley Poer 2 - 51

       Chris Simmons - 51

       Jonathan Wasserman - 51

       Day Yi 1 - 51

61.  Jeff Plamondon 1 - 50

       Javier Rodriguez 1 - 50

       Pepe Sosa - 50

64.  Alvaro Gonzalez - 49

       Matt Hopps - 49

       Eric Inge - 49

       Adam Jorgensen - 49

       Kisha Marzouca 3 - 49

       Bennie Merchant - 49

       Javier Rodriguez 4 - 49

       Amanda Staudt - 49

       Biscuit Zdrowak - 49

73.  Jim Baruffi - 48

       Liam Gray - 48

       Max Macon 2 - 48

       Javier Rodriguez 3 - 48

       Steven Usma 3 - 48

    

78.  George Fox 1 - 47

       Miles Jackson - 47

       Gracie Kroesen - 47

       Max Macon 1 - 47

       George Walks 3 - 47

83.  Jim Coleman - 46

       Paul Cummings 2 - 46

       Dawn Lamb - 46

       Sean McInerney 3 - 46

87.  Bill Ganoe 3 - 46

       Braeden Helland - 46

       Kyle Henderson 2 - 46

90.  Paul Cummings 1 - 44

       James Garvin - 44

       Chris Kroesen - 44

       Skip LaForte 2 - 44

       Kisha Marzouca 2 - 44

       Duncan Merchant 44

       Sean McInerney 2 - 44

       George Walks 2 - 44

       George Walks 4 - 44

99.  Brent Bellinger - 43

       Jenna Finkelstein - 43

       George Fox 2 - 43

       Justine Frank - 43

       Alyssa Hopps - 43

       Sean McInerney 1 - 43

       Rich Samuels 3 - 43

       Day Yi 2 - 43

       Amy Zdrowak - 43

108.  Annabelle Fowler - 42

         Keith W 2 (Lamb) - 42

         Matt Okell 2

         Jamie Toole - 42

112.  Mac Kroesen - 41

         Max Macon - 41

         Matt Okell 3 - 41

         Hannah Sosa - 41

116.  Cheryl Spuhler - 40

         George Walks 1 - 40

118.  Aly Baruffi - 39

         Katie Kollmeyer - 39

         Keith W 1 (Lamb) - 39

         Savannah Grace Pressly - 39

         A.J. Ripin - 39

         Logan Spuhler - 39

         Katie Zdrowak

125.  Dave Marzouca 1 - 38

         Ashley Poer 1 - 38

         Keith Zdrowak - 38

128.  Max Macon 3 - 37

         Dave Piasecki - 37

         William Pujals - 37

131.  Mark Holbert - 35

         Dave Marzouca 2 - 35

133.  Barkley Sosa - 33

134.  Dave Marzouca 3 - 32

         Jeremy Spuhler - 32

136.  Mango Merchant - 29

137.  Lizzy W (Lamb) - 25

         Lily Spuhler - 25

You Can't Sell What You Don't Know: The Block Pool Elite 8 Day 2 Results

Are you excited for the Final Four? 

Ah, storylines. Every year I hear people talking about how refreshing it would be if March were truly madness. The tournament would be so much better if Duke wasn't winning every year and we got some new teams to root for. What about the Cinderella's and true underdogs? 

Well, you got it. And now we will see if that is what you really wanted. 

My guess is that you don't want this. I am heading to Houston this weekend for the Final Four, and I am going to guess that game tickets will not be that expensive and TV ratings won't be overwhelming. I mean, I think the ratings will be better than a LIV tournament, but that isn't saying much. 

There is a reason that four of the five most watched non-NFL sporting events of 2022 were the Alabama-Georgia BCS Championship Game, the UNC-Duke Final Four semi-final, the Kansas-UNC Final Four final, and Celtics-Warriors Game 6 in the NBA finals. Familiarity and sustained success matters, and people tune in to both root for and against "important" teams. 

In other words, congratulations on getting this Final Four.

Your tournament host is in Los Angeles this week and didn't get to watch much of any of the Elite 8 games. What that means is that I was spared having to watch Wooga Poplar make a free throw with 5 seconds left in the Miami-Texas game to take me out of the money. 

I. HATE. GAMBLING.

With that Emily Lawson continues her streak of winning a box in every round of the tournament so far. And for some of us, there are only three opportunities left. Here are the full results from the Elite 8.

Stakes double again on Saturday to 400 units per win. Good luck out there. 

2023 NCAA Tournament Pool - Elite 8/Day 1

 

Welcome back to the Who the Hell Knows What is Going On NCAA Tournament!!!  Florida Atlantic, in only its second appearance in the tournament, defeats Kansas State and is going to the Final Four.  I'll say that a little louder for those of you in the back - FAU IS GOING TO THE FINAL FOUR!!!  And, as FAU stepped up, the one player who had absolutely dominated this tournament, shrinks in crunch time.  Markquis Nowell - in their penultimate possession - passes up a three-point shot with 9 seconds left and Kansas State down 3 to throw a bullet to a cutting teammate for an easy 2-pointer, and then he gives up the ball in the last possession only for Kansas State to never get up a shot.  Congratulations Owls - Burrowing Owls specifically - see you in Houston.

As for the second game - YAWN!  Connecticut dominated, obliterated and absolutly annihilated Gonzaga.  I seriously completed my scoring for this tournament during the second half of this game.  Connecticut, who was one of the KenPom's highest rated combination teams (offense and defense) coming into the tournament - and they are showing us why.  They could be trouble.  Huskies - see you in Houston.

With Kansas State and Gonzaga losing, two more potential champions go down.  The list of our champions is:  Alabama, Arizona, Connecticut, Duke, Florida Atlantic, Gonzaga, Houston, Indiana, Kansas, Kansas State, Marquette, Miami, Michigan State, Purdue, Tennessee, Texas.

For today's games, I don't believe anybody has Creighton or San Diego State in the Final Four (if they do, I will find out when I score today's games - don't worry) but several people have Texas and others have Miami.  This second game is going to have a lot of effect on our pool standings, so definitely watch Texas and Miami.

As far as the pool - WE HAVE A NEW LEADER!!!  Drew Foster of Lake Worth Beach, Florida takes the lead thanks to UConn's win.  (I mean really, it was like UConn were Vikings and Gonzaga was some small abbey on the British coast.)  Rich Samuels 1 of Palm Beach Gardens, FL slips into second, and Allison Parker of Washington, DC rises up into third place.  Interestingly, Allison has concluded her pool, as she can no longer earn any points, and the same with fourth place Dana Williams of somewhere in the Greater West Palm Beach, Florida area.  So those lurking just behind with Texas, Connecticut, or Miami advancing all have a chance to earn more points.

Last place is also (mostly) decided.  Lizzy W (Lamb) of Delray Beach, Florida and Lily Spuhler of Acworth, Georgia, are tied for last place.  I don't have the mindset or bandwidth to go back and apply the tiebreaker to see who comes in last to receive their money back, but it will be one of you two as you both have no opportunities left to earn points!!!

But Florida Atlantic does - and they are in teh Final Four as a 9-seed, the second ever to do so after Wichita State's run in 2013.  That is too recent of history about which for me to write, so let's explore the those higher seeds that made it.    Syracuse in 2016 made the Final Four in Houston, but that is also recent - and not a good Final Four showing - so can't write about them.  Five 11 seeds qualified, and most are fairly recent - George Mason in 2006, Virginia Commonwealth in 2011, Loyola Chicago in 2018 and UCLA in 2021.  The won that we will explore today is LSU in 1986.

That year's LSU Tigers, filled with a roster that even diehard college basketball fans would struggle to recognize, if at all - finished the rgular season 22-11, and 9-9 in the SEC - tied for fifth.  The team struggled largely because it's roster that had three 7-footers (or near 7-footers), was ravaged before the season even started.  Damon Vance (the 6'11" one) was declared academically ineligible and Tito Horford either left the team or was dismissed.  (Who knew Horford was at LSU?)  The third seven-footer, Zoran Jovanovich, suffered a season-ending knee injury in December.  No truth to the rumor that he went on to star in The Fifth Element with Bruce Willis. 

Because of this diversity, 6'6" sophomore Ricky Blanton - of bourbon fame, maybe - volunteered to play center and captain Don Reddne said that LSU had "gone from an NBA-size team to a big junior high team!"

Then, LSU was hit with a bout of chickenpox, hospitalizing star player John Williams and backup forward Bernard Woodside were hospitalized for a week, and quarantined more than that.

So, there might have been reasons for the 22-11 record.

LSU entered the tournament as an 11 seed, but a 61-58 loss in the SEC semi-finals to eventual number 1 seed Kentucky could have been encouraging.  Also encouraging was LSU's placement into the Southeast region, where they would play in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where they would literally be able to sleep in their own beds.

LSU dispatched Purdue in the first round, behind 25 points from Anthony Wilson, 21 from Don Redden, 20 from Derrick Taylor, 16 from John Williams, and 10 points/11 boards from Ricky Blanton, the 6'6" center.  LSU won 94-87 despite receiving only 2 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists from its entire bench.  After receiving two good night's sleep at home, LSU awaited Memphis, led by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's favorite basketball player, Baskerville Holmes and future NBAer (and legit 7-footer) William Bedford, but despite the size differenece, LSU hung on to win 83-81.  Redden paced a balanced-scoring LSU with 23, and John "Hot Plate" Williams - himself a future first-round draft pick - added 19 and 13, Derrick Taylor scored 18 and Ricky Blanton addedd 11 and 11.  But now, LSU has to travel - all the way to Atlanta.

But, in Atlanta, they have to play Georgia Tech, who is now a literal home team - AND LOADED.  This starting five is as good as any in college basketball with Mark Price running point, Bruce Dalrymple at the 2, Duane Ferrell on the wing, and big men Tom Hammonds and John Salley.  Unfortunately, the Yellow Jackets had no bench, so LSU's lack of depth was not necessarily a hinderance in this game.  Price scored 29, Hammonds 16, and Salley 11 with 10 rebounds, but it wasn't enough as LSU won 70-64.  LSU was paced by Captain Don Redden's 27, with Derrick Taylor contributing 23.  Amazingly, only 8 total points scored by both benches.  Up next for LSU, old SEC nemesis Kentucky.

Just like the SEC Championship game, this game was close, with the Tigers outlasting the Wildcats 59-57.  LSU's balanced scoring (John Williams 16, Don Redden 15, Anthony Wilson and Ricky Blanton 12 points each - with 8 rebounds for Blanton) outpaced Kentucky's Kenny Walker (20 points) and Roger Harden (12 points).  Interestingly, both benches combined for only 2 points (by UK's Cedrick Jenkins).  LSU is heading to the Final Four as an 11 seed, then the first double-digit seed to make it that far.

Alas, the clock struck midnight in Dallas as Louisville defeating LSU 88-77.  Redden acquitted himself well with 22 points, Taylor had 16 and Wilson contributed 15.  Williams scored 14 with 9 rebounds, and Blanton scored 9 with 12 rebounds, but it was not enough for the firepower of the Cardinals, led by Billy Thompson (22/10), Milt Wagner (22/11 assists), Herbert Crook (16), Jeff Hall (14) and freshman center Never Nervous Pervis Ellison (11 points, 13 rebounds).  Louisville would go on to win the title defeating Duke 72-69 behind Ellison's 25 points and 11 rebounds.  Ellison would go on to be the number 1 overall pick by the Sacremento Kings in 1989, and Duke would go on to torment college basketball for an eternity.

Pervis Ellison might have been the number 1 pick, but Sacramento has nothing on our own Arlene Amo Hopps of Quincy, Massachusetts, who not only selected Florida Atlantic into the Final Four, but she did so with them beating Kansas State in the Elite 8 - meaning she also receives 5 bonus points!  That, is the pick of the day.  If you were one of the several entrants that selected Connecticut, then you also rose in the standings.

No social media references of the day since the entirety of social media is some combination of "OMG FAU!!!" or "Congrats FAU", none of which specifically deserve to be mentioned here.

Stats of the Day

6.  Gonzaga had the number 1 offense in the NCAA (out of 363 teams).  That doesn't matter when your two best players go 5-14 (Drew Timme) and 4-15 (Julian Strawther).

5.  Speaking of Drew Timme, he picked up his 4th foul with 17:38 left in the game.

4.  Marquis Nowell accounts for 63.8% of Kansas State's points in the tournament.

3.  Connecticut's average margin of victory in this tournament is 22.5.  The defeated Iona by 24, St. Mary's by 15, Arkanas by 23, and Gonzaga by 28.

2.  Florida Atlantic won despite committing 22 turnovers.

1.  Kentucky, Duke, North Carolina and Kansas all missed the Elite 8 in the men's tournament.  Connecticut, Tennessee and Stanford all missed the Elite 8 in the women's tournament.  This is HUGE!

Players of the Day

9.  Drew Timme - Gonzaga - Despite his shooting and foul woes, still ended up with a double double - 12/10 with 4 assists.

8.  Johnell Davis - FAU -13 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal, 1 block

7.  Alex Karaban - Connecticut - 12 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist

6.  Adama Sanogo - Connecticut - 10 points, 10 rebounds, 6 assists

5.  Alijah Martin - Florida Atlantic - 17 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks and THIS DUNK!!! 

4.  Andre Jackson - Connecticut - 8 points, 9 rebounds, 10 assists

3.  Marquis Nowell - Kansas State - 30 points, 3 rebounds, 12 assists, 5 steals - would be number 1 in a victory.  Hell, should be number 1 anyway.

2.  Jordan Hawkins - Connecticut - 20 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist

1.  Vladislav Goldin - Florida Atlantic - 14 points, 13 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks and he drew at least 8 fouls on Connecticut, including 5 in the first 10 minutes to aggresively set the tone that FAU was not scared of Kansas State.

And speaking of setting the tone - here are the standings.  Remember to double check the scores and let me know if you have any questions.

1.  Drew Foster - 78 - Texas/Kansas State

2.  Rich Samuels 1 - 77 - Alabama/Texas

3.  Allison Parker - 72 - Houston/Alabama

4.  Dana Williams - 71 - Alabama/Houston

5.  Arlene Amo Hopps - 70 - Florida Atlantic/Gonzaga

6.  Steven Usma 2 - 67 - Marquette/Connecticut

7.  Carolyn Fowler - 65 - Houston/Alabama

     Jacey Fowler II - 65 - Alabama/Texas

     Mitch K (Lamb) - 65 - Gonzaga/Marquette

     Sasha Moon - 65 - Houston/Arizona

     Javier Rodriguez 2 - 65 - Miami/Alabama

12.  Stephanie Henderson - 64 - Connecticut/Baylor

       John Hopps - 64 - Houston/Purdue

       Guy Hughes - 64 - Alabama/Texas

15.  Martha Kroesen - 64 - Alabama/Houston

16.  Jonathan Cox - 64 - Connecticut/Marquette

17.  Carolyn Fowler and Jane Reynolds - 62 - Alabama/Houston

       Rich Samuels 2 - 62 - Houston/Alabama

19.  George Fox 3 - 61 - Texas/Baylor

       Shane Jernigan 2 - 61 - Duke/Connecticut

       Ty Leatherman - 61 - Houston/Alabama

       Silas Nichols - 61 - Houston/Alabama

23.  Scott Bieterman 2 - 60 - Houtson/Arizona

       Steven Usma 5 - 60 - Alabama/Gonzaga

25.  Scott Bieterman 1 - 59 - Purdue/Houston

       Shane Jernigan 1 - 59 - Marqutte/Gonzaga

       Skip LaForte - 59 - Michigan State/Houston

       Kisha Marzouca 1 - UCLA/Purdue

       Jane Reynolds - 59 - Alabama/Houston

30.  Justin Gaeta - 58 - Houston/Marquette

       Karen Katz - 58 - Marqutte/Kansas

       Jeff Plamondon 2 - 58 - Texas/Marquette

       Steven Usma 1 - 58 - Arizona/Connecticut

       Steven Usma 4 - 58 - Miami/Arizona

35.  Marcus Jackson - 57 - Kansas/Alabama

       Jessica Samuels - 57 - Houston/Marquette

       Justin Yung - 57 - Arizona/Connecticut

38.  Sal DiSanza - 56 - Alabama/Kansas

       Blake Jackson - 56 - Purdue/Gonzaga

40.  Brittany Sosa -55 - Kansas/Duke

       Bubba Zdrowak - 55 - Kansas/Purdue

42.  Edy "Almond" Pecan - 54 - Kansas State/Houston

       Jason Spuhler - 54 - Kansas/Baylor

       Joshua Zdrowak - 54 - Kansas/Marquette

45.  Bill Ganoe 1 - 53 - Houston/Alabama

       Colonel Kareem Montague - 53 - Purdue/UCLA

47.  Jacey Fowler I - 52 - Alabama/Houston

       Matt Okell 1 - 52 - Indiana/Drake

49.  Bill Ganoe 2 - 51 - Arizona/UCLA

       Kyle Henderson - 51 - Marqutte/Houston

       Quinn Jackson - 51 - Houston/Baylor

       Dan Laishley - 51 - Kansas/Alabama

       Sean McInerney 4 - 51 - Alabama/Houston

       Brian McMahon - 51 - Kansas/Marquette

       Ashley Poer 2 - 51 - Arizona/UCLA

       Chris Simmons - 51 - UCLA/Alabama

       Jonathan Wasserman - 51 - Duke/Houston

       Day Yi 1 - 51 - Gonzaga/Alabama

59.  Jeff Plamondon 1 - 50 - Alabama/Hosuton

       Javier Rodriguez 1 - 50 - Alabama/Houston

       Pepe Sosa - 50 - Houston/Arizona

62.  Alvaro Gonzalez - 49 - Alabama/Texas

       Matt Hopps - 49 - Alabama/Houston

       Eric Inge - 49 - Alabama/Kansas

       Adam Jorgensen - 49 - Kansas/Arizona

       Kisha Marzouca 3 - 49 - Houston/Tennessee

       Bennie Merchant - 49 - Arizona/Houston

       Javier Rodriguez 4 - 49 - Alabama/Houston

       Amanda Staudt - 49 - Houston/Purdue

       Biscuit Zdrowak - 49 - Houston/Tennessee

71.  Jim Baruffi - 48 - UCLA/Duke

       Liam Gray - 48 - Arizona/Kansas

       Max Macon 2 - 48 - UCLA/Purdue

       Javier Rodriguez 3 - 48 - Houston/Duke

       Steven Usma 3 - 48 - Houston/Alabama

       Mike Wolff - 48 - Kansas/Arizona

77.  George Fox 1 - 47 - Kansas/Duke

       Miles Jackson - 47 - Houston/Purdue

       Gracie Kroesen - 47 - Purdue/UCLA

       Max Macon 1 - 47 - Purdue/Houston

       George Walks 3 - 47 - Kansas State/UCLA

82.  Jim Coleman - 46 - Arizona/Kansas

       Paul Cummings 2 - 46 - Texas/Baylor

       Dawn Lamb - 46 - Kansas/Alabama

       Sean McInerney 3 - 46 - Kansas/Alabama

86.  Bill Ganoe 3 - 46 - Alabama/Houston

       Braeden Helland - 46 - Alabama/Gonzaga

       Kyle Henderson 2 - 46 - Houston/Marquette

89.  Paul Cummings 1 - 44 - Houston/Baylor

       James Garvin - 44 - Alabama/Houston

       Chris Kroesen - 44 - Purdue/Houston

       Skip LaForte 2 - 44 - Houston/Purdue

       Kisha Marzouca 2 - 44 - Houston/Alabama

       Duncan Merchant 44 - Gonzaga/Alabama

       Sean McInerney 2 - 44 - Alabama/Gonzaga

       Kingfish Parham - 44 - Alabama/Kansas

       George Walks 2 - 44 - Texas/Alabama

       George Walks 4 - 44 - Tennessee/UCLA

99.  Brent Bellinger - 43 - Marqutte/Texas

       Jenna Finkelstein - 43 - Kansas State/Texas A&M

       George Fox 2 - 43 - Houston/Purdue

       Justine Frank - 43 - Gonzaga/Marquette

       Alyssa Hopps - 43 - Virginia/Gonzaga

       Sean McInerney 1 - Houston/Kansas State

       Rich Samuels 3 - 43 - Houston/Alabama

       Day Yi 2 - 43 - Purdue/Houston

       Amy Zdrowak - 43 - UCLA/Duke

108.  Annabelle Fowler - 42 - Alabama/Houston

         Keith W 2 (Lamb) - 42 - Kansas/Arizona

         Matt Okell 2 - Arizona/Kansas

         Jamie Toole - 42 - Houston/Marquette

112.  Mac Kroesen - 41 - Alabama/Houston

         Max Macon - 41 - Alabama/Kansas

         Matt Okell 3 - 41 - Kansas/Purdue

         Hannah Sosa - 41 - Houston/Alabama

116.  Cheryl Spuhler - 40 - Houston/Purdue

         George Walks 1 - 40 - Arizona/Houston

118.  Aly Baruffi - 39 - Purdue/Northwestern

         Katie Kollmeyer - 39 - Indiana/Purdue

         Keith W 1 (Lamb) - 39 - Texas/Alabama

         Savannah Grace Pressly - 39 - UCLA/Alabama

         A.J. Ripin - 39 - Gonzaga/Duke

         Logan Spuhler - 39 - Alabama/Xavier

         Katie Zdrowak - 39 - Duke/Texas

125.  Dave Marzouca 1 - 38 - Duke/Gonzaga

         Ashley Poer 1 - 38 - Hosuton/Alabama

         Keith Zdrowak - 38 - Purdue/Texas

128.  Max Macon 3 - 37 - Houston/Alabama

         Dave Piasecki - 37 - Houston/Marquette

         William Pujals - 37 - UCLA/Arizona

131.  Mark Holbert - 35 - Houston/Marquette

         Dave Marzouca 2 - 35 - Houston/Purdue

133.  Barkley Sosa - 33 - Houston/Alabama

134.  Dave Marzouca 3 - 32 - Alabama/Houston

         Jeremy Spuhler - 32 -Kansas/Tennessee

136.  Mango Merchant - 29 - UCLA/Purdue

137.  Lizzy W (Lamb) - 25 - Kansas/Duke

         Lily Spuhler - 25 - Houston/Purdue

We Should Appreciate Dominance: The Block Pool Elite 8 Day 1 Results

I was on a cross-country flight today with no live TV and poor Wi-Fi, so I didn't get to watch any of the two games today. Yeah, that Delta flight felt like 2021. It was that kind of day.

Anyway, I don't have anything to say about the games today except that when I went to look at the scores, the UConn - Gonzaga game really jumped out. The note for today is that UConn is pounding teams in this tournament. They have played only one team that wasn't supposed to be there by seeding (Arkansas) and the closest game they have played so far has been a 15-point win against St Mary's. In fact, St Mary's was the only one of four teams UConn has seen to stay within 20 points! This is a dominant run so far by UConn and no one seems to be noticing. Well, I am. 

I am still posting a goose egg in this tournament, and I may start lashing out at some people because of it. Results for Saturday's games are below.

I hate everything about this pool right now. 

2023 NCAA Tournament Pool - Sweet Sixteen/Day 2

 

My apologies on the short-shrifted post yesterday, but sometimes during these pools I do have to work and attend to other obligations.  At least I did a post.  I plan on making up for that with a bit extra today.  And most of that extra is not sponsored by number 1 seeds, as two heavyweights go down.  As Howard Cosell would say, DOWN GOES FRAZIER!!! DOWN GOES FRAZIER!!! DOWN GOES FRAZIER!!!  For those that don't understand the referencem on January 22, 1973, undisputed heavyweight champion Joe Frazier fought the number 1 contender George Foreman in Kingston, Jamaica for the heavyweight championship of the world.  Frazer was 29-0 with 25 Knockouts, and had won 10 consecutive title fights.  Foreman at the time was 37-0 with 34 knoclouts.  In the second round, Foreman won via TKO with 1:35 remaining, after having knocked down Frazier 6 times.  The first knockdown led to Howard Cosell's legendary call, which now is used anytime a "heavyweight" goes down; heavyweights like Alabama and Houston!

And, Alabama and Houston were - BY FAR - the two most selected champions, and, BY EVEN FURTHER - the most selected finals matchup.  But, BYE-BYE.  That leaves our champions as: Alabama, Arizona, Connecticut, Duke, Florida Atlantic, Gonzaga, Houston, Indiana, Kansas, Kansas State, Marquette, Miami, Michigan State, Purdue, Tennessee, Texas.  Yes, we have 6 of the Elite 8.  We are guaranteed to lose 2 of these champions today as FAU plays Kansas State, and Connecticut plays Gonzaga.  Today is a BIG day as far as the entire pool is concerned.  Should be fun to watch.

Before we move on, I owe you a tournament history lesson from yesterday.  My initial thought was to write about tournament 20-point scorers, with Drew Timme of Gonzaga breaking that record yesterday, but he broke the tie with Bill Bradley, Elvin Hayes, Danning Manning, Glen Rice, Corliss Williamson and Richard Hamilton, and there is just so much there, that it would be unfair to just select one of those tournament greats.  So, instead, I am going to focus on the other record broken Thursday, the 19 assists in one game by Markquis Nowell of Kansas State, who broke the record of Mark Wade of UNLV, who had 18 assists in 1987,

Mark Wade was a 6' senior point guard for UNLV in 1987, and he led the team with standout guard Freddie Banks, wing Gerald Paddio and big man Armon Gilliam.  (Although not the best player on the team, my favorite was Jarvis Basnight, a 6'8" forward from Detroit, who played like he was a 6'8" forward from Detroit!)  UNLV, behind legendary coach Jerry Tarkanian - who is probably going to be sanctioned just for me writing this - won the Preseason NIT, and strolled through the season to a 33-1 regular season record, the only loss being to then number 16 ranked Oklahoma 89-88 in Norman.  UNLV stormed through an undefeated conference season and won its conference tournament to secure a 1 seed in the tournament.

In the tournament's first round, UNLV played sacrificial lamb Idaho State in Salt Lake City, Utah, as UNLV, behind Mark Wade's 9 assists that led to 23 points by Freddie Banks, 18 by Gary Graham (from the greatest single high school team of all time - the 1983 Dunbar High School from Baltimore team) off the bench, and 3 other double digit scorers, demolished Idaho State 95-70.  In the second round, Kansas State only put up a little bit of a tougher fight as UNLV won 80-61.  Wade had 13 assists, which led to 24 points by Gilliam, 15 by Banks, 14 by Basnight, and 10 by Paddio to advance to the Sweet Sixteen.

In the Sweet Sixteen, Wyoming - behind future NBAer Fennis Dembo's 27 points, but up a tougher fight, but still feel to UNLV 92-78 as Wade once again had 9 assists.  Gilliam dominated the game with 38 points and 13 rebounds as UNLV advanced to the Elite 8 where they would face Iowa.  Iowa fell 84-81 and behind its four future NBA players - Roy Marble, B.J. Armstrong, Brad Lohaus, and Kevin Gamble - gave UNLV its toughest test.  Wade was up to the task dishing 12 assists to his teammates, especially Armon Gilliam, who scored 27 with 10 rebounds.  Paddio added 20, Banks scored 17 and Graham contributed 10 off the bench.  With the victory UNLV goes to the Final Four.

The 1987 NCAA Final Four was held in New Orleans, and the fans in attendance witnessed a classic.  UNVL lost to Indiana 97-93 in the Final Four, but not because of poor play by UNLV.  Banks scored 38 with 8 rebounds, Gilliam had 32 with 10 rebounds, and Mark Wade dished 18 assists, on 35 baskets!!!  Indiana won because of the 33 points scored by Steve Alford, 18 by Dean Garret, 12 by Rick Calloway, and 14 by Keith Smart, who would go on to score 21 in the Final including THIS SHOT that occurs 30 seconds into the video. 

But despite losing in the Final Four, Mark Wade finished the tournament with a total of 61 assists in the tournament - 5.2 PER GAME!!!

Also seriously, if you love basketball, read about that Dunbar High School team.  I recommend The Boys of Dunbar, but ESPN did a documentary as well.  That team was LOADED!

But, back to the present.  Our leader, Rich Samuels 1 of Palm Beach Gardens, FL remains the same, but there have been some dramatic changes behind him. Drew Foster, of Lake Worth Beach, Florida flies into second place followed closely by Carolyn Fowler, of Greenacres, Florida, Mitch K (Lamb) of Delray Beach, Florida and Javier Rodriguez 2 of Coral Gables, Florida - all tied for third.  Drew rose up the standings due to having 3 of the 4 wins yesterday, as did Steven Usma 2 of Miami, Florida and Josh Zdrowak, of Orlando, Florida.  All three of those entrants had Creighton, with Miami and Texas.  Other people that selected Creighton were: Fowler, Dana Williams of somewhere in the Greater West Palm Beach, Florida area, Rich Samuels 2 of Palm Beach Gardens, Brittany Sosa of Orlando, Florida, Steven Usma 2 of Miami, Florida, and Rich Samuels 3 of Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.  Apparently Rich Samuels really believed in Creighton.  Should be a nine-way tie for Pick of the Day, right?  NO!!!!

That goes to Jim Baruffi of Jupiter, Florida who was the only person to pick San Diego State into the Final Four.  No word on wether or not Jim has any affiliation with either San Diego State, or the Aztecs, but congratulations Jim, you have earned it!!!

Now, Creighton did beat Princeton, and had Princeton won, I would have written about their 1965 basketball team, which went to the Final Four.  I mean, when will I have the opportunity to write about an Ivy League team making the Final Four.  It hasn't happened since Penn did it in 1979, but nobody cares about Penn in 1979 as that was the Magic-Bird championship between Michigan State/Indiana State.  So, in light of the fact that I will likely not have this opportunity, I will tell you about Princeton's final four run in 1965.

Princeton finished the regular season 23-6, and 13-1 in conference to earn a post-season berth.  They traveled to Philadelphia to play Penn State in the Palestra, which they narrowly won 60-58 behind 22 points and 9 rebounds by future Senator Bill Bradley, Princeton's star.  The Tigers easily handled North Carolina State 66-48 in the second round in College Park, Maryland.  In the second round game, Bradley dominated scoring 27 points (nobody else from either team had more than 13) and a game-high 14 rebounds.  But this game had nothing on Princeton's next win, a 109-69 dominance of Providence in what we would call the Elite 8.  Bradley was once again dominant, scoring 41, with 10 rebounds and 9 assists to advance Princeton to the Final Four.

The Final Four was held in Portland, Oregon, and the Tigers played the Michigan Wolverines, where they lost 93-76.  Michigna was led by future NBAer and College Basketball Hall of Famer Cazzie Russell, who had 28 points and 10 rebounds.  Bill Bradley finished with a game-high 29, but could not get enough help from his teammates.  Princeton still had one game remaining, as back in 1965 the NCAA tournament held a third-place game in which Princeton would play Wichita State - and play them they did.

Princeton won the third-place game 118 - 82.  In that game Bradley had 58 points - YES 58!!! - and 17 rebounds.  Bradley's 58 points are still the most points scored in a Final Four game (the tournament record is Notre Dame's Autin Carr's 61 in 1970), and his 87 are the most cumulative scored in a Final Four.  He also went on the star in the NBA winning 2 NBA titles and making the Hall of Fame, and did a thing in the Senate serving 3 terms.  Bottom line - he was pretty accomplished.

Since I just spent some time going over Bill Bradley's stats, let's see what the players of yesterday accomplished themselves.

Players of the Day

8.  Norchad Omier - Miami - 12 points/13 rebounds/3 assists/1 steal

7.  Isaiah Wong - Miami - 20 points/6 rebounds/3 assists

6.  Darrion Trammell - San Diego State - 21 points/5 rebounds/2 steals

5.  Baylor Scheiermn - Creighton - 21 points/9 rebounds/4 assists

4.  Tosan Evbuimwan - Princeton - 24 points/6 rebounds/9 assists/1 steal

3.  Ryan Langborg - Princeton - 26 points/3 rebounds/1 assists/2 steals

2.  Ryan Kalkbrenner - Creighton - 22 points/5 rebounds/2 assists/amazing interior defense

1.  Nigel Pack - Miami - 26 points (7 three pointers)/4 rebounds/2 assists/1 steal

And for some more stats ...

Stats of the Day

6.  Alabama star Brandon Miller shot 3-19 (1-10 from three).  He became the first person in NCAA tournament history to shoot under 20% for the tournamant, with a minimum of 40 shots.

5.  Texas star Dylan Disu played only 2 minutes, before suffering a foot-injury.  He was later seen in a walking boot on the bench.

4.  Matt Kuchar tied Tiger Woods for the most all-time victories at the WGC Match Play, with 36.  Kuchar finished his group play 2-0-1.

3.  Sandy Alcantara - the reigning unanimous National League Cy Young Award winning, finished his last spring training start against the Houston Astros pitching 3 innings, giving up 0 hits and striking out 8.

2.  San Diego State had the 3rd best three-point defense in the NCAA Tournament (out of 363).  Seems as if that worked out for them as Alabama shot 3-27 from three-point range.

1.  Since tournament seeding began in 1979, this is the first time NO 1 seeds have advanced to the Elite 8.  It has never happened before.  NEVER!

I  know that I have posted yesterday's tournament history, and I did Princeton 1965 and Bill Bradley today, but to make up for yesterday's plain report, I want to give an extra something today, and that extra something is the story of Jim Larranaga, coach of the Miami Hurricanes.

Larranaga was the head coach and American International in 1977-1979, and has been a head coach constantly since 1986, with stints at Bowling Green, George Mason and Miami.  Born in the Bronx to Cuban parents, he seems a natural fit at Miami, but he is probably most well known as coach of George Mason from 1997-2011.  He left Bowling Green for George Mason after being the second-winningest coach in Bowling Green history. His 2004 team became the first 20 win-team at George Mason in 14 years, but with three starters returning for their junior year, disappointingly wen 16-13 in 2005.  This was just setup for the 2006 season, in which George Mason won the Colonial Athletic Conference regular season title (tied with UNC-Wilmington), but lost to Hofstra in the semi-finals, a game known for George Mason's Tony Skinn's punch below-the-belt to a Hofstra player, earning him a 1 game suspension.  George Mason earned an at-large berth, one of the last teams selected into the tournament. but began a magical ride to the final four in Indianapolis defeating Michigan State 75-65, North Carolina 65-60, Wichita State 63-55, and Connecticut 86-84 in overtime, before falling to eventual champion Florida 73-58 in the Final Four.

Larranaga left George Mason as the winningest coach in school - and conference - history.  Larranaga was coached to Miami, and his hiring is a fantastic story.  Larranaga was on vacation and his agent could not get in touch with him.  Miami had contacted the agent about their recent coaching vacancy and really wanted to look at Larranaga.  Although the agent couldn't (or wouldn't) get in touch with the coach while he was on vacation, Larranaga's daughter reached out and asked her dad to send in his resume.  However, having been coach at George Mason since 1997, he didn't have a resume.  So, thinking quickly, Larranaga's daughter sent Miami's Athletic Director a copy of Larranaga's wikipedia page!

Larranaga, at 73 years of age, is the second-winningest coach in Bowling Green history, the winningest coach in George Mason history (by 143 games), and the winningest coach in Miami history.  And tomorrow, Miami will compete in its second consecutive Elite 8.

OK - now I feel better.

Social Media Posts of the Day

3.  As a setup, the NCAA Men's Hockey tournament started Thursday, and yesterday Harvard played Ohio State, with the Buckeyes losing 8-1.  My friend Josh R. found this on twitter:

"Harvard gave us Facebook and this game.  That's two strikes."

2.  From my Facebook page - "Brandon Miller firing blanks for Alabama".

1.  This from Twitter - as shown to me by my friend Brendan H.

IYKYK!

On to the standings.  Feel free to double-check my scores, and let me know if you have any questions.  Please note that the A.J. Ripin/Jeremy Spuhler bracket situation has been solved.  Jeremy's bracket had been scored correctly, with A.J.'s a duplicate of Jeremy's.  I have found A.J.'s origingal bracket and scored it.  He is nominally better that previously listed, but he does have Gonzaga as his champion.

1.  Rich Samuels 1 - 77 - Alabama/Texas

2.  Drew Foster - 70 - Texas/Kansas State

3.  Carolyn Fowler - 65 - Houston/Alabama

     Mitch K (Lamb) - 65 - Gonzaga/Marquette

     Javier Rodriguez - 65 - Miami/Alabama

6.  John Hopps - 64 - Houston/Purdue

     Guy Hughes - 64 - Alabama/Texas

     Allison Parker - 64 - Houston/Alabama

9.  Dana Willias - 63 - Alabama/Houston

10.  Carolyn Fowler & Jane Reynolds - 62 - Alabama/Houston

       Rich Samuels 2 - 62 - Houston/Alabama

12.  Ty Leatherman - 61 - Houston/Alabama

       Silas Nichols - 61 - Alabama/Houston

14.  Steven Usma 5 - 60 - Alabama/Gonzaga

15.  Shane Jernigan 1 - 59 - Marquette/Gonzaga

       Skip LaForte 1 - 59 - Michigan State/Houston

       Kisha Marzouca 2 - 59 - UCLA/Purdue

       Steven Usma 2 - 59 - Marquette/Connecticut

19.  Karen Katz - 58 - Marquette/Kansas

       Jeff Plamondon 2 - 58 - Texas/Marquette

       Steven Usma 4 - 58 - Miami/Arizona

22.  Jacey Fowler 2 - 57 - Alabama/Texas

       Arlene Amo Hopps - 57 - Florida Atlantic/Gonzaga

       Marcus Jackson - 57 - Kansas/Alabama

       Sasha Moon - 57 - Houston/Arizona

       Jessica Samuels - 57 - Houston/Marquette

27.  Sal DiSanza - 56 - Alabama/Kansas

       Stephanie Henderson - 56 - Connecticut/Baylor

       Blake Jackson - 56 - Purdue/Gonzaga

30.  Martha Kroesen - 55 - Alabama/Houston

       Brittany Sosa - 55 - Kansas/Duke

       Bubba Zdrowak  55 - Kansas/Purdue

33.  Jonathan Cox - 54 - Connecticut/Marquette

       Edy "Almond" Pecan - 54 - Kansas State/Houston 

       Jason Spuhler - 54 - Kansas/Baylor

       Joshua Zdrowak - 54 - Kansas/Marquette

37.  George Fox 3 - 53 - Texas/Baylor

       Bill Ganoe 1 - 53 - Houston/Alabama

       Shane Jernigan 2 - 53 - Duke/Connecticut

       Colonel Kareem Montague - 53 - Purdue/UCLA

41.  Scott Bieterman 2 - 52 - Houston/Arizona

       Jacey Fowler I - 52 - Alabama/Houston

       Matt Okell 1 - 52 - Indiana/Duke

44.  Scott Bieterman 1 - 51 - Purdue/Houston

       Bill Ganoe 2 - Arizona/UCLA

       Kyle Henderson - 51 - Marquette/Houston

       Quinn Jackson - 51 - Houston/Baylor

       Dan Laishley - 51 - Kansas/Alabama

       Sean McInerney 4 - 51 - Alabama/Houston

       Brian McMahon - 51 - Kansas/Marquette

       Ashley Poer 2 - 51 - Arizona/UCLA

       Jane Reynolds - 51 - Alabama/Houston

       Christopher Simmons - 51 - UCLA/Alabama

       Jonathan Wasserman - 51 - Duke/Houston

       Day Yi 1 - 51 - Gonzaga/Alabama

56.  Justin Gaeta - 50 - Houston/Marquette

       Jeff Plamondon 1 - 50 - Alabama/Houston

       Javier Rodriguez 1 - 50 - Alabama/Hosuton

       Pepe Sosa - 50 - Houston/Arizona

       Steven Usma 1 - 50 - Arizona/Connecticut

61.  Alvaro Gonzalez - 49 - Alabama/Texas

       Matt Hopps - 49 - Alabama/Houston

       Eric Inge - 49 - Alabama/Kansas

       Adam Jorgensen - 49 - Kansas/Alabama

       Kisha Marzouca 3 - 49 - Houston/Tennessee

       Bennie Merchant - 49 - Arizona/Houston

       Javier Rodriguez 4 - 49 - Alabama/Houston

       Justin Yung - 49 - Arizona/Connecticut

       Biscuit Zdrowak - 49 - Houston/Texas

70.  Jim Baruffi - 48 - UCLA/Duke

       Liam Gray - 48 - Arizona/Kansas

       Max Macon 2 - 48 - UCLA/Purdue

       Javier Rodriguez - 3 - 48 - Houston/Duke

       Steven Usma 3 - 48 - Houston/Alabama

       Mike Wolff - 48 - Kansas/Arizona

76.  George Fox 1 - 47 - Kansas State/Duke

       Miles Jackson - 47 - Houston/Purdue

       Gracie Kroesen - 47 - Purdue/UCLA

       Max Macon 1 - 47 - Purdue/Houston

       George Walks 3 - 47 - Kansas State/UCLA

81.  Jim Coleman - 46 - Arizona/Kansas

       Paul Cummings 2 - 46 - Texas/Baylor

       Dawn Lamb - 46 - Kansas/Alabama

       Sean McInerney 3 - 46 - Kansas/Alabama

85.  Bill Ganoe 3 - 45 - Alabama/Houston

       Braeden Helland - 45 - Alabama/Gonzaga

       Kyle Henderson - 45 - Houston/Marquette

88.  Paul Cummings - 44 - Houston/Baylor

       James Garvin - 44 - Alabama/Houston

       Chris Kroesen - 44 - Purdue/Houston

       Skip LaForte - 44 - Houston/Purdue

       Kisha Marzouca 1 - 44 - Houston/Alabama

       Duncan Merchant - 44 - Gonzaga/Alabama

       Sean McInerney 2 - 44 - Alabama/Gonzaga

       Kingfish Parham - 44 - Alabama/Kansas

       George Walks 2 - 44 - Texas/Alabama

       George Walks 4 - 44 - Tennessee/UCLA

98.  Brent Bellinger - 43 - Marquette/Texas

       Jenna Finkelstein - 43 - Kansas State/Texas A&M

       George Fox 2 - 43 - Houston/Purdue

       Justine Frank - 43 - Gonzaga/Marquette

       Alyssa Hopps - 43 - Virginia/Gonzaga

       Sean McInerney 1 - 43 - Houston/Kansas State

       Rich Samuels 3 - 43 - Houston/Alabama

       Day Yi 2 - 43 - Purdue/Houston

       Amy Zdrowak - 43 - UCLA/Duke

107.  Annabelle Fowler - 42 - Alabama/Houston

         Keith W 2 (Lamb) - 42 - Kansas/Arizona

         Matt Okell 2 - 42 - Arizona/Kansas

         Jamie Toole - 42 - Houston/Marquette

111.  Mac Kroesen - 41 - Alabama/Houston

         Max Macon 4 - 41 - Alabama/Kansas

         Matt Okell 3 - 41 - Kansas/Purdue

         Hannah Sosa - 41 - Houston/Alabama

         Cheryl Spuhler - 41 - Houston/Purdue

         Amanda Staudt - 41 - Houston/Purdue

         George Walks 1 - 41 - Arizona/Houston

118.  Aly Baruffi - 39 - Purdue/Northwestern

         Katie Kollmeyer - 39 - Indiana/Purdue

         Keith W (1) Lamb - 39 - Texas/Alabama

         Savannah Grace Pressly -39 - UCLA/Alabama

         A.J. Ripin - 39 - Gonzaga/Duke

         Logan Spuhler - 39 - Alabama/Xavier

         Katie Zdrowak - 39 - Duke/Texas

125.  Dave Marzouca 1 - 38 - Duke/Gonzaga

         Ashley Poer 1 - 38 - Houston/Alabama

         Keith Zdrowak - 38 - Purdue/Texas

128.  Max Macon 3 - 37 - Houston/Alabama

         Dave Piasecki - 37 - Houston/Marquette

         William Pujals - 37 - UCLA/Arizona

131.  Mark Holbert - 35 - Houston/Marquette

         Dave Marzouca 2 - 35 - Houston/Purdue

133.  Barkley Sosa - 33 - Houston/Alabama

134.  Dave Marzouca 3 - 32 - Alabama/Houston

         Jeremy Spuhler - 32 - Kansas/Tennessee

136.  Mango Merchant - 29 - UCLA/Purdue

137.  Lizzy W (Lamb) - 25 - Kansas/Duke

         Lily Spuhler - 25 - Houston/Purdue

Football Is Our Second Sport: The Block Pool Sweet 16 Day 2 Results

Well, that was interesting...

San Diego St, Creighton, FAU, Kansas St, Miami and Texas. All of a sudden, we are staring down a Final Four that will include three of those teams! This has been truly fascinating. 

So, what is my favorite storyline going into today's games? It is that Texas may be a basketball school! That's right, Friday Night Lights might as well be a story about a sweaty gymnasium just north of downtown Austin. 

Thank goodness for that I guess, because the football team is currently a mess. Given the money and resources the football program there has, it is sort of amazing that they have been no better than a middling program for more than a decade. This story is reminiscent of the 1989 University of Michigan basketball team that lost it's head coach right before the NCAA tournament and was led to a national championship by interim coach Steve Fischer. Granted, Bill Frieder didn't get charged with a felony in 1989, but you see my point. And Michigan football at the time? A middling program with a couple of bright spots through the 1980's and early 90's. 

I am a little hungover this morning so I don't really have a point here. You should trust this though. We are looking at a arc with the University of Texas that is familiar, and I am positive that the boosters there are not as happy as you think. Schools like Oklahoma and Michigan and Texas and Alabama (?) don't want to be basketball schools, they just want to be good at basketball.

I am still winless in this damn pool, and I am starting to get angry. For that, I am not even going to congratulate anyone today. Here are the f$#king results.

Point totals double again today to 200 per game. Good luck everyone.

2023 NCAA Tournament Pool - Sweex Sixteen/Day 1

 

Busy, busy day at my real job, so I will be updating this in segments today.  I will erase the "IN PROGRESS/STANDY" once complete.

The leader stays the same, but there was a lot of movement at the top, and bottom of the standings.  Rich Samuels 1 is still in first, with Mitch K (Lamb) in second.  We know how a two-way tie for the third with John Hopps and Allison Parker.  And, at the bottom of the standings, Lily Spuhler is no longer in sole possession of last place, as she - through Gonzaga - managed to tie for 137th with Lizzy W (Lamb), and Lily has her champion still alive.  Your Tournament Host's bracket is a mess.

And speaking of mess, there is no bigger mess than Jeremy Spuhler and A.J. Ripin.  Neither of them put their name on their bracket, which I did when I printed them.  However, I noticed today when scoring, that I printed the same bracket for both of them.  I noticed because somebody had "UU" winning the UCLA - Gonzaga game.  The worst part is - neither one of them has contacted me to discuss their scoring.  I will scour my e-mails and find which one was not printed, and place it in the correct position once I find it - sometime this weekend.  

Three more champions are down as Michigan State lost to Kansas State, Tennessee lost to Florida Atlantic, and Gonzaga defeated UCLA.  Our champions are:  Alabama, Arizona, Connecticut, Duke, Florida Atlantic, Gonzaga, Houston, Indiana, Kansas, Kansas State, Marquette, Miami, Michigan State, Purdue, Tennessee, Texas, UCLA.  Miami plays Houston today, so we are guaranteed to lose at least one more champion.

Gonzaga was a popular pick, and a few people selected Kansas State and Connecticut, but the real movers in the pool were those that selected 3 winners.  Those were Allison Parker, Drew Foster, Steven Usma 3, Martha Kroesen and Arelene Amo Hopps.  Arlene was the only one of this group that selected Florida Atlantic, and so for that pick, and earning 12 points, she wins the Pikc of the Day.  Honorable Mention for also picking FAU is Duncan Merchant.  Neither Arlene or Duncan were eligible for bonus points, however, as they did not have FAU defeating Tennessee.

Due to time constraints, I will not be doing a history today, but I will do today's tomorrow, and tomorrow's tomorrow.

Stats of the Day

2.  Drew Timme of Gonzaga scored 20 points in an NCAA Tournament game for the 10th time, breaking the record he shared with Bill Bradley, Elvin Hayes, Danny Manning, Glen Rice, Corliss Williamson, and Richard Hamilton.

1.  Marquis Nowell of Kansas State set an NCAA record with 19 assists in a tournament game, breaking the record held by Mark Wade of UNLV.

Players of the Day

Honestly, three players stood out way, WAY, above the crowd, but I'll do top 4.

4.  Jordan Hawkins, Connecticut - 24 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 steal in a blowout of Arkansas.

3.  Jaime Jacquez, Jr., UCLA - 29 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, 1 block in a devastating loss to Gonzaga, again.  (See, Suggs, Jalen)

2.  Drew Timme, Gonzaga - 36 points , 13 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 blocks

1.  Markquis Norwell, Kansas State - 20 points, 3 rebounds, 19 assists, 5 steals. AND THIS RIDICULOUS ALLEY-OOP  

Here are our current standings.  Please double check me, and if you have any questions, comments, or concerns, let me know.

1.  Rich Samuels 1 - 69 - Alabama/Texas

2.  Mitch K (Lamb) - 61 - Gonzaga/Marquette

3.  John Hopps - 60 - Houston/Purdue

     Allison Parker - 60 - Houston/Alabama

5.  Drew Foster - 58 - Texas/Kansas State

6.  Carolyn Fowler - 57 - Houston/Alabama

     Arlene Hopps - 57 - Florida Atlantic/Gonzaga

     Marcus Jackson - 57 -Kansas/Alabama

     Ty Leatherman - 57 - Houston/Alabama

     Silas Nichols - 57 - Alabama/Houston

     Javier Rodriguez 2 - 57 - Miami/Alabama

12.  Guy Hughes - 56 - Alabama/Texas

       Steven Usma 5 - 56 - Alabama/Gonzaga

14.  Shane Jernigan 1 - 55 - Marquette/Gonzaga

       Martha Kroesen - 55 - Alabama/Houston

       Skip LaForte - 55 - Michigan State/Houston

       Dana Williams - 55 - Alabama/Houston

       Bubba Zdrowak - 55 - Kansas/Purdue

19.  Carolyn Fowler and Jane Reynolds - 54 - Alabama/Houston

       Karen Katz - 54 - Marquette/Kansas

       Edy "Almond" Pecan - 54 - Kansas State/Houston

       Jeff Plamondon 2 - 54 - Texas/Marquette

       Rich Samuels 2 - 54 - Houston/Alabama

       Steven Usma 4 - 54 - Miami/Arizona

25.  Jacey Fowler II - 53 - Alabama/Texas

       Shane Jernigan 2 - 53 - Duke/Connecticut

       Colonel Kareem Montague - 53 - Purdue/UCLA

       Sasha Moon - 53 - Houston/Arizona

       Jessica Samuels - 53 - Houston/Marquette

30.  Sal DiSanza - 52 - Alabama/Kansas

       Stephanie Henderson - 52 - Connecticut/Baylor

       Blake Jackson - 52 - Purdue/Gonzaga

33.  Scott Bieterman 1 - 51 - Purdue/Houston

       Quinn Jackson - 51 - Houston/Baylor

       Kisha Marzouca 2 - 51 - UCLA/Purdue

       Sean McInerney 4 - Alabama/Houston

37.  Justin Gaeta - 50 - Houston/Marquette

       Jeff Plamondon 1 - 50 - Alabama/Houston

       Pepe Sosa - 50 - Houston/Arizona

       Jason Spuhler - 50 - Kansas/Baylor

41.  George Fox 3 - 49 - Texas/Baylor

       Bennie Merchant - 49 - Arizona/Houston

       Javier Rodriguez 4 - 49 - Alabama/Houston

       Biscuit Zdrowak - 49 - Houston/Texas

45.  Scott Bieterman 2 - 48 - Houston/Arizona

       Jacey Fowler 1 - 48 - Alabama/Houston

       Matt Okell 1 - 48 - Indiana/Duke

48.  Bill Ganoe 1 - 47 - Houston/Alabama

       Bill Ganoe 2 - 47 - Arizona/UCLA

       Kyle Henderson - 47 - Marquette/Houston

       Martha Kroesen - 47 - Purdue/UCLA

       Dan Laishley - 47 - Kansas/Alabama

       Max Macon 1 - 47 - Purdue/Houston

       Brian McMahon - 47 - Kansas/Marquette

       Ashley Poer 2 - 47 - Arizona/UCLA

       Jane Reynolds 47 - Alabama/Houston

       Brittany Sosa - 47 - Kansas/Duke

       Steven Usma 2 - 47 - Marquette/Connecticut

       Jonathan Wasserman - 47 - Duke/Houston

       Day Yi 1 - 47 - Gonzaga/Alabama

61.  Jonathan Cox - 46 - Connecticut/Marquette

       Sean McInerney 3 - 46 - Kansas/Alabama

       Javier Rodriguez 1 - 46 - Alabama/Houston

       Steven Usma 1 - 46 - Arizona/Connecticut

65.  Bill Ganoe 3 - 45 - Alabama/Houstoun

       Alvaro Gonzalez - 45 - Alabama/Texas

       Braeden Helland - 45 - Alabama/Gonzaga

       Matt Hopps - 45 - Alabama/Houston

       Eric Inge - 45 - Alabama/Kansas

       Adam Jorgensen - 45 - Kansas/Arizona

       Kisha Marzouca 3 - 45 - Houston/Tennessee

       Justin Yung - 45 - Arizona/Connecticut

73.  Liam Gray - 44 - Arizona/Kansas

       Chris Kroesen - 44 - Purdue/Houston

       Max Macon 2 - 44 - UCLA/Purdue

       Duncan Merchant - 44 - Gonzaga/Alabama

       Sean McInerney 2 - 44 - Alabama/Gonzaga

       Javier Rodriguez 3 - 44 - Houston/Duke

       Steven Usma 3 - 44 - Houston/Alabama

       George Walks 4 - 44 - Tennessee/UCLA

81.  Jenna Finkelstein - 43 - Kansas State/Texas A&M

       George Fox 1 - 43 - Kansas/Duke

       George Fox 2 - 43 - Houston/Purdue

       Alyssa Hopps - 43 - Virginia/Gonzaga

       Miles Jackson - 43 - Houston/Purdue

       Sean McInerney 1 - 43 - Houston/Kansas State

       Chris Simmons - 43 - UCLA/Alabama

       George Walks 3 - 43 - Kansas State/UCLA

       Day Yi 2 - 43 - Purdue/Houston

       Amy Zdrowak - 43 - UCLA/Duke

91.  Jim Coleman - 42 - Arizona/Kansas

       Paul Cummings 2  42 - Texas/Baylor

       Dawn Lamb - 42 - Kansas/Alabama

       Matt Okell 2 - 42 - Arizona/Kansas

       Jamie Toole - 42 - Houston/Marquette

       Joshua Zdrowak - 42 - Kansas/Marquette

97.  Kyle Henderson 2 - 41 - Houston/Marquette

       Mac Kroesen - 41 - Alabama/Houston

       Matt Okell 3 - 41 - Kansas/Purdue

       George Walks 1 - Arizona/Houston

101.  Jim Baruffi - 40 - UCLA/Duke

         Paul Cummings 1 - 40 - Houston/Baylor

         James Garvin - 40 - Alabama/Houston

         Skip LaForte 2 - 40 - Houston/Purdue

         Kisha Marzouca 1 - 40 - Houston/Alabama

         Kingfish Parham - 40 - Alabama/Kansas

         George Walks 2 - 40 - Texas/Alabama

         Mike Wolff - 40 - Kansas/Arizona

109.  Aly Baruffi - 39 - Purdue/Northwestern

         Brent Bellinger - 39 - Marquette/Texas

         Justine Frank - 39 - Gonzaga/Marquette

         Katie Kollmeyer - 39 - Indiana/Purdue

         Rich Samuels 3 - 39 -Houston/Alabama

         Logan Spuhler - 39 - Alabama/Xavier

115.  Annabelle Fowler - 38 - Alabama/Houston

         Keith W 2 (Lamb) - 38 - Kansas/Arizona

         Dave Marzouca 1 - 38 - Duke/Gonzaga

118.  Max Macon 3 - 37 - Houston/Alabama

         Max Macon 4 - 37 - Alabama/Kansas

         Dave Piasecki - 37 - Houston/Marquette

         Hannah Sosa - 37 - Houston/Alabama

         Cheryl Spuhler - 37 - Houston/Purdue

         Amanda Staudt - 37 - Houston/Purdue

124.  Mark Holbert - 35 - Houston/Marquette

         Keith W 1 (Lamb) - 35 - Texas/Alabama

         Savannah Grace Pressly - 35 - UCLA/Alabama

         Katie Zdrowak - 35 - Duke/Texas

128.  Ashley Poer 1 - 34 - Houston/Alabama

         Keith Zdrowak - 34 - Purdue/Texas

130.  William Pujals - 33 - UCLA/Arizona

         Barkley Sosa - 33 - Houston/Alabama

132.  Dave Marzouca 3 - 32 - Alabama/Houston

         AJ Ripin - 32 - Kansas/Tennessee

         Jeremy Spuhler - 32 - Kansas/Tennessee

135.  Dave Marzoucs 2 - 31 - Houston/Purdue

136.  Mango Merchant - 29 - UCLA/Purdue

137.  Lizzy W (Lamb) - 25 - Kansas/Duke

         Lily Spuhler - 25 - Houston/Purdue