First of all - a reminder that 9 of you still need to submit your payment. Nine isn't very many, so I am happy about that. Also know that on Thursday and Friday of last week, payments fly-in to various sources - Zelle, Venmo, Paypal, CashApp, so I may miss one hear-or-there. If I contact you next week inquiring about payment, and you have already paid, please do not take offense, just let me know the method by which you paid and I can look it up to discovery my mistake. However, if you haven't paid, it is just a friendly reminder for you to do so, as the winners after next weekend are going to want to be paid themselves!
So not a lot of change, with all four 1-seeds and all four 2-seeds winning yesterday. What that does is sets up some HUGE games for today and tomorrow. For today, the game to watch for this pool is Duke-Alabama. Duke is the champion in the second most set of entries, but a good share also have Alabama in the Final Four. This is a big, and I mean BIG, swing game. And although nobody - that I can recall offhand - has Texas Tech in the Final Four (if they make it and somebody does; I will apologize then), more people have Florida winning than any other team, so if you don't have Florida, the Red Raiders are your new favorite team. And remember, today's games are worth 8 points each!
Our champions are: ALABAMA, AUBURN, Arizona, Connecticut, DUKE, FLORIDA, HOUSTON, Kansas, Marquette, Maryland, MICHIGAN STATE, Mississippi State, TENNESSEE. So, seven of the remaining 8 teams are champions on at least someone's bracket.
And, since we had all chalk again yesterday - no Picks of the Day today. The couple of entries with Mississippi in the Elite 8 almost had that opportunity to be immortalized here, but I learned by lesson from yesterday's blog post that I am not typing that many perfect brackets again. So, no award.
I can announce that we have a bit of a change near the top. Max Macon 3 of Jupiter, Florida is still in first place and Bill Ganoe 1 of Jupiter, Florida remains in second, but Preston Holbert of Jupiter, Florida has jumped into third place. They all have different champions so it will be interesting to see how that plays out.
At the other end of the spectrum, we have two contenders for the last place spot. Barkley Sosa of Riviera Beach, Florida is currently in next-to-last place, but is ineligible to receive any more points. Luna Frank of Charlotte, North Carolina is behind her, currently in last, but can receive points if Houston is victorious over Tennessee tomorrow. Remember, last place receives their entry fee back!
As for the games, we had two great, close games, one game that was better than the final score indicated, and Tennessee put it on Kentucky. But, as a Kentucky fan, I was not expecting UK to defeat a really good Tennessee team for a third time this year, and I felt vindicated in that selection (and my pick of Tennessee into the Elite 8), when the two University of Kentucky alumni in this pool - Guy Hughes in Lexington, Kentucky and Kevin Dick of Alexandria, Virginia, both also had Tennessee defeating Kentucky. That is basically the wrap-up except for one thing: "The most dangerous offensive player on an inbounds pass is the passer. Braden Smith of Purdue - as great as he is - forgot that axiom, leading to the game-winning layup for Houston. (More on Smith later). Even with great athletic talent, sometimes it still comes down to the fundamentals. Here is a look at Milos Uzan's GAME WINNER with1 second left! Pay particular attention to Smith, who is guarding Uzan inbounding the basket.
Players of the Day
15. Lamont Butler, Kentucky - 18 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 4-5 from three
14. Oluchi Okananwa, Duke - 12 points, 12 rebounds, 1 assist
13. Tahaad Pettiford, Auburn - 20 points, 3 assists, 1 steal, 1 block
12. Denver Jones, Auburn - 20 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists
11. Danny Wolf, Michigan - 20 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block
10. Zoe Brooks, North Carolina State - 21 points, 2 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, 1 block
9. Jace Richardson, Michigan State - 20 points, 6 rebounds
8. Sean Pedulla, Mississippi - 24 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals
7. Zakai Zeigler, Tennessee - 18 points, 1 rebound, 10 assists, 1 steal - The numbers do not even come close to showing how much Zeigler dominated this game; He also set the SEC record for most assists in a single season in this game
6. Sa'Myah Smith, LSU - 21 points, 10 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 blocks
5. MiLaysia Fulwiley, South Carolina - 23 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 block
4. Johni Broome, Auburn - 22 points, 16 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals - This was honestly Broome's best game since before the SEC tournament began. Could spell trouble for everyone else.
3. Aneesah Morrow, LSU - 30 points, 8 rebounds, 3 steals, 2 blocks
2. Lauren Betts, UCLA - 31 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 blocks
1. Milos Uzan, Houston - 22 points, 3 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 game-winner
Stats of the Day
5. Tennessee had 13 offensive rebounds!
4. Felix Okpara, Tennessee - He had 7 offensive rebounds!
3. With Auburn up 51-50 over Michigan, Tiger Denver Jones scored 8 straight points
2. Braden Smith of Purdue had 15 assists, becoming the first player ever to have two games with 15 or more assists.
1. With Michigan State winning the game over Mississippi 73-67 with virtually no time left on the clock, Mississippi's Matthew Murrell just heaved the ball toward the goal as the buzzer expired. As it went in the basket changing the score to 73-70 I had to look up something, and yes, that basket allowed Mississippi to cover the 3 1/2 point spread. 3 1/2 being the Stat of the Day.
Smith's proficiency at passing the ball to teammates in position to score, i.e. an assist, led me to this ...
Trivia Question: What player holds the record for the most assists in an NCAA tournament game? NCAA Tournament? NCAA career? Hey look, it's a 3-pointer!
I really struggled with what to use for my history section. Tennessee has never been to the Final Four, so I could write something about their team that advance the furthest, or maybe just describe my all-time Tennessee basketball squad (Chris Lofton at the point, Allen Houston at the wing, Bernard King as the small forward, Grant Williams as the power forward, Admiral Schofield as the center, with Dale Ellis, Tobias Harris, Ernie Grunfeld, Zakai Zeigler and Ron Slay off the bench). But, that is pretty cheap. Or, for the very few that will understand this completely, their Mt. Rushmore of sports, which for me is: Reggie White (football); Bernard King (men's basketball); Candace Parker (women's basketball); and Justin Gatlin (men's track). IYKYK. But, that isn't going to cut it either. You should all expect more from me. Houston I have written previously about the 1983 Phi Slamma Jamma team. Michigan State was a prominent part of the write-up from just the other day. Auburn - even during the Charles Barkley Chris Morris days, always seemed to underperform, with Barkley's 1984 team losing to Richmond in the first round. [Auburn's Mt. Rushmore by the way is STACKED!!! Charles Barkley (men's basketball); Bo Jackson (football); Frank Thomas (baseball); and Sunisa Lee (gymnastics)] Even last night's losing teams are too memorable, have been too good recently, or I have written about them recently to make for a good story.
So where do we go, what do we do? That is what I have been asking myself since the games started last night. And, until this very moment, I did not have an answer, or a plan. But then I did some searching, and it turns out Mississippi (the state not the university) does have a pretty historic Sweet Sixteen matchup.
We all know - or at least most of us know - about the UTEP - University of Kentucky 1966 national championship game that was immortalized by the movie Glory Road. But, before that game, in the Sweet Sixteen round of the 1963 NCAA Tournament, Loyola of Chicago - a team featuring 4 black starters - faced off against the University of Mississippi, a team consisting of all-white players that had never even played in the NCAA Tournament before because the school refused to play in games with black players. This was the first meeting of any Mississippi college (white Mississippi college I should say, because HBCUs obviously did) against any team with even a single black player. So when Mississippi State's captain Joe Dan Gold shook at hands at midcourt with Loyola captain Jerry Harkness pre-game, the enormity of the situation was palbable.
"When those flashbulbs went off -- boom, boom, pop, pop -- you felt the history of it right there," Harkness said, "but I don't think many people even know about it now. That game, if you ask me, was key. I felt like it was the beginning of things turning around in college basketball. I truly believe that. I just don't know how many other people know about it." A Game That Should Not Be Forgotten, Dana O'Neil, ESPN.com, December 13, 2012.
Keep in mind that this occurred during the same school year that U.S. Marshals had to escort James Meredith into the University of Mississippi as the first black to student to matriculate at the University of Mississippi.
Loyola would jump out to a halftime lead, and extend it to a final margin of 10 to defeat Mississippi State 71-61 to advance to the Elite 8. Harkness led all scorers with 20 points and 9 rebounds, while teammate Vic Rouse scored 16 points and grabbed 19 rebounds. Les Hunter contributed 12 points and 10 rebounds. Gold himself scored 11 for Mississippi State, which was led by Leland Mitchell's 14 points and 10 rebounds.
In the Elite 8 Loyola defeated Illinois behind Harkness' 33 points (with 11 rebounds). Ron Miller added 15 points and 11 rebounds, Les Hunter scored 12 with 11 boards, and Vic Rouse had 19 rebounds once again. Despite Dave Downey's 20 points, Illinois goes home while Loyola advances to the Final 4, where they would face Duke in the semi-finals. Loyola annihilated Duke 94-75, this time led by Les Hunter's 29 points and 18 rebounds. Harkness, Miller, Egan, and Rouse added 20, 28, 14, and 13 respectively) to easily outdistance the Blue Devils, who received 29 points and 12 rebounds from star player Art Heyman, who would be named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player.
Loyola faced a much tougher game in the finals against the Cincinnati Bearcats, and even fell behind 29-21 at the half. But, Loyola's toughness and skill shone through in the second half and overtime as all 5 Loyola starters played all 45 minutes. Les Hunter led the team in scoring with 16, and Vic Rouse chipped in 15 to go with his 12 rebounds. Captain Jerry Harkness scored 14, and the Ramblers were the national champions.
Trivia Answer: Marquis Nowell, Kansas State - 19 versus Michigan State 2023/Mark Wade, UNLV - 61 in 1987/Bobby Hurley, Duke - 1,076 from 1989-1993
For the women it is: Tasha Pointer, Rutgers - 18 in 2001/Suzie McConnell, Penn State - 1,307 from 1984-1988 (not easy to find most assists for a single tournament)
Sweet Sixteen Standings
1. Max Macon 3 - 99 - HOUSTON/AUBURN
2. Bill Ganoe 1 - 98 - FLORIDA/DUKE
3. Preston Holbert - 94 - TENNESSEE/FLORIDA
4. Brigadier General Kareem Montague - 92 - AUBURN/TENNESSEE
Measha Leonardo Williams - 92 - FLORIDA/HOUSTON
6. Ty Hedgpeth - 91 - DUKE/MICHIGAN STATE
7. Brent Bellinger - 90 - DUKE/FLORIDA
Salvatore Plamondon - 90 - ALABAMA/AUBURN
Marcus Spruill- 90 - DUKE/St. John's
10. Guy Hughes - 89 - FLORIDA/TENNESSEE
Shane Jernigan - 89 - HOUSTON/AUBURN
Katie Kollmeyer - 89 - FLORIDA/Kentucky
13. Bill Ganoe 3 - 88 - DUKE/FLORIDA
Marcus Jackson - 88 - HOUSTON/MICHIGAN STATE
15. Alyssa Hopps - 87 - AUBURN/HOUSTON
Matt Hopps - 87 - FLORIDA/DUKE
Christina Zanzig - 87 - MICHIGAN STATE/DUKE
18. Paul Cummings - 86 - FLORIDA/HOUSTON
Mark Holbert - 86 - FLORIDA/DUKE
Dan Laishley - 86 - DUKE/FLORIDA
Dustin Lansing - 86 - ALABAMA/MICHIGAN STATE
Measha Raphael Williams - 86 - DUKE/AUBURN
23. Dan Barsky 1 - 85 - HOUSTON/AUBURN
Rich Samuels 2 - 85 - DUKE/MICHIGAN STATE
George Walks 3 - 85 - FLORIDA/DUKE
26. Dan Barsky 2 - 84 - HOUSTON/MICHIGAN STATE
Jonathan Cox - 84 - DUKE/FLORIDA
Eric Inge - 84 - DUKE/FLORIDA
Jazz Piasecki - 84 - FLORIDA/TENNESSEE
Mike Wolff 2 - 84 - FLORIDA/DUKE
31. Brent Bellinger 2 - 83 - FLORIDA/HOUSTON
Justine Frank - 83 - FLORIDA/DUKE
Christina Gomez - 83 - DUKE/FLORIDA
Jane Reynolds & Carolyn Fowler - 83 - FLORIDA/HOUSTON
Measha Donatello Williams - 83 - FLORIDA/DUKE
Measha Michaelangelo Williams - 83 - HOUSTON/AUBURN
37. Max Macon 1 - 82 - FLORIDA/DUKE
Steven Usma 3 - 82 - AUBURN/HOUSTON
39. Rachel Bornn - 81 - FLORIDA/DUKE
Jacey Fowler I - 81 - MICHIGAN STATE/TENNESSEE
Javier Rodriguez 2 - 81 - DUKE/FLORIDA
Rich Samuels 1 - 81 - DUKE/FLORIDA
Steven Usma 2 - 81 - FLORIDA/HOUSTON
Day Yi 2 - 81 - AUBURN/HOUSTON
45. Xavier Conway - 80 - FLORIDA/DUKE
Alvaro Gonzalez - 80 - AUBURN/HOUSTON
Allison Parker - 80 - AUBURN/ALABAMA
George Walks 2 - 80 - ALABAMA/FLORIDA
49. Silas Nichols - 79 - FLORIDA/DUKE
50. Kevin Dick - 78 - FLORIDA/ALABAMA
John Hedgpeth - 78 - DUKE/AUBURN
Martha Kroesen - 78 - FLORIDA/ALABAMA
Kingfish Parham - 78 - AUBURN/HOUSTON
Lily Spuhler - 78 - FLORIDA/Purdue
Jonathan Wasserman - 78 - FLORIDA/TENNESSEE
56. Jenna Finkelstein - 77 - FLORIDA/TENNESSEE
Shane Dogmillionaire - 77 - FLORIDA/DUKE
Natalie Moon - 77 - DUKE/FLORIDA
Jeff Plamondon - 77 - DUKE/MICHIGAN STATE
60. Theo Frank - 76 - DUKE/FLORIDA
Sean & Barbie McInerney - 76 - FLORIDA/TENNESSEE
Sasha Moon - 76 - DUKE/FLORIDA
63. Kyle Henderson 1 - 75 - FLORIDA/Clemson
Adam Jorgensen - 75 - DUKE/FLORIDA
Karen Katz 1 - 75 - DUKE/Maryland
Dave Wilson - 75 - FLORIDA/DUKE
67. Paul Cummings 2 - 74 - HOUSTON/AUBURN
Barbie McInerney - 74 - FLORIDA/Arizona
Vincent Plamondon - 74 - FLORIDA/DUKE
Ashley Poer 2 - 74 - FLORIDA/Arizona
Jane Reynolds - 74 - ALABAMA/AUBURN
Javier Rodriguez 1 - 74 - DUKE/AUBURN
Chris Simmons - 74 - DUKE/FLORIDA
Brittany Sosa - 74 - FLORIDA/TENNESSEE
Jason Spuhler - 74 - FLORIDA/DUKE
Day Yi - 74 - DUKE/St. John's
77. Joel Chernoff - 73 - AUBURN/DUKE
Jim Coleman - 73 - DUKE/AUBURN Karen Katz 2 - 73 - HOUSTON/MICHIGAN STATE
Kline Kroesen - 73 - HOUSTON/AUBURN
Dave Piasecki - 73 - FLORIDA/DUKE
Mike Wolff 1 - 73 - FLORIDA/DUKE
83. Steven Usma 1 - 72 - DUKE/FLORIDA
84. Chris LaForte - 71 - MICHIGAN STATE/ALABAMA
Sean McInerney III - 71 - DUKE/FLORIDA
Sean McInerney IIII - 71 - FLORIDA/DUKE
87. James Garvin - 70 - FLORIDA/DUKE
Si Nichols - 70 - HOUSTON/MICHIGAN STATE
Pepe Sosa - 70 - FLORIDA/HOUSTON
Cheryl Spuhler - 70- FLORIDA/TENNESSEE
91. Colleen Giamberini - 69 - DUKE/FLORIDA
Ashley Poer 1 - 69 - DUKE/AUBURN
Quinn Jackson - 69 - ALABAMA/MICHIGAN STATE
94. Max Macon 2 - 68 - DUKE/FLORIDA
Kisha Marzouca - 68 - DUKE/FLORIDA
Jeremy Spuhler - 68 - FLORIDA/DUKE
Justin Yung - 68 - DUKE/FLORIDA
98. Tyler Giamberini - 67 - Maryland/ALABAMA
Kisha Marzouca 2 - 67 - DUKE/AUBURN
Chuck Whitcomb - 67 - TENNESSEE/FLORIDA
101. Braeden Helland - 66 - FLORIDA/ALABAMA
Jessica Samuels - 66 - DUKE/Texas A&M
Amanda Staudt - 66 - MICHIGAN STATE/Purdue
Stacia Wilkaitis - 66 - FLORIDA/DUKE
Joshua Zdrowak - 66 - DUKE/FLORIDA
106. Arlene Amo Hopps - 65 - DUKE/Connecticut
Max Macon 4 - 65 - FLORIDA/DUKE
Brandon Satterwhite - 65 - FLORIDA/ALABAMA
Bubba Zdrowak - 65 - FLORIDA/ALABAMA
Katie Zdrowak - 65- DUKE/St. John's
111. Benny Frank Finkelstein - 64 - FLORIDA/ALABAMA
Jacey Fowler II - 64 - ALABAMA/FLORIDA
Hannah Sosa - 64 - FLORIDA/ALABAMA
George Walks 4 - 64 - TENNESSEE/FLORIDA
115. Sean McInerney 1 - 63 - TENNESSEE/FLORIDA
Biscuit Zdrowak - 63 - HOUSTON/Iowa State
117. Kyle Henderson 2 - 62 - HOUSTON/FLORIDA
William Pujals - 62 - FLORIDA/DUKE
119. Ferris Spuhler - 61 - Kansas/DUKE
George Walks 1 - 61 - AUBURN/TENNESSEE
121. Steven Usma 4 - 60 - FLORIDA/Kentucky
122. Bill Ganoe 2 - 59 - HOUSTON/St. John's
Sean McInerney II - 59 - FLORIDA/St. Mary's
Caroline Spuhler - 59 - FLORIDA/DUKE
125. Carolyn Fowler - 58 - AUBURN/DUKE
Dave Marzouca 2 - 58 - Connecticut/ALABAMA
Amy Zdrowak - 58 - AUBURN/ALABAMA
128. Dave Marzouca - 57 - AUBURN/Arizona
129. Stephanie Henderson - 55 - AUBURN/Clemson
130. Logan Spuhler - 53 - FLORIDA/TENNESSEE
Keith Zdrowak - 53 - DUKE/FLORIDA
132. Wes Wiggins - 51 - Arizona/Louisville
133. Barkley Sosa - 41 - Mississippi State/Connecticut
134. Luna Frank - 36 - Marquette/HOUSTON