2025 NCAA Tournament Pool (Preliminary Results)

 

As I sit on the plane on the tarmac because of a groundstop for weather in Fort Lauderdale, I will give you the preliminary pool results.  Give me some time this week to go do final recalcualtions of those brackets at the top, and then I will send out the winnings.

1.  Measha Leonardo Williams - 184

2.  Paul Cummings - 170

3.  Steven Usma 2 - 165

4.  Matt Hopps - 163

5.  George Walks 3 - 162

6.  Justine Frank - 159

     Jane Reynolds & Carolyn Fowler - 159

     Measha Donatello Williams - 159

9.  Bill Ganoe 1 - 158

10.  Guy Hughes - 157

11.  Alyssa Hopps - 155

12.  Pepe Sosa - 154

13.  Mike Wolff 2 - 152

14.  Brent Bellinger 2 - 151

15.  Vincent Plamondon - 150

16.  Rachel Bornn - 149

17.  Xavier Conway - 148

18.  Max Macon 3 - 147

       Sean McInerney IIII - 147

       Silas Nichols - 147

21.  Mark Holbert - 146

22.  Shane Dogmillionaire - 145

23.  Jazz Piasecki - 144

24.  Kyle Henderson 1 - 143

       Dave Wilson - 143

26.  Max Macon 1 - 142

27.  Katie Kollmeyer - 141

28.  Brent Bellinger - 138

       Kevin Dick - 138

       James Garvin - 138

       Lily Spuhler - 138

       Jonathan Wasserman - 138

33.  Jenna Finkelstein - 137

34.  Sean and Barbie McInerney - 136

       Jeremy Spuhler - 136

36.  Preston Holbert - 134

       Jason Spuhler - 134

38.  Dan Barsky 1 - 133

       Dave Piasecki - 133

       Mike Wolff 1 - 133

41.  Benny Frank Finkelstein - 104

42.  Jonathan Cox - 132

43.  Martha Kroesen - 130

44.  Shane Jernigan - 129

45.  Caroline Spuhler - 127

46.  Kingfish Parham - 126

       Barbie McInerney - 126

       Ashley Poer 2 - 126

       Brittany Sosa - 126

       Stacia Wilkaitis - 126

51.  Max Macon 4 - 125

52.  Theo Frank - 124 

       Hannah Sosa - 124

54.  Christina Gomez - 123

       Adam Jorgensen - 123

56.  William Pujals - 122

       Cheryl Spuhler - 122

 58.  Javier Rodriguez 2 - 121

        Rich Samuels 1 - 121

        Day Yi 2 - 121

      

61.  Bill Ganoe 3 - 120

       Alvaro Gonzalez - 120

       Marcus Jackson - 120

64.  Sean McInerney III - 119

65.  Braeden Helland - 118

       Dan Laishley - 118

       Measha Raphael Williams - 118

68.  Brandon Satterwhite - 117

       Bubba Zdrowak - 117

70.  Dan Barsky 2 - 116

       Eric Inge - 116

       Kisha Marzouca - 116

       Brigadier General Kareem Montague - 116

74.  Measha Michaelangelo Williams - 115

75.  Chris Simmons - 114

       Marcus Spruill- 114

       Steven Usma 3 - 114

78.  Kline Kroesen - 113

       Logan Spuhler - 113

80.  Steven Usma 1 - 112

       Steven Usma 4 - 112

82.  Sean McInerney II - 111

83.  Kyle Henderson 2 - 110

84.  Colleen Giamberini - 109

       Natalie Moon - 109

86.  Sasha Moon - 108

87.  Ty Hedgpeth - 107

       Chuck Whitcomb - 107

89.  Paul Cummings 2 - 106

       Salvatore Plamondon - 106

       Joshua Zdrowak - 106

92.  Joel Chernoff - 105

       Karen Katz 2 - 105

94.  George Walks 2 - 104

95.  Christina Zanzig - 103

96.  Dustin Lansing - 102

       Si Nichols - 102

98.  Rich Samuels 2 - 101

99.  Max Macon 2 - 100

       Justin Yung - 100

101.  Javier Rodriguez 1 - 98

102.  Jacey Fowler II - 96

         Allison Parker - 96

         George Walks 4 - 96

105.  John Hedgpeth - 94

106.  Jeff Plamondon - 93

107.  Bill Ganoe 2 - 91

         Karen Katz 1 - 91

         Kisha Marzouca 2 - 91

108.  Day Yi - 90

109.  Jim Coleman - 89

         Katie Zdrowak - 89

 113.  Sean McInerney 1 - 87

          Biscuit Zdrowak - 87

115.  Ashley Poer 1 - 85

         Keith Zdrowak - 85

117.  Quinn Jackson - 84

118.  Carolyn Fowler - 82

         Jane Reynolds - 82

120.  Jacey Fowler I - 81

121.  George Walks 1 - 77

122.  Tyler Giamberini - 75

123.  Jessica Samuels - 74

         Amy Zdrowak - 74

125.  Arlene Amo Hopps - 73

         Dave Marzouca - 73

127.  Chris LaForte - 71

128.  Ferris Spuhler - 69

129.  Dave Marzouca 2 - 66

         Amanda Staudt - 66

131.  Stephanie Henderson - 63

132.  Luna Frank - 60

133.  Wes Wiggins - 59

134.  Barkley Sosa - 41

2025 NCAA Tournament Pool Semi-Finals Results

 

Final Four Standings (Post-Semi-finals)

1.  Measha Leonardo Williams - 156 - FLORIDA

2.  Max Macon 3 - 147 - HOUSTON

3.  Paul Cummings - 142 - FLORIDA

4.  Brent Bellinger - 138

5.  Steven Usma 2 - 137 - FLORIDA

6.  Matt Hopps - 135 - FLORIDA

7.  Preston Holbert - 134 - /FLORIDA

8.  Dan Barsky 1 - 133 - HOUSTON

      George Walks 3 - 133 - FLORIDA

10.  Jonathan Cox - 132

11.  Justine Frank - 131 - FLORIDA

       Jane Reynolds & Carolyn Fowler - 131 - FLORIDA

       Measha Donatello Williams - 131 - FLORIDA

14.  Bill Ganoe 1 - 130 - FLORIDA

15.  Guy Hughes - 129 - FLORIDA

       Shane Jernigan - 129 - HOUSTON

17.  Alyssa Hopps - 127 - FLORIDA

18.  Kingfish Parham - 126

       Pepe Sosa - 126 - FLORIDA

20.  Theo Frank - 124 

       Mike Wolff 2 - 124 - FLORIDA

22.  Brent Bellinger 2 - 123 - FLORIDA

       Christina Gomez - 123

       Adam Jorgensen - 123

25.  Vincent Plamondon - 122 - FLORIDA

26.  Rachel Bornn - 121 - FLORIDA

       Javier Rodriguez 2 - 121

       Rich Samuels 1 - 121

       Day Yi 2 - 121

      

30.  Xavier Conway - 120 - FLORIDA

        Bill Ganoe 3 - 120

        Alvaro Gonzalez - 120

        Marcus Jackson - 120 - HOUSTON

34.  Sean McInerney III - 119

       Sean McInerney IIII - 119 - FLORIDA

       Silas Nichols - 119 - FLORIDA

37.  Mark Holbert - 118 - FLORIDA

       Dan Laishley - 118

       Measha Raphael Williams - 118

40.  Shane Dogmillionaire - 117 - FLORIDA

41.  Dan Barsky 2 - 116 - HOUSTON

       Eric Inge - 116

       Kisha Marzouca - 116

       Brigadier General Kareem Montague - 116

       Jazz Piasecki - 116 - FLORIDA

46.  Kyle Henderson 1 - 115 - FLORIDA

       Measha Michaelangelo Williams - 115 - HOUSTON

       Dave Wilson - 115 - FLORIDA

49.  Max Macon 1 - 114 - FLORIDA

       Chris Simmons - 114

       Marcus Spruill- 114

       Steven Usma 3 - 114

53.  Katie Kollmeyer - 113 - FLORIDA

       Kline Kroesen - 113 - HOUSTON

55.  Steven Usma 1 - 112

56.  Kevin Dick - 110 - FLORIDA

       Kyle Henderson 2 - 110 - HOUSTON

       James Garvin - 110 - FLORIDA

       Lily Spuhler - 110 - FLORIDA

       Jonathan Wasserman - 110 - FLORIDA

61.  Jenna Finkelstein - 109 - FLORIDA

       Colleen Giamberini - 109

       Natalie Moon - 109

64.  Sean and Barbie McInenery - 108 - FLORIDA

       Sasha Moon - 108

       Jeremy Spuhler - 108 - FLORIDA

67.  Ty Hedgpeth - 107

       Chuck Whitcomb - 107

69.  Paul Cummings 2 - 106 - HOUSTON

       Salvatore Plamondon - 106

       Jason Spuhler - 106 - FLORIDA

       Joshua Zdrowak - 106

73.  Joel Chernoff - 105

       Karen Katz 2 - 105 - HOUSTON

       Dave Piasecki - 105 - FLORIDA

       Mike Wolff 1 - 105 - FLORIDA

77.  Benny Frank Finkelstein - 104 - FLORIDA

       George Walks 2 - 104

79.  Christina Zanzig - 103

80.  Martha Kroesen - 102 - FLORIDA

       Dustin Lansing - 102

       Si Nichols - 102 - HOUSTON

83.  Rich Samuels 2 - 101

84.  Max Macon 2 - 100

       Justin Yung - 100

86.  Caroline Spuhler - 99 - FLORIDA

87.  Barbie McInerney - 98 - FLORIDA

       Ashley Poer 2 -98 - FLORIDA

       Javier Rodriguez 1 - 98

       Brittany Sosa - 98 - FLORIDA

       Stacia Wilkaitis - 98 - FLORIDA

92.  Max Macon 4 - 97 - FLORIDA

93.  Jacey Fowler II - 96

       Allison Parker - 96

       Hannah Sosa - 96 - FLORIDA

       George Walks 4 - 96

97.  John Hedgpeth - 94

       William Pujals - 94 - FLORIDA

       Cheryl Spuhler - 94 - FLORIDA

100.  Jeff Plamondon - 93

101.  Bill Ganoe 2 - 91 - HOUSTON

         Karen Katz 1 - 91

         Kisha Marzouca 2 - 91

104.  Braeden Helland - 90 - FLORIDA

         Day Yi - 90

106.  Jim Coleman - 89

         Brandon Satterwhite - 89 - FLORIDA

         Bubba Zdrowak - 89 - FLORIDA

         Katie Zdrowak - 89

 110.  Sean McInerney 1 - 87

          Biscuit Zdrowak - 87 - HOUSTON

112.  Ashley Poer 1 - 85

        Logan Spuhler - 85 - FLORIDA

        Keith Zdrowak - 85

115.  Quinn Jackson - 84

         Steven Usma 4 - 84 - FLORIDA

117.  Sean McInerney II - 83 - FLORIDA

118.  Carolyn Fowler - 82

         Jane Reynolds - 82

120.  Jacey Fowler I - 81

121.  George Walks 1 - 77

122.  Tyler Giamberini - 75

123.  Jessica Samuels - 74

         Amy Zdrowak - 74

125.  Arlene Amo Hopps - 73

         Dave Marzouca - 73

127.  Chris LaForte - 71

128.  Ferris Spuhler - 69

129.  Dave Marzouca 2 - 66

         Amanda Staudt - 66

131.  Stephanie Henderson - 63

132.  Luna Frank - 60

133.  Wes Wiggins - 59

134.  Barkley Sosa - 41

NCAA Tournament Pool - Brief Update

 

All, just a brief update.  Here are the top 3 brackets for each outcome in the Final Four.  Keep in mind I am not actually doing the math to determine that these will be the final winners per each outcome, but just that these are the highest-ranking brackets right now with the various potential outcomes.

Auburn over Duke

1.  Joel Chernoff 

Auburn over Houston

1.  Kingfish Parham

2.  Day Yi 2

3.  Alvaro Gonzalez

Florida over Duke

1.  Matt Hopps

2.  George Walks 3

3.  Justine Frank

Florida over Houston

1.  Measha Leonardo Williams

2.  Paul Cummings  

3.  Brent Bellinger 2

Duke over Auburn

1.  Measha Raphael Williams

2.  Javier Rodriguez 1

3.  Kisha Marzouca 2

Duke over Florida

1.  Brent Bellinger

2.  Jonathan Cox

3.  Theo Frank

Houston over Auburn

1.  Max Macon 3

2.  Dan Barsky 1

3.  Shane Jernigan

Houston over Florida

1.  Kyle Henderson 2

NCAA Tournament Pool - Elite 8/Day 2 Results

 

The Elite 8 is completed, and the Final Four has been determined on the Court - with all Top 4 seeds advancing to San Antonio.  A bit boring for our pool, so no Pick of the Day Award - again - but some shuffling at the top.  Max Macon 3 of Jupiter, Florida remains in first, but behind him is now Measha Leonardy Williams of Houston, Texas in second, and Brett Bellinger 1 of Austin, Texas third.  All three have different champions, so it is highly likely that only one of them will finish in the money; so it will be interesting to see how this will all play out.

Barkley Sosa of Riviera Beach, Florida finishes in last place in the pool.  So she will receive her entry fee back, so that is $5 in dog treats for you.  When asked to comment about this dubious honor by Your Tournament Host, Barkley responded, "My bracket has gone to the dogs ... literally."  It seems as if a Final Four with a champion of Mississippi State Bulldogs, runner-up of UConn Huskies, and semi-finalists of Gonzaga Bulldogs and Yale Bulldogs, was not conducive to winning.

I should note that this will be the last comprehensive post on the tournament pool.  After the Final Four I will update the standings, but no analysis or the like.  I may also post some fun tidbits this week as well, but nothing lengthy or comprehensive.  As Your Tournament Host will be traveling to San Antonio for the festivities, we will be pseudo-live blogging the trip right here, so you can still follow the adventures.

With Tennessee and Michigan State bowing out, we did lose two more champions, but entrants in the pool have selected each of the Final Four teams as champions, so we will see a lot of activity on the leaderboard this weekend.  Our champions are:  Alabama, AUBURN, Arizona, Connecticut, DUKE, FLORIDA, HOUSTON, Kansas, Marquette, Maryland, Michigan State, Mississippi State, Tennessee.

As for yesterday's games, Houston just absolutely bullied Tennessee, and Auburn practically did the same to Michigan State (but to a lesser extent).  Neither game was really close, but they set up some fascinating match-ups as all four 1 seeds advance.

Trivia Question:  Today we have multiple questions:  How many times have all four 1 seeds advanced to the Final Four since the tournament expanded to 64 teams?  When was the last time?  Which teams advanced that year?  Who won?  Who was the MOP of that Final Four?

Stats of the Day

4.  Johni Broome Of Auburn had 17 points at 11 rebounds - AT HALFTIME!

3.  Tennessee shot 5-29 from 3-point range for the game.

2.  Tennesse was 0-14 from 3-point range in the first half.

1.  Houston had 3 turnovers for the entire game!

Players of the Day

10.  Emmanuel Sharp, Houston - 16 points, 2 rebounds, 1 block, 1 steal

9.  Jordan Gainey, Tennessee - 17 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 2-5 from three-point range

8.  LJ Cryer, Houston - 17 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal

7.  Jaxon Kohler, Michigan State - 17 points, 11 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block

6.  Sania Feagin, South Carolina - 12 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, 2 blocks

5.  Toby Fournier, Duke - 18 points, 6 rebounds, 1 steal, 3 blocks

4.  Lauren Betts, UCLA - 17 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 6 blocks 

3.  Gabriela Jacquez, UCLA - 18 points, 8 rebounds, 3 steals

2.  Flau'Jae Johnson, LSU - 28 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks

1.  Johni Broome, Auburn, 25 points, 14 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 assist, 1 block 

Although his play did not rise to the level of a "Player of the Day," I do want to mention Jahmai Mashack, who apparently was a recipient of the University of Tennessee's Torchbearer Award, the first male basketball player to win the award since 1953.  The award is given to a student "who demonstrates leadership, academic excellence, and commitment to serve UT and the Knoxville community."  It is the highest student honor awarded by the University of Tennessee, and is an award given to someone from the entire student body, not just athletics.

With all 1-seeds making the Final Four, you would think that it would be difficult to determine what tournament history I would like to regale us all, or at least one that was triggered by yesterday's games.  But nope, it wasn't difficult at all, and it has nothing to do with the last time all four 1-seeds winning their respective regions.  And, even though I always look for a reason to tell the JOAKIM NOAH IS UGLY story from 2006 (God do I LOVE this story), I have mentioned it before during the tourney - hence the link.  So what could be the story related to yesterday's tourney games, one might ask.  Well, I saw Terrance Arceneaux playing for Houston, which immediately triggered the question in my mind as to if he was related to another famous NCAA-playing Arceneaux.  Turns out he is not.  So that means that I get to tell the story of Harold "the Show" Arceneaux myself.

Harold Arceneaux was a 6'6" wing player for Weber State in Ogden, Utah from 1998-2000.  He averaged 22.3 points and 6 rebounds in the '98-'99 season, and 23 points and 7.4 rebounds the following season.  He had a career 51.1% shooting percentage from the floor, and he shot 35$ from three-point range.  His first season at Weber State the team finished 25-8; and 13-3 in the Big Sky Conference; good enough for first place.  Arceneaux was the team's leading scorer and second-leading reabounder; the unquestioned best player on a really good team that qualified for the NCAA Tournament with the Big Sky's automatic bid.

In the NCAA tournament, Weber State was given a 14-seed in the west, where it would meet perennial power North Carolina - the 3 seed.  Back then all of the first and second round games were played in the geographical area of the region, and a such, North Carolina had to travel to Seattle Washington to face Weber State.  By recognizable names, this was not one of UNC's more prominent teams, but Ed Cota was a fantastic point guard, and Brendan Haywood was a large, talented big man.  Ademola Okulaia, Max Owens, and Kris Lang rounded out the starting five, and uber-athletic Ronald Curry - the QB on the football team, played big minutes off the bench.  But from the get-go it was apparent that Weber State was not going to roll-over for the favorite Tar Heels.

Arceneaux was spectacular throughout, finishing with 36 points, including 5-7 from three point range, and chipped in 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal and 1 block.  Eddie Gill was the only other Wildcat in double digits, as he scored 16.  North Carolina meanwhile was led by the ever-present Ed Cota, who scored 20 points and dished 10 assists, while gathering 4 rebounds.  Okulaia added 17 and Vasco Evtimov contributed 13 off the bench.  The aforementioned Haywood - however - did not have his best game, scoring only 1 point on 0-3 shooting, grabbing 0 rebounds, and playing only 24 minutes, as North Carolina was forced to go small to try to match up with Weber State.  It did not work for the Tar Heels as Weber State won 76-74 to advance to the second round.  

Weber State would meet the Florida Gators in the second round.  The Gators that year were lead by Eddie Shannon, Kenyan Weeks and Major Parker in the backcourt, with Brent Wright and Greg Stoltin the front court.  Interestingly, the bench for this team would in time eventually develop to be way more successful that the starters.  Names like Mike Miller, Udonis Haslem, and Teddy DuPay filled reserve roles for Florida.  Even with all the big names, it was Stolt who came up big for the Gators, pouring in 26 points on 4-5 from three-point range.  Teddy Dupay (14) and Weeks (11) were the only other Gators in double digits.  Arceneaux was once again unstoppable for the Wildcats, as he scored a game-high 32 points with 9 rebounds (also a game high).  But, it wasn't enough for Weber State as Florida advanced, winning 82-74.  

Florida would eventually fall to the Gonzaga Bulldogs 73-72 in the Sweet Sixteen, but laid the groundwork for their finals appearance the next year - which I wrote about earlier this tournament.  The tournament that year was won by UConn, which defeated Duke 74-77 in St. Petersburg, Florida, behind the stellar play of Richard Hamilton (27 points) and Ricky Moore (13 points) and Khalid el-Amin (12 points).  How that Duke team consisting of Elton Brand, Shane Battier, Trajan Langdon, William Avery, Chris Carrawell and Corey Magette didn't win the title is a testament to just how good Richard Hamilton was!

Weber State fell off the next year, finishing 4th in the Big Sky Conference, and thus Arceneaux never made another tournament appearance, finishing his tournament career with a 34 points per game average.  

Arceneaux went undrafted in the 2000 draft, and bounced around professionally playing in Argentina, Australia, France, Portugal, the Phillipines, Venezuela, Mexico, and various minor US leagues.  He played for the Utah Snowbears of the American Basketball Association in 2004-2005 where he scored 42 in the championship game (Dude could SCORE!) before making his way later that year to Marinos de Anzoategui in the Venezuelan league, which he also led to a tile.

He is now VP of From the Ground Up Records, whose artists include Mullage (Trick'n), Mr. Magic and They Boyz Next Door featuring Maie Ray - none of whom I have ever heard of.  (These last two paragraphs have been brought to you by Wikipedia, and all of its cites therein).

Trivia Answer:   Once.  2008.  Kansas, Memphis, North Carolina, UCLA.  Kansas Jayhawks.  Mario Chalmers of Kansas.  Interestingly, that Final Four was also in San Antonio, Texas.

HAVE A GREAT FINAL FOUR EVERYBODY!

Elite 8/Day 2 Standings

1.  Max Macon 3 - 131 - HOUSTON/AUBURN

2.  Measha Leonardo Williams - 124 - FLORIDA/HOUSTON

3.  Brent Bellinger - 122 - DUKE/FLORIDA

4.  Matt Hopps - 119 - FLORIDA/DUKE

5.  Preston Holbert - 118 - Tennessee/FLORIDA

     Measha Raphael Williams - 118 - DUKE/AUBURN

7.  Dan Barsky 1 - 117 - HOUSTON/AUBURN

      George Walks 3 - 117 - FLORIDA/DUKE

9.  Jonathan Cox - 116 - DUKE/FLORIDA

     Brigadier General Kareem Montague - 116 - AUBURN/Tennessee

11.  Justine Frank - 115 - FLORIDA/DUKE

       Measha Donatello Williams - 115 - FLORIDA/DUKE

13.  Bill Ganoe 1 - 114 - FLORIDA/DUKE

       Marcus Spruill- 114 - DUKE/St. John's

15.  Guy Hughes - 113 - FLORIDA/Tennessee

       Shane Jernigan - 113 - HOUSTON/AUBURN

17.  Alyssa Hopps - 111 - FLORIDA/DUKE

18.  Paul Cummings - 110 - FLORIDA/HOUSTON

       Kingfish Parham - 110 - AUBURN/HOUSTON

20.  Theo Frank - 108 - DUKE/FLORIDA

       Mike Wolff 2 - 108 - FLORIDA/DUKE

22.  Brent Bellinger 2 - 107 - FLORIDA/HOUSTON

       Christina Gomez - 107 - DUKE/FLORIDA

       Ty Hedgpeth - 107 - DUKE/Michigan State

       Adam Jorgensen - 107 - DUKE/FLORIDA

26.  Salvatore Plamondon - 106 - Alabama/AUBURN

       Vincent Plamondon - 106 - FLORIDA/DUKE

28.  Rachel Bornn - 105 - FLORIDA/DUKE

       Joel Chernoff - 105 - AUBURN/DUKE

       Javier Rodriguez 2 - 105 - DUKE/FLORIDA

       Rich Samuels 1 - 105 - DUKE/FLORIDA

       Steven Usma 2 - 105 - FLORIDA/HOUSTON

       Day Yi 2 - 105 - AUBURN/HOUSTON

      

34.  Xavier Conway - 104 - FLORIDA/DUKE

        Bill Ganoe 3 - 104 - DUKE/FLORIDA

        Alvaro Gonzalez - 104 - AUBURN/HOUSTON

        Marcus Jackson - 104 - HOUSTON/Michigan State

38.  Sean McInerney III - 103 - DUKE/FLORIDA

       Sean McInerney IIII - 103 - FLORIDA/DUKE

       Silas Nichols - 103 - FLORIDA/DUKE

       Christina Zanzig - 103 - Michigan State/DUKE

42.  Mark Holbert - 102 - FLORIDA/DUKE

       Dan Laishley - 102 - DUKE/FLORIDA

       Dustin Lansing - 102 - Alabama/Michigan State

45.  Shane Dogmillionaire - 101 - FLORIDA/DUKE

       Rich Samuels 2 - 101 - DUKE/Michigan State

47.  Dan Barsky 2 - 100 - HOUSTON/Michigan State

       Eric Inge - 100 - DUKE/FLORIDA

       Kisha Marzouca - 100 - DUKE/FLORIDA

       Jazz Piasecki - 100 - FLORIDA/Tennessee

51.  Kyle Henderson 1 - 99 - FLORIDA/Clemson

       Jane Reynolds & Carolyn Fowler - 99 - FLORIDA/HOUSTON

       Measha Michaelangelo Williams - 99 - HOUSTON/AUBURN

       Dave Wilson - 99 - FLORIDA/DUKE

55.  Max Macon 1 - 98 - FLORIDA/DUKE

       Javier Rodriguez 1 - 98 - DUKE/AUBURN

       Chris Simmons - 98 - DUKE/FLORIDA

       Steven Usma 3 - 98 - AUBURN/HOUSTON

59.  Katie Kollmeyer - 97 - FLORIDA/Kentucky

       Kline Kroesen - 97 - HOUSTON/AUBURN

61.  Allison Parker - 96 - AUBURN/Alabama

       Steven Usma 1 - 96 - DUKE/FLORIDA

63.  Kevin Dick - 94 - FLORIDA/Alabama

       James Garvin - 94 - FLORIDA/DUKE

       John Hedgpeth - 94 - DUKE/AUBURN

       Pepe Sosa - 94 - FLORIDA/HOUSTON

       Lily Spuhler - 94 - FLORIDA/Purdue

       Jonathan Wasserman - 94 - FLORIDA/Tennessee

69.  Jenna Finkelstein - 93 - FLORIDA/Tennessee

       Colleen Giamberini - 93 - DUKE/FLORIDA

       Natalie Moon - 93 - DUKE/FLORIDA

       Jeff Plamondon - 93 - DUKE/Michigan State

73.  Sean and Barbie McInenery - 92 - FLORIDA/Tennessee

       Sasha Moon - 92 - DUKE/FLORIDA

       Jeremy Spuhler - 92 - FLORIDA/DUKE

76.  Karen Katz 1 - 91 - DUKE/Maryland

       Kisha Marzouca 2 - 91 - DUKE/AUBURN

       Chuck Whitcomb - 91 - Tennessee/FLORIDA

79.  Paul Cummings 2 - 90 - HOUSTON/AUBURN

       Jason Spuhler - 90 - FLORIDA/DUKE

       Day Yi - 90 - DUKE/St. John's

       Joshua Zdrowak - 90 - DUKE/FLORIDA

83.  Jim Coleman - 89 - DUKE/AUBURN

       Karen Katz 2 - 89 - HOUSTON/Michigan State

       Dave Piasecki - 89 - FLORIDA/DUKE

       Mike Wolff 1 - 89 - FLORIDA/DUKE

       Katie Zdrowak - 89- DUKE/St. John's

88.  Benny Frank Finkelstein - 88 - FLORIDA/Alabama

       George Walks 2 - 88 - Alabama/FLORIDA

90.  Martha Kroesen - 86 - FLORIDA/Alabama

       Si Nichols - 86 - HOUSTON/Michigan State

92.  Ashley Poer 1 - 85 - DUKE/AUBURN

93.  Max Macon 2 - 84 - DUKE/FLORIDA

       Justin Yung - 84 - DUKE/FLORIDA

95.  Caroline Spuhler - 83 - FLORIDA/DUKE

96.  Carolyn Fowler - 82 - AUBURN/DUKE

       Barbie McInerney - 82 - FLORIDA/Arizona

       Ashley Poer 2 - 82 - FLORIDA/Arizona

       Jane Reynolds - 82 - Alabama/AUBURN

       Brittany Sosa - 82 - FLORIDA/Tennessee

       Stacia Wilkaitis - 82 - FLORIDA/DUKE

102.  Jacey Fowler I - 81 - Michigan State/Tennessee

         Max Macon 4 - 81 - FLORIDA/DUKE

104.  Jacey Fowler II - 80 - Alabama/FLORIDA

         Hannah Sosa - 80 - FLORIDA/Alabama

         George Walks 4 - 80 - Tennessee/FLORIDA

107.  Kyle Henderson 2 - 78 - HOUSTON/FLORIDA

         William Pujals - 78 - FLORIDA/DUKE

         Cheryl Spuhler - 78 - FLORIDA/Tennessee

110.  George Walks 1 - 77 - AUBURN/Tennessee

111.  Bill Ganoe 2 - 75 - HOUSTON/St. John's

         Tyler Giamberini - 75 - Maryland/Alabama

113.  Braeden Helland - 74 - FLORIDA/Alabama

         Jessica Samuels - 74 - DUKE/Texas A&M

         Amy Zdrowak - 74 - AUBURN/Alabama

116.  Arlene Amo Hopps - 73 - DUKE/Connecticut

        Dave Marzouca - 73 - AUBURN/Arizona

        Brandon Satterwhite - 73 - FLORIDA/Alabama

        Bubba Zdrowak - 73 - FLORIDA/Alabama

120.  Chris LaForte - 71 - Michigan State/Alabama

         Sean McInerney 1 - 71 - Tennessee/FLORIDA

         Biscuit Zdrowak - 71 - HOUSTON/Iowa State

123.  Ferris Spuhler - 69 - Kansas/DUKE

         Logan Spuhler - 69 - FLORIDA/Tennessee

         Keith Zdrowak - 69 - DUKE/FLORIDA

126.  Quinn Jackson - 68 - Alabama/Michigan State

         Steven Usma 4 - 68 - FLORIDA/Kentucky

128.  Sean McInerney II - 67 - FLORIDA/St. Mary's

129.  Dave Marzouca 2 - 66 - Connecticut/Alabama

         Amanda Staudt - 66 - Michigan State/Purdue

131.  Stephanie Henderson - 63 - AUBURN/Clemson

132.  Wes Wiggins - 59 - Arizona/Louisville

133.  Luna Frank - 44 - Marquette/HOUSTON

134.  Barkley Sosa - 41 - Mississippi State/Connecticut

NCAA Tournament Pool - Elite 8/Day 1 Results

 

So, as expected, the two number 1 seeds, the two overall betting favorites, and the two favorites in our pool both advanced to the Final Four.  But man did Duke and Florida advance in way different ways.  Duke just obliterated Alabama from the jump.  Perhaps the Crimson Tide should have saved some three-pointers from the Sweet Sixteen.  Florida, in quite the opposite fashion, was all-but-eliminated by being down 9 with 4 minutes left.  But then Walter Clayton, Jr. took over - as 1st team All-Americans are wont to do.  Two three-pointers near the end of the game gave the Gators the victory to join me and my crew in San Antonio.  To quote Florida's best player yesterday Thomas Haugh about Clayton, "That's a cold man right there!"  Indeed he is.

Today's games are incredibly important as Auburn and Michigan State are both picked by many to go to the Final Four, as are Houston and Tennessee.  We should see lots of movement in the standings tomorrow.

The Houston - Tennessee game is incredibly important for the bottom part of the standings as well.  If Houston wins, Barkley Sosa of Riviera Beach, Florida locks up last place; but if Tennessee wins, Justine Frank of Charlotte, North Carolina, secures last place.

With Alabama's loss, we lose another champion.  Our champions are:  Alabama, AUBURN, Arizona, Connecticut, DUKE, FLORIDA, HOUSTON, Kansas, Marquette, Maryland, MICHIGAN STATE, Mississippi State, TENNESSEE.

There was more basketball yesterday than just the Division I tournament, as the men's Division II tournament final took place in Evansville, Indiana, where the Nova Southeastern Sharks added to their 2023 championship with another by defeating Cal State Dominguez Hills.  Nova was led by MJ Iraldi's 27 points (and 9 rebounds), but the game was controlled by point guard Dallas Graziani who - when he has the ball is attack, attack, attack.  Attack his defender; attack the pick-and-roll; attack the rim.  The defense cannot let up when Graziani has the ball, and when, like CSDH you only go about 6 deep, that is a problem.  Between Nova's two championship they sandwiched a finals loss on a buzzer beater last year, so they are clearly building a program.

So yesterday I mentioned that the Duke-Alabama game would be a big difference maker in our pool - and it was - but I didn't realize that as many people had Texas Tech in the Final Four as actually did.  So, even though the Red Raiders fell to the Gators, I will award that gutsiness with the Pick of the Day (but no extra points, though!).  So, Congratulations to Ty Hedgpeth of Wilmington, North Carolina, Marcus Jackson or Reston, Virginia, Alyssa Hopps of Quincy Massachusetts, Richa Samuels 2 of Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, Measha Michaelangelo Williams of Houston, Texas, Jane Reynolds of West Palm Beach, Florida, Ashley Poer 1 of Lake Worth Beach, Florida and Stephanie Henderson of Ft. Worth, Texas.

Stats of the Day

3. Florida won its 29th consecutive game when leading at halftime - the longest active streak in the country.

2.  Duke's Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel are the first pair of freshmen to have 20-5-5 games in the same tournament.

1.  Mark Sears of Alabama, one game after hitting 10 three-pointers, shot 2-12 from the field (1-5 from three) for 6 points against Duke.

Trivia Question:  I mentioned above that Florida's 29 consecutive winning streak when leading at halftime is the longest active streak.  Before yesterday, they were tied with which program?

Players of the Day

15.  Labaron Philon, Alabama - 16 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals

14.  Sarah Strong, Connecticut - 11 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, 1 block

13.  Madison Booker, Texas - 17 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 1 block

12.  Liatu King, Notre Dame - 17 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists

11.  Kennedy Smith, USC - 19 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals

10.  Sedona Prince, TCU - 21 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists

9.  JT Toppin, Texas Tech - 20 points, 11 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 block

8.  Kon Knueppel, Duke - 21 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals

7.  Serena Sandell, Kansas State - 22 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal, 1 block

6.  Walter Clayton, Jr., Florida - 30 points, 2 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 blocks

5.  Derrion Williams, Texas Tech - 23 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assists, 3 steals

4.  Cooper Flagg, Duke - 16 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 block

3.  Hailey van Lith, TCU - 26 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, 1 block

2.  Thomas Haugh, Florida - 20 points, 11 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 block

1.  Paige Bueckers, Connecticut - 40 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 steals, 2 blocks

And now for today's walk down (NCAA Tournament) history lane.  Before I begin, I must admit that I have avoided writing about Duke in the past - unless it was to bring out their foibles - primarily because I absolutely loathe their basketball team.  AND I STILL HATE CHRISTIAN LAETTNER.  But even I have to admit it is one of the more storied programs in NCAA basketball history.  Last night they earned their 18th Final Four trip, tied for second most with UCLA (foreshadowing).  So, it is time that I gave the program their due, before I get back to cracking jokes about Christian Laettner and his Stomp Heard Round the World, or Grayson Allen's love of the Dave Mathews Band (he is always "Tripping Billies," and Johns, and Andres, and anyone else).  Sorry, I digress.  Duke's first title came in 1991, but that was a memorable run, so I don't really want to write about that, (UNLV blowout in 1990, beat UNLV in semis in 1991).  And, completely on purpose, I swear, Duke's first Final Four appearance occurred in 1963, but I already wrote about that Final Four from Loyola's perspective all the way back in ... yesterday!!!  So let's examine Duke's second Final Four Appearance, and first final appearance ... 1964.

The 1964 Blue Devils were led by legendary coach Vic Bubas, and the team, fresh off the school's first Final Four appearance the previous year, and with losing 1963 Final Four Most Outstanding Player Art Heyman, had a tremendous regular season.  The team was led by leading scorer Jeff Mullins and his 24.2 points per game and 8.9 rebounds, with significant contributions from Jay Buckley and his 13. 8 points per game and 9 rebounds, and Hack Tison with his 11.8 points per game and 8.6 rebounds per game.  The team went 2-56, and 13-1 in the ACC, which was good enough for first place and to qualify for the NCAA tournament.

Duke, being in essence the #1 seed in the east, received a first-round bye, where they would play the winner of the Villanova-Providence game in the Sweet Sixteen, where Duke had to travel all the way to Raleigh, North Carolina to play.  Duke was all over Villanova from the beginning, building a 49-33 halftime lead, and then they coasted to a 87-73 victory.  Duke was led by Jeff Mullins and his 43 points.  The only other Blue Devil in double figures was Hack Tison, who scored 13.  This win propelled Duke into the Elite 8, where they would meet Connecticut.

Well, "meet" is a relative term as UConn didn't really show up.  Duke led 62-27 at halftime.  Yes, you read that right.  62-27.  The Blue Devils coasted to a 101-54 win, behind 30 points and 8 rebounds from Jeff Mullins, 14 points and 8 rebounds from Hack Tison, and Steve Vacendek added 14 off the bench.  Connecticut's Tony Kimball was valiant in defeat, with his 18 points and 14 rebounds, but he received absolutely no help.  Duke had made its second consecutive Final Four, which was hosted by Kansas City.

In Kansas City, Duke would face Michigan, which had defeated defending champion Loyola and Ohio in the Sweet Sixteen and Elite 8, respectively.  In the Final Four, Michigan was led by star Cazzie Russell, who scored 31 points and grabbed 8 rebounds.  Bill Buntin added 19 and 9 for the Wolverines.  It was not enough, as Jay Buckley scored 25 points with 14 rebounds, and Jeff Mullins chipped-in 21 points and 8 rebounds as the Blue Devils defeated the Wolverines 91-80 to reach the school's first championship game.

For those of you that remember I used the word "foreshadowing" earlier, will know that waiting for Duke in the finals was the UCLA Bruins.  UCLA was 30-0 and coached by soon-to-be legend John Wooden.  On the court, future NBA stars Gail Goodrich (21.5/5.2) and Walt Hazzard (18.6/4.7) led the team with their play on the court.  UCLA, despite their undefeated dominance, had a tougher road in the NCAA tournament than Duke did.  They beat Seattle 95-90, and then squeaked by San Francisco 76-72 to make it to the Final four.  In Kansas City UCLA defeated Kansas State 90-84, with Keith Erickson leading the way with 28 points and 10 rebounds.  Hazzard and Goodrich added 19 and 14 for the Bruins, propelling them into the finals.

With having played much closer games in the tournament that Duke, UCLA was tested, and they passed jumping out to a 50-38 halftime lead, and extending that to a 98-83 final score for its first championship.  Gail Goodrich scored 27 for the Bruins, and Kenny Washington contributed 26 off the bench for the champions.   Jeff Mullins led Duke, as he had all year, with 22, and Jay Buckley added 18.  Hazzard was named the Most Outstanding Player, and Jeff Mullins ended up the tournament as the leading scorer.

With its first championship in 1964, UCLA burst onto the national scene, and would ultimately win 10 of 12 championships, falling only in 1966 (Texas Western) and 1974 (North Carolina State) in one of the most dominant sporting runs we have ever seen.

Trivia Answer:  University of California - San Diego, which disappointed a lot of people who had them as their guaranteed upset this year!

Elite 8/Day 1 Standings

1.  Max Macon 3 - 115 - HOUSTON/AUBURN

2.  Bill Ganoe 1 - 114 - FLORIDA/DUKE

3.  Preston Holbert - 110 - TENNESSEE/FLORIDA

4.  Brigadier General Kareem Montague - 108 - AUBURN/TENNESSEE

     Measha Leonardo Williams - 108 - FLORIDA/HOUSTON

6.  Brent Bellinger - 106 - DUKE/FLORIDA

7.  Guy Hughes - 105 - FLORIDA/TENNESSEE

8.  Bill Ganoe 3 - 104 - DUKE/FLORIDA

9.  Matt Hopps - 103 - FLORIDA/DUKE

     Christina Zanzig - 103 - MICHIGAN STATE/DUKE

11.  Paul Cummings - 102 - FLORIDA/HOUSTON

       Mark Holbert - 102 - FLORIDA/DUKE

       Dan Laishley - 102 - DUKE/FLORIDA

       Measha Raphael Williams - 102 - DUKE/AUBURN

15.  Dan Barsky 1 - 101 - HOUSTON/AUBURN

       George Walks 3 - 101 - FLORIDA/DUKE

17.  Jonathan Cox - 100 - DUKE/FLORIDA

       Eric Inge - 100 - DUKE/FLORIDA

       Mike Wolff 2 - 100 - FLORIDA/DUKE

20.  Justine Frank - 99 - FLORIDA/DUKE

       Christina Gomez - 99 - DUKE/FLORIDA

       Ty Hedgpeth - 99 - DUKE/MICHIGAN STATE

       Measha Donatello Williams - 99 - FLORIDA/DUKE

24.  Max Macon 1 - 98 - FLORIDA/DUKE

       Marcus Spruill- 98 - DUKE/St. John's

26.  Rachel Bornn - 97 - FLORIDA/DUKE

       Shane Jernigan - 97 - HOUSTON/AUBURN

       Katie Kollmeyer - 97 - FLORIDA/Kentucky

       Javier Rodriguez 2 - 97 - DUKE/FLORIDA

       Rich Samuels 1 - 97 - DUKE/FLORIDA

31.  Xavier Conway - 96 - FLORIDA/DUKE

       Marcus Jackson - 96 - HOUSTON/MICHIGAN STATE

33.  Alyssa Hopps - 95 - FLORIDA/DUKE

       Silas Nichols - 95 - FLORIDA/DUKE

35.  Dustin Lansing - 94 - Alabama/MICHIGAN STATE

       Kingfish Parham - 94 - AUBURN/HOUSTON

       Jonathan Wasserman - 94 - FLORIDA/TENNESSEE

38.  Shane Dogmillionaire - 93 - FLORIDA/DUKE

       Natalie Moon - 93 - DUKE/FLORIDA

       Jeff Plamondon - 93 - DUKE/MICHIGAN STATE

       Rich Samuels 2 - 93 - DUKE/MICHIGAN STATE

42.  Dan Barsky 2 - 92 - HOUSTON/MICHIGAN STATE

       Theo Frank - 92 - DUKE/FLORIDA

       Sasha Moon - 92 - DUKE/FLORIDA

       Jazz Piasecki - 92 - FLORIDA/TENNESSEE

46.  Brent Bellinger 2 - 91 - FLORIDA/HOUSTON      

       Kyle Henderson 1 - 91 - FLORIDA/Clemson

       Adam Jorgensen - 91 - DUKE/FLORIDA

       Jane Reynolds & Carolyn Fowler - 91 - FLORIDA/HOUSTON

       Dave Wilson - 91 - FLORIDA/DUKE

51.  Salvatore Plamondon - 90 - Alabama/AUBURN

       Vincent Plamondon - 90 - FLORIDA/DUKE

       Chris Simmons - 90 - DUKE/FLORIDA

       Jason Spuhler - 90 - FLORIDA/DUKE

55.  Joel Chernoff - 89 - AUBURN/DUKE

       Dave Piasecki - 89 - FLORIDA/DUKE

       Steven Usma 2 - 89 - FLORIDA/HOUSTON

       Mike Wolff 1 - 89 - FLORIDA/DUKE

       Day Yi 2 - 89 - AUBURN/HOUSTON

60.  Alvaro Gonzalez - 88 - AUBURN/HOUSTON

       Allison Parker - 88 - AUBURN/Alabama

       George Walks 2 - 88 - Alabama/FLORIDA

       Steven Usma 1 - 88 - DUKE/FLORIDA

64.  Sean McInerney III - 87 - DUKE/FLORIDA

       Sean McInerney IIII - 87 - FLORIDA/DUKE

66.  Kevin Dick - 86 - FLORIDA/Alabama

       James Garvin - 86 - FLORIDA/DUKE

       John Hedgpeth - 86 - DUKE/AUBURN

       Martha Kroesen - 86 - FLORIDA/Alabama

       Pepe Sosa - 86 - FLORIDA/HOUSTON

       Lily Spuhler - 78 - FLORIDA/Purdue

72.  Jenna Finkelstein - 85 - FLORIDA/TENNESSEE

       Colleen Giamberini - 85 - DUKE/FLORIDA

74.  Max Macon 2 - 84 - DUKE/FLORIDA

       Kisha Marzouca - 84 - DUKE/FLORIDA

       Sean & Barbie McInerney - 84 - FLORIDA/TENNESSEE

       Jeremy Spuhler - 84 - FLORIDA/DUKE

       Justin Yung - 84 - DUKE/FLORIDA

79.  Karen Katz 1 - 83 - DUKE/Maryland

       Kisha Marzouca 2 - 83 - DUKE/AUBURN

       Chuck Whitcomb - 83 - TENNESSEE/FLORIDA

       Measha Michaelangelo Williams - 83 - HOUSTON/AUBURN

83.  Barbie McInerney - 82 - FLORIDA/Arizona

       Ashley Poer 2 - 82 - FLORIDA/Arizona

       Javier Rodriguez 1 - 82 - DUKE/AUBURN

       Brittany Sosa - 82 - FLORIDA/TENNESSEE

       Steven Usma 3 - 82 - AUBURN/HOUSTON

       Stacia Wilkaitis - 82 - FLORIDA/DUKE

       Day Yi - 82 - DUKE/St. John's

       Joshua Zdrowak - 82 - DUKE/FLORIDA

91.  Jim Coleman - 81 - DUKE/AUBURN

       Jacey Fowler I - 81 - MICHIGAN STATE/TENNESSEE

       Karen Katz 2 - 81 - HOUSTON/MICHIGAN STATE

       Kline Kroesen - 81 - HOUSTON/AUBURN

       Max Macon 4 - 81 - FLORIDA/DUKE

96.  Si Nichols - 78 - HOUSTON/MICHIGAN STATE

       William Pujals - 78 - FLORIDA/DUKE

       Cheryl Spuhler - 78 - FLORIDA/TENNESSEE

99.  Ashley Poer 1 - 77 - DUKE/AUBURN

100.  Caroline Spuhler - 75 - FLORIDA/DUKE

101.  Paul Cummings 2 - 74 - HOUSTON/AUBURN

         Carolyn Fowler - 74 - AUBURN/DUKE

         Braeden Helland - 74 - FLORIDA/Alabama

         Jane Reynolds - 74 - Alabama/AUBURN

         Jessica Samuels - 74 - DUKE/Texas A&M

 

106.  Arlene Amo Hopps - 73 - DUKE/Connecticut

         Brandon Satterwhite - 73 - FLORIDA/Alabama

         Bubba Zdrowak - 73 - FLORIDA/Alabama

         Katie Zdrowak - 73- DUKE/St. John's

110.  Benny Frank Finkelstein - 72 - FLORIDA/Alabama

         Jacey Fowler II - 72 - Alabama/FLORIDA

         Hannah Sosa - 72 - FLORIDA/Alabama

         George Walks 4 - 72 - TENNESSEE/FLORIDA

114.  Chris LaForte - 71 - MICHIGAN STATE/Alabama

         Sean McInerney 1 - 71 - TENNESSEE/FLORIDA

116.  Kyle Henderson 2 - 70 - HOUSTON/FLORIDA

117.  Ferris Spuhler - 69 - Kansas/DUKE

         Logan Spuhler - 69 - FLORIDA/TENNESSEE

         George Walks 1 - 69 - AUBURN/TENNESSEE

         Keith Zdrowak - 69 - DUKE/FLORIDA

121.  Quinn Jackson - 68 - Alabama/MICHIGAN STATE

         Steven Usma 4 - 68 - FLORIDA/Kentucky

123.  Tyler Giamberini - 67 - Maryland/Alabama

         Sean McInerney II - 67 - FLORIDA/St. Mary's

         Amanda Staudt - 66 - MICHIGAN STATE/Purdue

         Amy Zdrowak - 66 - AUBURN/Alabama

127.  Biscuit Zdrowak - 63 - HOUSTON/Iowa State

128.  Bill Ganoe 2 - 59 - HOUSTON/St. John's

129.  Dave Marzouca 2 - 58 - Connecticut/Alabama

130.  Dave Marzouca - 57 - AUBURN/Arizona

 

131.  Stephanie Henderson - 55 - AUBURN/Clemson

132.  Wes Wiggins - 51 - Arizona/Louisville

133.  Barkley Sosa - 41 - Mississippi State/Connecticut

134.  Luna Frank - 36 - Marquette/HOUSTON

NCAA Tournament Pool - Sweet Sixteen/Day 2 Results

 

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