2024 NCAA Tournament Pool Results Round 2/Day 1

 

If you are looking for upsets, yesterday was not your day to watch basketball, as seven of the games resulted in the better seed winning.  The only exception to that 5-seed Gonzage defeating 4-seed Kansas, and even then Gonzaga was a betting 4 1/2 point favorite - if anybody is into that sort of thing.  What that game did do is elimate one of our potential champions for the third day in a row, as did North Carolina's methodical dismantling of Tom Izzo's Michigan State Spartans.

Our remaining champions are:  ALABAMA, Auburn, ARIZONA, BAYLOR, CONNECTICUT, CREIGHTON, DUKE, Florida, Florida Atlantic, GONZAGA, HOUSTON, ILLINOIS, IOWA STATE, Kansas, Kentucky, MARQUETTE, Michigan State, NORTH CAROLINA, NORTH CAROLINA STATE, PURDUE and TENNESSEE.

In the first game of the day, the Dayton Flyers put up a bit of a fight against the Arizona Wildcats, but in then end Arizona's depth was too much and they won 78-68.  In the next game Gonzaga's offense was surgical in its precision 89-68 defeat of the Kansas Jayhawks which, admittedly, was missing its leading scorer Kevin McCullar, Jr.  After this, North Carolina crushed Michigan State 85-69 and Iowa State outlasted Washington State 67-56.

Then, the fun began!  11-seed North Carolina State beat Cinderella-darlings Oakland 79-73, a game in which Oakland's Trey Townsend was easily the best player on the Court playing all 45 minutes.    Close game, overtime, threes falling all over the place ... if you thought this was going to be the best game of the day, you might have been right as this game was followed by an ugly Tennessee 62-58 victory over Texas and Illinois absolutely shellacking Duquesne 89-63, which wasn't even that close.

And then, the magic happened.  Creighton, coming off a season in which they missed the Final Four by one shot, played host to 11 seed Oregon, who had to rip through a run in the Pac-12 tournament to even qualify for this tournament,in PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh.  This game had runs, masterful - even dominating - individual performances, great unselfish team play, and it was close.  So, overtime wasn't enough.  How about DOUBLE OVERTIME!!!  And, since the North Carolina State - Oakland game was in the same arena, lots of free basketball for the fans.  This was the first time the same arena hosted multiple overtime games during the tournament on a single day since 1997!  Oregon's stars N'Faly Dante (28 points/20 rebounds) Jermaine Cousinard (32 points/8 rebounds) carried the Ducks all game - scoring every single point for the team in the second half, and all but 2 in the overtime periods.  But it was too much as Cousinard was visibly spent in the second overtime.  I would have felt sorry for him if it wasn't for the fact the Creighton's Ryan Kalkenbrenner, Baylor Sheierman, and Trey Alexander all played all 50 minutes themselves!!!  In the end, Creighton prevailed - and Your Tournament Host was extremely tired!

This means no bonus points for our pool.  It also makes for a very boring "Pick of the Day" award.  Gonzaga wasn't really an underdog despite being the lower seed - besides most of the pool had them.  That would leave NC State as an 11-seed making the Sweet Sixteen as a potential pick of the day, except that was chosen by 13 people, most of which are not even alumni (looking at you Cassi Spruill of Fairfax, Virginia, who apparently took along herr friend Clair Bullock from Columbus, Ohio into Wolfpackdom).

So, where does that leave us?  Well, Quinn Jackson of Reston, Virginia was the sole entry to select Oakland into the Sweet Sixteen.  That was a bold pick that was only eliminated due to an overtime loss.  But, it was still a loss.  Since no single pick stands out, our award for "Pick(s) of the Day" is going to go to .... George Fox 2 of West Palm Beach, Florida, who went an amazing 8-0 yesterday.  That's right, a perfect day by The Fantastic Mr. Fox helps him move up the leaderboard.

Given the lack of upsets and the fact only a couple of games were close, the round was pretty ho-hum.  But some of the stats coming out of the games were absolutely amazing.

Stats of the Day

11.  Washington State was 20-2 in games in which they held teams under 70 points.  Except, they held Iowa State to 67 and lost.  Make that 20-3.

10.  With NC State's victory over Oakland, the 11 seed is now 7-0 All-time over the 14th seed in the second round of the NCAA tournament.

9.  N'Faly Dante and Jermaine Cousinard of Oregon scored every single point for the team in the second half, and all but 2 in the overtime periods.

8.  Gonzaga scored an amazingly efficient 1.39 points per possession in defeating Kansas.

7. Dyaisha Fair of Syracuse scored 32 points in her first round tournament win in the women's tournament, the high scorer in a day in which a record 13 players scored over 25 points.

6.  Ryan Kalkenbrenner, Baylor Scheierman, Tre Alexander of Creighton played 50 minutes, N'Faly Dante of Oregon played 48, Jadrian Tracey or Oregon played 46, and Trey Townsend of Oakland played 45.  All putting in WORK!

5.  Tennessee forced Texas into 17 turnovers!

4.  On the other end of the spectrum, Iowa State committed only 1 turnover between the 4:30 left mark in the first half and 5:45 left in the game.

3.  With his 12 assists, Ryan Nembhard sets the single-season assist record for Gonzaga, surpassing Josh Perkins.  If you set a season record, you will probably be mentioned here.

2.  Same with career record.  Ryan Kalkenbrenner set the Creighton career block shots record previously held by Benoit Benjamin.

1a.  Oregon did not shoot its first free throw until there was 26.4 seconds left in regulation.  And only then because Creighton was intentionally fouling.

1.  Creighton has not had a player foul out in 53 straight games!!!

Hmmmmm, Benoit Benjamin ... Creighton.  Let's flash back to him.  Benoit Benjamin played at Creighton from 1982-1985, and, despite never making an All-American team while in college ended up being selected 3rd overall in the 1985 draft by the Los Angeles Clippers, ahead of people like Chris Mullin, Charles Oakley, Karl Malone, Joe Dumars, A.C. Green, Terry Porter, Arvydis Sabonis, Uwe Blab and Manute Bol.  (Just had to add Blab because it is fun to say).  He managed to play 15 seasons in the NBA for 9 different teams, never making much impact except being 7-feet tall.  Well, that's not a good history lesson.

So, hmmm, where to go next.  Well, the record Kalkenbrenner broke was for blocks.  The blocks leader for a single NCAA Tournament history is ... Jeff Withey from Kansas in 2012 with 31?  Yeah, that's not interesting either.  Especially since Anthony Davis is tied for second with 29, also from 2012, and Kentucky beat Kansas in the finals.  What could be interesting is that Joakim Noah is also tied for second with 29 in 2006, the year that the UCLA Bruins cheerleaders were mocking him for being ugly - something they took from me - but I have already told that story in previous blogs.  (Ask me if you don't know or don't remember).

Wait, here is something.  In 1992, a behemoth of a man-child set the single-game blocked shot record for the NCAA Tournament by swatting 11 shots against BYU.  That man, Shaquille O'Neal.

In the first round in Boise, Idaho, LSU, the seven seed, played BYU in the first round, with the Tigers beating the Cougars 94-83, behind soon-to-be number 1 draft pick Shaquille O'Neal's triple-double of 26 points, 13 rebounds and the aforementioned 11 blocks.  Maurice Williamson, the only other Tiger in double figures scoring, paced the team with 30.  This set up a second round matchup against number 2 Indiana.  The Hoosiers defeated LSU despite Shaq's 36 point, 12 rebound, 5 blocks performance.  Indiana was able to win behind its own 30-point effort from Calbert Cheaney - holder of one of the best baseline jumpers I ever saw - supplemented by Alan Henderson's 19.

Indiana would go on to defeat the 3rd seeded FSU Seminoles in the Sweet Sixteen 85-74, with Calbert Cheaney scoring 17, and unheralded Eric Anderson leading the way with 24 off-the-bench.  This might have been FSU's best ever non-Covid year basketball team, with Sam Cassell, Bob Sura, Douglas Edwards, and Rodney Dobard four of the starters and Heisman-trophy winning quarterback Charlie Ward playing significant minutes off-the-bench.  Coach Pat Kennedy always said that if Sura could see the rim from the parking lot he would put it up.  Indiana then advanced to the Elite Eight, where they boat-raced the 1-seed, Pac-10 champion UCLA 106-79, behind Cheaney's 23 and 22 from wunderkind Damon Bailey.  That UCLA featured Tyus Edney, Tracy Murray, American Pie singer Don McLean [Ed. note - not the American Pie singer], and a young Ed O'Bannon, who the tournament - and later the NCAA - would hear a lot from in later years.

In the Final Four in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Indiana would give a huge fight to Duke, losing 81-78.  Indiana succombed to Duke and Bobby Hurley's 26 points and only 8 from Christian Laettner - first game post-Kentucky shot [Ed. Note - I STILL HATE CHRISTIAN LAETTNER].  Speaking of 30s for 30, Duke went on to defeat Michigan 71-51, but nobody cares about those winners.  The staring lineup of the runners-up - Jalen Rose, Jimmy King, Ray Jackson, Chris Webber, and Juwan Howard - might go on to become famous for something or other.  Hint:  It's The Fab Five.

Those guys were some players ... and speaking of players ...

Players of the Day

10.  Caleb Love, Arizona - 19 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, 1 block

9.  Jaylen Wells, Washington Stae - 20 points

8.  Jack Gohlke, Oakland - 22 points, 8 rebounds (6 three-pointers)

7.  Steven Ashworth, Creighton - 21 points (10 in overtime!!!)

6.  RJ Davis, North Carolina - 20 points

5.  DJ Burns, North Carolina State - 24 points, 11 rebounds at 6'9", 275 pounds

4.  Terrence Shannon, Illinois - 30 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals

3.  Jermaine Cousinard, Oregon - 32 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists

2.  Trey Townsend, Oakland - 30 points, 13 rebounds

1.  N'Faly Dante, Oregon - 28 points, 20 rebounds

Note, the top 3 players all played on losing teams!!!

Because the games were primarily uneventful, interesting social media was quiet except for all of the Fire Calipari stuff.  So ... let's say goodbye to Jack Gohlke.

Social Media/Quotes of the Day

1.  Goodbye Jack Gohlke - may you forever be remembered in hell for beating Kentucky, and by everyone else for a heckuva a tournament run.

Ok, so let's get to the standings.  Double-check your scores and contact me if you have any questions or if you think I missed something.  I will be happy to double check.

Standings after Round 2/Day 1

1.  Braeden Helland - 66

     Blake Jackson - 66

3.  Brian McMahon - 65

4.  Marcus Jackson - 64

     Allison Parker - 64

6.  Jody Cox - 63

     Bill Ganoe - 63

8.  Josh Zdrowak - 62

9.  Measha Williams 3 - 58

10.  Jeff Plamondon - 57

       Rich Samuels 4 - 57

       Amanda Staudt - 57

13.  Daniel Barsky 1 - 56

       Kevin Dick - 56

       Bill Ganoe 1 - 56

       Ty Hedgpeth - 56

       Chris Simmons - 56

18.  Scott Bieterman 2 - 55

       Paul Cummings 2 - 55

       George Fox 2 - 55

       Miles Jackson - 55

       Max Macon 3 - 55

       Day Yi - 55

       Bubba Zdrowak - 55

25.  Mark Holbert - 54

       Quinn Jackson - 54

       Shane Jernigan 2 - 54

       William Pujals - 54

       Justin Yung - 54

30.  James Coleman - 53

       Bill Ganoe 2 - 53

       Kingfish Parham - 53

       Pepe Sosa - 53

       Cassi Spruill - 53

       Keith Zdrowak - 53

36.  Joel Chernoff - 52

       Carolyn Fowler - 52

       Jacey Reynolds 2 - 52

       Kyle Henderson 1 - 52

       Skip LaForte - 52

       Rich Samuels 5 - 52

42.  Alvaro Gonzalez - 51

       Dave Piasecki - 51

       Ashley Poer - 51

       Cheryl Spuhler - 51

       Jeremy Spuhler - 51

47.  Paul Cummings 3 - 50

       Matt Hopps - 50

       Javier Rodriguez - 50

       Rich Samuels 2 - 50 

       George Walks 4 - 50

       Measha Williams 1 - 50

       Measha Williams 2 - 50

54.  Paul Cummings 1 - 49

       Silas Nichols - 49

       Marcus Spruill - 49

       George Walks 3 - 49

       Keith Wynne - 49

       Amy Zdrowak - 49

       Keith Zdrowak - 49

61.  Justine Frank - 48

       Max Marion 1 - 48

       Si Nichols - 48

       Rich Samuels 3 - 48

65.  John Hedgpeth - 47

       Max Macon 3 - 47

       Sean McInerney 2 - 47

       Matt Okell - 47

       Lee Pagan - 47

       Ryan Rodriguez - 47

71.  Scott Bieterman 1 - 46

       Jacey Fowler (1) - 46

       Dan Laishley - 46

       Max Macon 2 - 46

       Sasha Moon - 46

       Brittany Sosa - 46

       Lily Spuhler - 46

       Biscuit Zdrowak - 46

79.  Brigadier General Kareem Montague - 45

80.  Melissa Gaynor - 44

       Tyler Giamberini - 44

       Rich Samuels 1 - 44

       Logan Spuhler - 44

       George Walks 2 - 44

85.  Kyle Henderson 2 - 43

       Nick Kuehl - 43

       Max Marion 2 - 43

       Max Marion 4 - 43

       Chris O'Neil - 43

       Jessica Samuels - 43

       George Walks 1 - 43

92.  Clair Bullock - 42

       James Garvin - 42

       Shane Jernigan 1 - 42

       Karen Katz - 42

       Michael McNally - 42

97.  Jenna Finkelstein - 41

       Adam Jorgensen 1 - 41

       Adam Jorgensen 2 - 41

       Dawn Lamb - 41

       Derrick Lowe - 41

       Max Macon 1 - 41

       Kisha Marzouca 1 - 41

       Jane Reynolds - 41

       A.J. Ripin - 41

       Jamie Toole - 41

107.  Katie Kollmeyer - 40

         Cheryl Spuhler - 40

         Jonathan Wasserman - 40

         Mike Wolff 1 - 40

111.  George Fox 1 - 39

         Max Macon 4 - 39

113.  Barbie Curlett 2 - 38

         Chris Pettit - 38

         Savannah Grace Pressly - 38

116.  Guy Hughes - 37

         Mike Wolff 2 - 37

118.  Daniel Barsky 2 - 36

         Colleen Giamberini - 36

         Coco Wynne - 36

121.  Anne-Marie O'Neil - 35

         Barkley Sosa - 35

123.  Carolyn Fowler & Jane Reynolds - 34

         Dave Marzouca 2 - 34

         Natalie Moon - 34

126.  Brent Bellinger - 33

         Noel Martinez 1 - 33

         Hannah Sosa - 33

129.  Barbie Curlett 1 - 32

         Arlene Amo Hopps - 32

         Kisha Marzouca 2 - 32

         Sean McInerney 1 - 32

133.  Noel Martinez 2 - 31

         Dave Marzouca 1 - 31

135.  Stephanie Henderson - 30

         Jason Spuhler - 30

137.  Alyssa Hopps - 25

2024 NCAA Tournament Pool Results Round 1/Day 2

 

Welcome back all.  We have concluded the first round with some more surprises, but before we get to the tournament update, I have an update to the pool  We now have 137 entries.  "So Pepster, how did we increase in entries after the tournament has started" some you might ask.  Well, it is because I received the bracket from Karen Katz of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in the mail, postmarked March 19.  She is now included in the standings.

Day 2 gave us some incredibly exciting games, the kind we missed on Thursday.  It all started in the 8/9 game pitting last year's darling Florida Atlantic against Northwestern and we got some free basketball.  Although Northwestern curb-stomped FAU in overtime, the game was back-and-forth most of the day.

Northwestern was not the only smart boys advancing to the second round as Yale outlasted SEC champion Aurburn 78-76, as Auburn Tre Donaldson missed 2 free throws with six seconds remaining that would have tied the game despite John Poulakidas of Yale pulling his best Jack Grohlke.

Another incredibly close - and exciting - game was Colorado over Florida 102-100 with Florida's Walker Clayton, Jr. making a three-pointing to tie the game at 100 with 9 seconds left followed by KJ Simpson rushing dow to hit the eventual game-winner with 3 seconds remaining.  A last-ditch heave by Clayton, who had 33 points in this game - came dangerously close as it hit the backboard.

All three of these games have one thing in common, they knocked out a champion in our pool.  Multiple people selected Florida Atlantic, Auburn and Florida.  Our remaining champions are:  ALABAMA, Auburn, ARIZONA, BAYLOR, CONNECTICUT, CREIGHTON, DUKE, Florida, Florida Atlantic, GONZAGA, HOUSTON, ILLINOIS, IOWA STATE, KANSAS, Kentucky, MARQUETTE, MICHIGAN STATE, NORTH CAROLINA, NORTH CAROLINA STATE, PURDUE and TENNESSEE.

Other close games include last year's finalist San Diego State defeating UAB 68-65, and Grand Canyon defeating Saint Mary's 75-66.  Grand Canyon joins Yale as being upsets worth bonus points in our pool, as was James Madison with its 11-point victory over 5 seed Wisconsin.  People in our pool had everyone of the upsets, and each of these upsets was guaranteed by multiple people, meaning lots of movement in the standings.  Another game of note is that 6th-seeded Clemson handily beat New Mexico 77-56 to be the only 6 seed to advance to the second round, as the 3 other 11 seeds all won on Thursday.

As I mentioned, multiple people selected each of yesterday's three bonuses, and several even selected each as a guarantee.  But, since way more people selected James Madison and Grand Canyon that Yale, those that selected Yale get special mention.  Those include George Walks 1 of West Palm Beach, Florida, Jeff Plamondon if Lincoln, Rhode Island, Barkley Sosa of Riviera Beach, Florida Coco Wynne of Delray Beach, Florida and Rich Samuels 1 of Palm Beach Gardens, FL.  They receive special mention, but the "Picks of the Day" Award goes to Cassi Spruill of Fairfax, Virginia, Day Yi of Forest Hills, New York, and Max Marion 4 of West Palm Beach, Florida.  Congratulations and now - You are all dead to me.  On a side note, I asked Barkley Sosa how on earth she can live under my roof and select Yale - FOR ANYTHING - and she responded, "I pick all the dog and wolf mascots that I can."  I went back and reviewed her bracket, and although accurate - still not an excuse.

In fact, entrant Kisha Marzouca of Boynton Beach, Florida, a college classmate of mine, texted me to say "WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT IVY LEAGUE BASKETBALL?!?! yasssss this is the only time a Harvard person will be happy for Yale"  She is a much better person than I.

Day 1 Kentucky loses; Day 2 Yale wins.  This tournament got me feeling like a Mint Condition song, which coincidentally was on the radio when I did a breakfast run this morning.

And yes, I was at a red light when I took that picture.

And, since I am obviously in a cheerful mood, I will give an "Anti-Pick of the Day" award.  In the running was Colleen Giamberini of Boynton Beach, Florida and Alyssa Hopps of Quincy, Massachusetts who both slected Grambling over Purdue, but, that pick took guts.  Going out on a limb should be rewarded, not ridiculed, especially since we all know Purdue can lose a first round game as a 1-seed; they did it last year.  So, instead, the "Anti-Pick of the Day" award goes to Joshua Zdrowak of Tallahassee, Florida by way of Orlando, Florida who picked Auburn.  Why was this such a bad pick?  It is because he picked Auburn to win the Florida Atlantic-Northwestern game!  Congratulations Joshua!

Social Media Posts/Random Quotes of the Day

5.  Facebook post from a college classmate ... "It's weird to root for Yale for any reason.  I have a reflexive distaste for Yale -- until March Madness starts up.  And then Ivy League prode takes over.  It feels very unnatural but, to paraphrase Whitman, 'Do I contradict myself?  Very well then I contrdaict myself (I am large.  I contain multitudes...)"  - Much bigger person than me.

4.  Auburn basketball alumnus Charles Barkley, "We're not gonna lose to the smart kids, I'll tell you that!"

3.  When a play from Auburn-Yale game comes on the television and a zoom-in on a Yale player, Hannah Sosa of Riviera Beach, Florida commented, "He looks like he goes to Yale."  That's my girl.

And, since I am still not over the Kentucky loss

2.  From Twitter sent to me by Kevin Dick of Alexandria, Virginia, calling John Calipari the "Italian Doc Rivers."

1.  This was posted in the other pool run by this blog, but it needs mentioning here ...

Yeah, this tournament is killing me.

Stats of the Day

6.  Tre Donaldson from Auburn was shooting 82.9% from the free throw line when he stepped up and missed two free throws with 6 seconds left in game and Auburn down 2 to Yale.

5.  Zach Edey of Purdue pulled down 21 rebounds.

4.  Ryan Langborg from Northwestern scored 12 points - IN OVERTIME - as Northwestern downed Florida Atlantic.

3.  Iowa State Freshman Audi Cooks scored 40 points as Iowa State came back from a 20-point deficit to defeat Maryland in the women's tournament.

2.  Colorado had 14 assists in its first 14 made field goals in the first half against Florida.  (Finsihed the half 14 assists/17 made field goals).

1.  Northwestern scored 19 total points in overtime over Florida Atlantic.  That is the same exact number of points as they scored the ENTIRE FIRST HALF!

 Players of the Day

Honorable Mention - Chad Baker-Mazara, Auburn -Ejecting for hitting a Yale player.

10.  Eddie Lampkin, Colorado - 23 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists

9.  Tyrece Radford, Texas A&M - 20 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists

8.  Jaedon LeDee, San Diego State - 32 points, 8 rebounds

7.  Johni Broome, Auburn - 24 points, 13 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, 1 block

6.  Will Clayton, Jr., Florida - 33 points on 10/17 shooting and 7/7 free throw line

5.  Kam Jones, Marquette - 28 points

4.  Ryan Langborg, Northwestern - 27 points - 12 in overtime

3.  John Poulakides, Yale - 28 points on 10/15 shooting; 6/9 from three point range

2.  Mark Sears, Alabama - 30 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists

1.  Zach Edey, Purdue - 30 points, 21 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 blocks

So, looking at this list gives me the thought for the NCAA Tournament history lesson.  I watched a lot of the Florida-Colorado game, and Colorado's Eddie Lampkin is a force.  He is listed at 6'11 and 265 pounds, but I would bet his a good 25 pounds heavier than that, but not really fat.  He is super-light on his feet, and possesses a devasting bump-and-spin move which is virtually unguardable.  He reminds me a bit of former Boston College standout Danya Abrams, who albeit a bit shorter than Lampkin, was every bit as stocky and light on his feet.  He played at Boston College from 1993 - 1997, and during the 1993-1994 year Boston College had some very unique and interesting sports successes.

It all started on November 20, 1993, when the number 1 ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team traveled to Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts to play the 17th-ranked BC Eagles.  Boston College built a 38-17 lead into the fourth quarter with only 11 minutes left in the game.  Notre Dame came roaring back to take the lead 39-38.  Eagles quarterback Glenn Foley led the team on a last-minute drive that almost never happened as one of his passes bounced right off the hands of Notre Dame linebacker Pete Bercich.  Two completions to tight end Pete Mitchell and one to Ivan Boyd set up a 41-yard field goal which David Gordon converted as time expired to knock off the top ranked Irish.

Later that winter, the Boston College Eagles defeated the then number 1 ranked Boston University Terriers in hockey, setting up this story ...

Boston College entered the tournament as the 9-seed, and opened in the first round against 8th-seeded Washington State in Landover, Maryland.  Washington State was paced by Isaac Fontaine's 17 points as the Cougars narrowly lost to the Eagles 67.  Boston College had a monster game from Bill Curley with 25 points and 10 rebounds, while getting 17 points and 7 assists from point guard Howard Eisley.  Freshman Danya Abrams contributed 7 points and 9 rebounds in 37 minutes played for a team that was not very deep.  This victory advanced Boston College into the second round - where number 1 seed North Carolina awaited.

This Tar Heel team was loaded, and after playing a 71-51 warm-up game against Liberty in the first round, North Carolina's stars looked like they were just going to waltz into the Final Four.  Future NBAers all over the roster, UNC started Derrick Phelps at the point, Donald Williams and Brian Reese on the wings, Rasheed Wallace at the four and Eric Montross in the middle.  Jerry Stackhouse and Jeff McInnis came off the bench, as did sharpshooter Dante Calabria - who I have played against in league ball - to make the Heels way more talented and deeper than the Eagles.

But, I probably wouldn't be including this game in this post if the normal happened, and the Eagles shocked the basketball-watching world, winning 75-72.  North Carolina was paced by Eric Montross scoring 16 points, and Jerry Stackhouse contributing 15 off the bench.  Rasheed Wallace and Jeff McInnis also finished with double digit points.  Boston College, however, rode its starters as they scored all 75 of the teams points - led by Gerrod Abram's 21.  Bill Curley had 18 with Howard Eisley and Malcolm Huckaby adding 11 each.  The reason for the post - Danya Abrams scored 14 and had a team-high 10 rebounds - all while guarding Rasheed Wallace.

From there Boston College advanced to the Sweet Sixteen in Miami, Florida, where they defeated the 5th-seeded Indiana Hoosiers 77-68.  Abrams only scored 6 points in this game, but Eisley scored 18, Huckaby and Abram 15, and Curley 11 to defeat the Alan Henderson led Hoosiers.

Advancing to the Elite 8, the Eagles lack of depth and the SEC Champion Florida Gators ended BC's hope of a Final Four 74-66.  Abrams contributed 14 points and a team-high 9 rebounds to go along with Bill Curley's 20 and Howard Eisley's 19, but it wasn't enough.  For Florida, Craig Brown had 21 and Andrew DeClerq had 16 to pace the Gators.  For basketball fans, though, the highlight was watching Danya Abrams go head-to-head with Gator behemoth Dametri Hill, both of similar size and stature.  More wrestling than basketball, these two giants definitely pushed each other throughout the entire game.

Florida went on to lose to Duke in the Final Four, which in turn lost to Arkansas in the championship game 76-72.  That Arkansas team was one of the most exciting teams I have watched, Scotty Thurman, Corliss Williamson, Corey Beck and Dwight Stewart, but that is a story for another day.

Abrams was named first team All-Big East his next three seasons, and went on to play professionally for 11 years in various leagues around the world, and is currently in Massachussetts coaching.

So, back to the interesting year for Boston College, they defeated teh number 1 team in football, hockey, and basketball in the same season.

So, enough history...  on to the Standings... Please double-check your results as I do make mistakes.  I am happy to go back and review if you think I missed something.

Standings After Round 1/Day 2

1.  Braeden Helland - 56

2.  Blake Jackson - 54

     Marcus Jackson - 54

4.  Brian McMahon - 53

5.  Allison Parker - 50

6.  Jody Cox - 49

     Bill Ganoe 3 - 49

8.  Measha Williams 3 - 48

     Joshua Zdrowak - 48

10.  Miles Jackson - 47

       Rich Samuels 4 - 47

12.  Daniel Barsky 1 - 46

       Quinn Jackson - 46

14.  Jeff Plamondon - 45

15.  Bill Ganoe 1 - 44

       Ty Hedgpeth - 44

       Shane Jernigan 2 - 44

       Chris Simmons - 44

19.  Scott Bieterman 2 - 43

       Amanda Staudt - 43

       Max Marion 3 - 43

       Bubba Zdrowak - 43

       Katie Zdrowak - 43

24.  Joel Chernoff - 42

       Kevin Dick - 42

       Skip LaForte - 42

       William Pujals - 42

       Justin Yung - 42

29.  James Coleman - 41

       Paul Cummings 2 - 41

       Bill Ganoe - 41

       Kingfish Parham - 41

       Dave Piasecki - 41

       Ashley Poer - 41

       Pepe Sosa - 41

       Cassi Spruill - 41

       Jeremy Spuhler - 41

       Day Yi - 41

39.  Paul Cummings 3 - 40

       Kyle Henderson 1 - 40

       Mark Holbert - 40

       Rich Samuels 5 - 40

43.  George Fox 2 - 39

       Silas Nichols - 39

       Cheryl Spuhler - 39

       Keith Wynne - 39

47.  Carolyn Fowler - 38

       Justine Frank - 38

       Matt Hopps - 38

       Michael McNally - 38

       Si Nichols - 38

       Jacey Reynolds (2) - 38

       Javier Rodriguez - 38

       Rich Samuels 2 - 38

       Lily Spuhler - 38

       George Walks 4 - 38

       Measha Williams 1 - 38

58.  Paul Cummings 1 - 37

       Alvaro Gonzalez - 37

       Max Macon 3 - 37

       Marcus Spruill - 37

       George Walks 3 - 37

       Amy Zdrowak - 37

       Keith Zdrowak - 37

65.  Melissa Gaynor - 36

       Shane Jernigan - 36

       Dan Laishley - 36

       Max Marion 1 - 36

       Sasha Moon - 36

       Rich Samuels 3 - 36

       Brittany Sosa - 36

       Logan Spuhler - 36

       Measha Williams 2 - 36

74.  Matt Okell - 35

       Lee Pagan - 35

       George Walks 1 - 35

77.  Karen Katz - 34

       Max Macon 2 - 34

79.  John Hedgpeth - 33

       Max Marion 4 - 33

       Sean McInerney 2 - 33

       Ryan Rodriguez - 33

       Jessica Samuels - 33

84.  Scott Bieterman 1 - 32

       Clair Bullock - 32

       Jacey Fowler 1 - 32

       James Garvin - 32

       Tyler Giamberini - 32

       Rich Samuels 1 - 32

       Cheryl Spuhler - 32

       George Walks 2 - 32

       Jonathan Wasserman - 32

       Biscuit Zdrowak - 32

94.  Jenna Finkelstein - 31

       Kyle Henderson 2 - 31

       Nick Kuehl - 31

       Dawn Lamb - 31

       Derrick Lowe - 31

       Brigadier General Kareem Montague - 31

       Chris O'Neil - 31

       Jane Reynolds - 31

       A.J. Ripin - 31

       Jamie Toole - 31

104.  Colleen Giamberini - 30

105.  Adam Jorgensen 1 - 29

         Adam Jorgensen 2 - 29

         Max Macon 1 - 29

         Max Macon 4 - 29

         Max Marion 2 - 29

         Kisha Marzouca 1 - 29

         Barkley Sosa - 29

         Mike Wolff 2 - 29

113.  Katie Kollmeyer - 28

         Chris Pettit - 28

         Savannah Grace Pressly - 28

         Mike Wolff 1 - 28

117.  George Fox 1 - 27

         Coco Wynne - 27

119.  Guy Hughes - 25

         Hannah Sosa - 25

121.  Daniel Barsky - 24

         Barbie Curlett 2 - 24

         Kisha Marzouca 2 - 24

124.  Anne-Marie O'Neil - 23

125.  Barbie Curlett 1 - 22

         Arlene Amo Hopps - 22

         Dave Marzouca 2 - 22

         Natalie Moon - 22

         Jason Spuhler - 22

130.  Brent Bellinger - 21

         Noel Martinez 1 - 21

         Dave Marzouca 1 - 21

133.  Carolyn Fowler & Jane Reynolds - 20

         Sean McInerney 1 - 20

135.  Alyssa Hopps - 19

         Noel Martinez 2 - 19

137.  Stephanie Henderson - 18

2022 NCAA Tournament Pool - Sweet Sixteen/Day 2

So, yesterday was National Peacock Day.  No, seriously.  So, of course, the St. Peter's Peacocks play Purdue, and beat Purdue, to advance to the Elite 8.  I mean, this team is the Cock of the Walk.  Seriously running around Peacocking all over the NCAA Tournament.  With this many bad puns, it is probably a good thing that they didn't play South Carolina!!!

What is St. Peter's, and how on earth have they - as a 15 seed - advanced to the Sweet 16?  They are the only 15th seed to win a Sweet Sixteen game.  Well, it probably starts with the coach.  Their Coach is Shaheen Holloway ...

Holloway was a high school All-American playing for St. Patrick's in Elizabeth City, New Jersey.  During his senior year, Holloway averaged 22.5 points, 9.1 assists, and an amazing 5.3 steals per game.  He finished his St. Patrick's career with 2,151 points, 727 assists, and 520 steals.  He was named second team Parade All American and selected to play in the McDonald's All-American game in 1996, where he was the starting point guard for the east team.  In the game he scored 7 points, had 8 assists and 6 steals, leading the east team to victory.  He was named the games Most Valuable Player, over other star players such as Kobe Bryant, Jermaine O'Neal, Stephen Jackson, Richard Hamilton, Tim Thomas, and Ed Cota.  AND THAT WAS JUST FROM THE EAST SQUAD!!!  The West team was headlined by Mateen Cleaves, Mike Bibby, Loren Woods, Jason Collier and Lester Earl.  (Seriously, check out just the point guards on those teams - Holloway, Cota, Bibby and Cleaves - ridiculous!)

Holloway attended Seton Hall over offers from California, Duke and Georgia Tech.  After enrolling, he immediately started for the Pirates, and averaged 17.3 points per game (5th in the Big East behind the likes of Victor Page from Georgetown, Pat Garrity of Notre Dame, Austin Croshere and Derrick Brown from Providence), with 6.3 assists per game (3rd in the conference behind Admore White of Notre Dame [6.7] and Providence's God Shammgod, [6.6] who is a whole separate posting in himself) and second in steals per game at 2.8 (tied with Jason Hart of Syracuse just behind Kelli Taylor of Pittsburgh.)  He was named to the conference All-Rookie team and was named Second Team All Conference.  Interestingly, the Conference Rookie of the Year Award went to Tim Thomas of Villanova, despite scoring less, having less assists.

His stats stagnated his sophomore year, but he still led the Big East in assists per game at 6.5, scored 15 points per game and was named Third Team All-Big East.  His statistics did plummet his junior year - leading some to suspect he might have been playing injured - but he still finished second in the conference in assists per game at 5.0, behind Vernon Jennings from Miami.  He rebounded his senior year averaging 13.2 points per game, 5.6 assists per game (fifth in the conference, behind Vernon Jennings, Jason Hart from Syracuse and Jimmy Dillon from Notre Dame), and even chipped in 5.1 rebounds per game and 1.7 steals per game to be named Most Improved Player in the conference and Second Team All-Big East.  He led his team to a 22-9 record and a 10th seed in the NCAA Tournament.

The Pirates, then coached by now Harvard coach Tommy Amaker, headed into the East Regional in Buffalo, New York where they played the Oregon Ducks on St. Patrick's Day.  St. Patrick, you might recall, was Shaheen Holloway's alma mater.  Seton Hall upset Oregon 72-71 in overtime, and Holloway PUT IN WORK.  Holloway played 42 of the 45 minutes, scored a game-high 27 points, had 3 rebounds, 2 assists and 3 steals.  In scoring his 27 points, Holloway shot 11-17 from the field, including 3-3 from three-point range.  Seton Hall advanced to the second round where they played the second seeded Temple Owls, led by one of my favorite players Pepe Sanchez.  Temple was favored by 11 points, yet the Pirates, behind Ty Shine's 26 points off the bench, defeated the Owls 67-65.  Alas, the tournament run was over for Shaheen Holloway, who 8 minutes into the game sustained an ankle injury on a fast break, was out for the tournament.  Holloway did hit the shot in which he was injured, and finished with 2 rebounds and 2 assists.  Seton Hall hung in the Sweet Sixteen without their leader, but ultimately succumbed to the Oklahoma State Cowboys 68-66.  Holloway likely would have been the difference in that round.

Holloway went undrafted in the 2000 NBA Draft, and played professionally for 7 years on 9 teams in 7 leagues in 7 different countries before entering coaching, ultimately becoming St. Peter's head coach in 2018.  In other words, this is also HIS NCAA Tournament that he never got to finish, and his calm yet tough, experienced and confident demeanor is a large part of St. Peter's story.  They have already advanced further in the tournament than any other 15 seed, so it would be imprudent for North Carolina to overlook them tomorrow.

Now, back to our brackets.

WE HAVE A WINNER, I mean, WE HAVE A LOSER!!!  Day Yi 2 of Forest Hills, New York had two opportunities to gain points yesterday, and lost both games, meaning he is currently in last place and has no opportunities to win more points going forward.  Day thus finishes in last place and will be receiving his money back.  The return of the money is symbolic in that it is the entire pool just saying that bracket was so bad we cannot accept your money.

Conversely, Day Yi 1, crazily enough also from Forest Hills, New York, remains in first place as we had very little movement among the standings.  Why so little movement you ask?  It is because most people selected Kansas (if you did not you likely dropped a few spots), and absolutely nobody selected St. Peter's.  We had 8 people select St. Mary's in that spot, but wrong patron so no points.  I initially thought that I was going to mention those that selected St. Mary's, but then I saw that Steven Usma 3 of Miami, Florida successfully picked Miami to make it to the Elite 8.  But even then that wasn't enough to earn him the coveted "Selection of the Day" Award as Braeden Helland 1 of Jacksonville, Florida picked BOTH Miami and North Carolina into the next round.  Unfortunately for him, he did not have Kansas winning, otherwise he would have moved up more spots on the leaderboard.  Congratulations anyway.

No movement among our champions as the only Champion in play yesterday, Kansas, defeated Providence despite a late run by the Friars.  Our remaining champions stay the same, and they are: Auburn, Arizona, Baylor, DUKE, Gonzaga, Illinois, KANSAS, Kentucky, Tennessee, Texas Tech, VILLANOVA, Virginia Tech, Wisconsin.

Players of the Day

Honorable Mention.  Doug Edert's Mustache, St. Peter's - Edert himself didn't have a great game, scoring only 10 points on 1-6 shooting (but 7-8 from the free throw line), but his mustache is one of the all-time worst.  Seriously, shave that thing!  Otherwise he may be forced to register under Megan's Law.

Honorable Mention.  Trevion Williams, Purdue.  He scored 16 points with 10 rebounds in Purdue's loss to St. Peter's.  I am mostly putting him in here because I neglected to mention his 22 points and 7 rebounds in 24 minutes off the bench against Texas last round.

5.  Armando Bacot, North Carolina - Finished with 14 points and 15 rebounds, including the key tip-in of a R.J Davis miss with 15 second left in the game to seal the win for the Tar Heels.  He also had a key save after a Love miss that lead to a Love three with 1:47 left in the game, that might have been the actual turning point of North Carolina's win.

4.  Remy Martin, Kansas - Martin scored a silky, smooth 23 points and finished with a taste of dried figs, raisins, brazil nuts, dark cocoa, licorice and caramel.  Wait, sorry, wrong Remy Martin.  He finished with 7 rebounds and was the best player on the court that featured his own All-American teammate. 

3.  Kameron McGusty, Miami - Scored 27 points, with 6 rebounds and 4 steals as Miami defeated Iowa State 70-56.

2.  Aliyah Boston, South Carolina - Boston scored 28 points with 22 rebounds as the overall number 1 women's seed advanced to the Elite 8.

1.  Caleb Love, North Carolina - Finished with 30 points, 3 rebounds and 4 assists and virtually willed North Carolina over UCLA (along with Bacot).

Stats of the Day

5.  Ochai Agbaji of Kansas had 4 blocks as Kansas defeated Providence 66-61.

4.  Zach Edey of Purdue only played 17 minutes in Purdue's loss to St. Peter's despite scoring 11 points during that time.  He was not in foul trouble either, as he committed 0 fouls during those 17 minutes.  Edey, the 7'4" center, was left out of the game as coach Matt Painter tried to counter St. Peter's smaller lineup, however it would appear that forcing the Peacocks to guard Edey may have been a better strategy.  ONLY 17 MINUTES!!!

3.  Iowa State committed 9 turnovers in the first half against Miami (17 total).  Prior to last night's game, Miami had committed 7 turnovers for the first 2 games!

2.  Aliyah Boston of South Carolina scored all 13 of South Carolina's points in the 4th quarter.

1.  Armando Bacot of North Carolina earned his 29th double-double of the year, the most in North Carolina's history.  The Tar Heels have had some really good college big me, too, like - in no particular order - Bob McAdoo, James Worthy, Bobby Jones, Mitch Kupchak, Sam Perkins, J.R. Reid, Vince Carter (not technically a big, but his jumping ability helped him rebound ALOT,) Antawn Jamison, Tyler Hansbrough, Rasheed Wallace and Eric Montross.  Bacot has more double-doubles that ALL of them (at least over the course of a season.)

Best Social Media Posts

To be fair, no social media posts compare to University of Maryland - Baltimore County's live tweets of its 1018 upset over Virginia.

Before you begin watching today/tonight's games, remember that for this round each win is worth 8 points!

Onto the standings, and remember, please double-check your scores, and let me know if you think I made a mistake.

1.  Day Yi 1 - 89 - DUKE/ VILLANOVA

2.  Javier Rodriguez 2 - 83 - Gonzaga/Arizona

3.  Bill Ganoe 3 - 79 - Arizona/Gonzaga

4.  Colonel Kareem Montague - 77 - Arizona/Gonzaga

     Jeremy Spuhler - 77 - DUKE/Auburn

6.  Scott Bieterman 1 - 76 - Gonzaga/Arizona

     George Fox 1 - 76 - Gonzaga/Iowa

     Scott Kroesen - 76 - Arizona/Gonzaga

     Dawn Lamb (Keith) - 76 - KANSAS/DUKE

     Jeff Plamondon 1 - 76 - KANSAS/Kentucky

11.  Silas Nichols - 74 - Gonzaga/Arizona

12.  John Hopps - 72 - Baylor/KANSAS

13.  Sean McInerney 2 - 71 - Arizona/Kentucky

       Brian McMahon - 71 - Kentucky/Tennessee

       Allison Parker - 71 - Gonzaga/KANSAS

       George Walks 1 - 71 - Arizona/Purduen

17.  Jonathan Wasserman - 70 - Arizona/Kentucky

       Justin Yung - 70 - DUKE/Auburn

19.  Josh Zdrowak - 69 - Arizona/Baylor

20.  Alyssa Hopps - 68 - Gonzaga/Arizona

       Mike Wolff - 68 - Gonzaga/Arizona

22.  Bill Ganoe 1 - 67 - Baylor/Arizona

       Kline Kroesen - 67 - Gonzaga/Tennessee

       Biscuit Zdrowak - 67 - Gonzaga/Tennessee

25.  Justine Frank - 66 - Gonzaga/Wisconsin

       Bill Ganoe 2 - 66 - Gonzaga/Auburn

       Ryan Rodriguez - 66 - Baylor/Auburn

       Steven Usma 1 - 66 - Arizona/Gonzaga

29.  Brent Bellinger 2 - 65 - Gonzaga/Tennessee

       Mac Kroesen - 65 - Arizona/Gonzaga

       Steven Usma 3 - 65 - Gonzaga/VILLANOVA

32.  Brian Hinaman - 64 - Arizona/Gonzaga

       Guy Hughes - 64 - Arizona/Kentucky

       Blake Jackson - 64 - Kentucky/VILLANOVA

       George Walks 2 - 64 - Arizona/Gonzaga

36.  Sean McInerney 1 - 63 - Gonzaga/KANSAS

     Dave Piasecki 1 - 63 - VILLANOVA/Gonzaga

     Barkley Sosa - 63 - Gonzaga/Tennessee

39.  Brent Bellinger 1 - 62 - Gonzaga/Arizona

       Braeden Helland 3 - 62 - KANSAS/Alabama

       Matt Hopps - 62 - Gonzaga/Arizona

       Edith Pecan - 62 - Virginia Tech/LSU

       Javier Rodriguez - 62 - Arizona/Gonzaga

       Rich Samuels 1 - 62 - VILLANOVA/Gonzaga

45.  Rachel Bornn - 61 - Gonzaga/Tennessee

       Braeden Helland 2 - 61 - Kentucky/Tennessee

       Chris Kroesen - 61 - KANSAS/Gonzaga

       Pepe Sosa 1 - 61 - Kentucky/Auburn

       Ron Stewart - 61 - KANSAS/Gonzaga

50.  Scott Bieterman 2 - 60 - Arizona/Purdue

       Paul Cummings 1 - 60 - Arizona/Gonzaga

       Larry Green - 60 - Arizona/Gonzaga

       Arlene Amo Hopps - 60- VILLANOVA/Purdue

       Adam Jorgensen - 60 - Gonzaga/Iowa

       Kevin Kroesen - 60 - Gonzaga/Auburn

       Jessica Samuels - 60 - DUKE/Auburn

       Hannah Sosa - 60 - Auburn/Baylor

       Amanda Staudt - 60 - Arizona/Gonzaga

       Steven Usma 2 - 60 - Gonzaga/Arizona

       Amy Zdrowak - 60 - Auburn/DUKE

61.  Carolyn Fowler & Jane Reynolds - 59 - Gonzaga/Arizona

       Jacey Fowler 1 -59 - Gonzaga/Tennessee

       Glen Merchant - 59 - Arizona/Purdue

       Javier Rodriguez 1 - 59 - Kentucky/Tennessee

       Bubba Zdrowak - 59 - KANSAS/Texas

66.  Jen Armstrong - 57 - Wisconsin/Kentucky

       Eric Inge - 57 - Arizona/Gonzaga

       Dawn Lamb (Colbie) - 57 - KANSAS/Texas Tech

       Dave Marzouca 2 - 57 - Gonzaga/Auburn

       Brandon Satterwhite - 57 - KANSAS/Kentucky

       Jamie Toole - 57 - Arizona/Baylor

72.  Jenna Finkelstein - 56 - Auburn/Texas Tech

       Martha Kroesen - 56 - Gonzaga/Wisconsin

       Philip Kroesen - 56 - Illinois/Gonzaga

       Annette Pritchard - 56 - KANSAS/Gonzaga

       Rich Samuels 3 - 56 - Tennessee/Gonzaga

       Chris Simmons - 56 - KANSAS/Gonzaga

       Keith Zdrowak - 56 - Arizona/Baylor

79.  Jim Coleman - 55 - Arizona/Kentucky

      Carolyn Fowler - 55 - Arizona/Gonzaga

      Quinn Jackson - 55 - Gonzaga/VILLANOVA

      Dawn Lamb - 55 - KANSAS/Gonzaga

      Kisha Marzouca 1 - 55 - Gonzaga/Tennessee

      Sean McInerney 3 - 55 - KANSAS/Kentucky

      Jane Reynolds - 55 - Auburn/Baylor

      Pepe Sosa 2 - 55 - Gonzaga/Arizona

      Steven Usma 4 - 55 - KANSAS/DUKE

88.  Jonathan Cox - 53 - Gonzaga/Tennessee

       Mark Holbert - 53 - KANSAS/Kentucky

       Katie Kollmeyer - 53 - Gonzaga/Auburn

       Dan Laishley - 53 - Gonzaga/KANSAS

       Ty Leatherman - 53 - DUKE/Arizona

       Sasha Moon - 53 - Gonzaga/Arizona

       Ashley Poer 2 - 53 - Kentucky/Arizona

       George Walks 4 - 53 - Gonzaga/Arizona

96.  George Fox 2 - 52 - Gonzaga/VILLANOVA

       Alvaro Gonzalez - 52 - Gonzaga/KANSAS

       Jeff Kroesen - 52 - Gonzaga/Auburn

       Dave Piasecki 2 - 52 - Tennessee/Gonzaga

100.  Paul Cummings 2 - 51 - Gonzaga/Arizona

        James Davis - 51 - Gonzaga/Arizona

        Marcus Jackson - 51 - Gonzaga/VILLANOVA

        Miles Jackson - 51 - Tennessee/Gonzaga

        Emily Lawson 2- 51 - Gonzaga/Arizona

105.  Chris LaForte 1 - 50 - Tennessee/Gonzaga

         Dawn Lamb (Mitch) - 50 - Gonzaga/Arizona

         Steph Stewart - 50 - VILLANOVA/Kentucky

108.  Daniel Barsky - 49 - Arizona/Gonzaga

         George Fox 3 - 49 - Tennessee/Gonzaga

         Dave Marzouca 1 - 49 - Texas Tech/Auburn

         Matt Nieman - 49 - Arizona/Gonzaga

         Rich Samuels 4 - 49 - Gonzaga/VILLANOVA

113.  Hilary Kroesen - 48 - VILLANOVA/Gonzaga

         Annette Pritchard 2 - 48 - Baylor/KANSAS

         George Walks 3 - 48 - KANSAS/Gonzaga

116.  ShaneDog Millionaire Jernigan 2 - 47 - Gonzaga/Tennessee

         Gracie Kroesen - 47 - KANSAS/Gonzaga

         Chris LaForte 2 - 47 - Michigan State/Tennessee

         William Pujals - 47 - Gonzaga/KANSAS

         Brittany Sosa - 47 - Gonzaga/Iowa

         Katie Zdrowak - 47 - DUKE/KANSAS

122.  Kisha Marzouca 2 - 46 - Baylor/Auburn

123.  James Garvin - 45 - DUKE/Arizona

         Braeden Helland 1 - 45 - Tennessee/Baylor

         ShaneDog Millionaire Jernigan 1 - 45 - Arizona/Texas Tech

         Rich Samuels 2 - 45 - Kentucky/Iowa

127.  Dave Marzouca 3 - 44 - Arizona/Kentucky

         Jeff Plamondon 2 - 44 - Gonzaga/Tennessee

         Carl Walker - 44 - Gonzaga/Auburn

130.  Scott Bieterman 3 - 43 - Gonzaga/Arizona

         Kingfish Parham - 43 - Gonzaga/Arizona

132.  Jacey Fowler - 42 - Gonzaga/Arizona

         Emily Lawson 1 - 42 - Gonzaga/KANSAS

         Kisha Marzouca 3 - 42 - Gonzaga/KANSAS

135.  Nancy McInerney - 41 - VILLANOVA/Gonzaga

136.  Emily Lawson 3 - 40 - Arizona/Gonzaga

137.  Jason Spuhler - 37 - DUKE/Auburn

138.  Randy Pacheco - 34 - Gonzaga/Arizona

139.  Ashley Poer 1 - 33 - Gonzaga/Iowa

140.  Dawn Lamb (Quarter) - 30 - Texas Tech/Iowa

141.  Day Yi 2 - 28 - Gonzaga/Auburn

NCAA Tournament Pool - Sweet Sixteen/Day 2

 

The Sweet Sixteen has finished, which means we are down to the Elite 8.   Unfortunately for us, it was another set of completely dull games (with the exception of UCLA - Alabama, but more on that later.)  Gonzaga annihilated Creighton, and if you didn't have Gonzaga then that is on you - as most people did.  Florida State just couldn't keep up with Michigan, and that game was a big differentiator (is that even a word?  I am keeping it because I like it.)  UCLA pulled away from Alabama in overtime, but for a while this was an amazing game for awhile.  USC was up 15 on Oregon at halftime and then coasted to the win - giving the Pac 12 3 Elite 8 teams!

What does this mean for the pool?  Well, we lost two champions in Florida State and Alabama, leaving 4 remaining - Baylor, Gonzaga, Houston and Michigan; out are Alabama, Florida, Florida State, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan State, Ohio State and Virginia.  Baylor and Houston are in action today - and today's games are worth 8 points.  Baylor - Arkansas is the most important of today's games for the pool, as Oregon State tries to play spoiler to those that have Houston marching on.

Most entrants received 8 points last night, with Gonzaga and Michigan.  If you won 4 or 0 points (and yes some people failed to earn a point), you dropped in the standings.  If you had 8 points, you moved up.  Simple as that.  Nobody in the entire pool selected UCLA (although Skip Laforte of West Palm Beach, Florida had Michigan State over Alabama, so he at least thought about a play-in winner advancing to the Elite), so no bonus points awarded.  Not too many people had USC, so Jeff Plamondon of Lincoln, Rhode Island, Chris Igtiben 1 of Las Vegas, Nevada, Brittany Sosa of Orlando, Florida, Colleen Hamilton 1 of the Greater West Palm Beach, Florida area, and Shane Dogmillionaire Jernigan 2 of Denver, Colorado deserve credit for selecting USC into the Elite 8.  However, they don't deserve the same credit as Day Yi 1 of Forest Hills, New York and Braeden Helland 4 of Jacksonville, Florida, who not only selected USC, but had both Gonzaga and Michigan as well, the only two entries to win 3 games yesterday.  For this, they earn the coveted "Picks of the Day" award.

Because of the movement, we have a new leader - well, new leaders.  We have a three-way tie for first.  Matt Hopps of Quincy, Massachussetts, George Walks 2 of West Palm Beach, Florida and Day Yi 1 of Forest Hills, New York all sit at the top of the Leaderboard.  And they each have selected a different champion meaning this race is far from over.

A different story at the bottom of the bracket, where one of tomorrow's games will determine who receives their money back.  If Gonzaga wins, Sean McInerney of Atlantic Beach, Florida will finish at the bottom.  If USC defeats Gonzaga, Bubba Zdrowak of Orlando, Florida will have the dubious distinction of last place.  Other than Bubba having Gonzaga, those two entrants have no other chance for points for the remainder of the tournament.

No Social Media post of the day, since the day's games were mostly uneventful.

Players of the Day

6a/6b. Eugene Omoruyi and Chis Duarter, Oregon.  Omoruyi was the day's leading scorer with 28 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and 1 block.  Duarte added 21 points with 5 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals and 1 block.  Both did it in a double digit loss, though.

5.  Isaiah White, USC.  White scored 22 point with 5 rebounds, 1 assist and 32 steals as USC coasted over Oregon.

4.  Drew Timme, Gonzaga.  Can you have a ho-hum 22-6-4 game?  I think so.

3.  Andrew Nembhard, Gonzaga.  Socred 17 points with 4 rebounds and 8 assists, but did most of his damage in the first half as Gonzaga pulled away from Creighton.

2.  Jaime Jaquez, Jr, UCLA.  Triple J scored 17 points, had 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals and 1 block, but did most of his damage down the stretch as UCLA won in overtime.

1.  Mike Smith, Michigan.  The numbers were not huge (8 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists), but watching his speed with the ball, the control of the offense, and how he hounded FSU on defense, you could see he was easily the best player on the Court.

Stats of the Day

2.  Alabama shot 11-25 from the free throw line.  Yes, 44% AS A TEAM.  Herbert Jones was 2-7 from the charity stripe, and he shot 78% from the line for the season.

1.  This is the first time ever that rivals UCLA and USC have made the Elite 8 during the same year since seeding began.

As for today's history of the tournament lesson, if Florida State had won, I was thinking just a write-up on the long history of their coach, Leonard Hamilton.  That man is 72 years old, is the winningest coach in the history of two different universities, and won his first and only college national title as an assistant coach at Kentucky in 1978!!!  (Another Kentucky reference ... I still got it!)  But, then I remembered that I already did lesson on Leonard Hamilton in 2018.  You can read that here.

Then, I was thinking that if Alabama won, I could do something on one or more of the best Alabama teams as it has been a while since they made the Elite 8, but then they couldn't hit any free throws.

So, today's history lesson is about a team I really had forgotten, the 2000-2001 USC Trojans, the last USC team to make the Elite 8, 20 years ago.  That USC team had 3 future NBA players on its roster, Freshman guard Desmon Farmer, senior guard Jeff Trepagnier, and senior center Brian Scalabrine (more on him later).  The team also had Sam Clancy, a 6'7" forward that actually led that team in scoring and rebounding.  Clancy was on two rosters in the NBA briefly, but never made a team and never played a game, due to some injuries.  Clancy has had a successful career overseas, AND IS STILL PLAYING!!!  He is currently playing for Instituto Atletico Central Cordoba, where he has played since 2016.

In the 2001 tournament USC, like this year's tournament, was a 6 seed and received an at-large bid after a 21-9 season.  USC dispatched the 11 seed Oklahoma State 69-54 in Uniondale, New York, before upsetting 3 seed Boston College 74-71 to advance to the Sweet Sixteen.  That Boston College team was led by future-NBAer Troy Bell, who averaged over 20 points a game.  In the Sweet Sixteen in Philadelphia, the Trojans defeated the 2 seed Kentucky Wildcats 80-76, before falling to eventual champion Duke 79-69.  USC's Sweet Sixteen  victory deprived the world of a Duke-Kentucky Philadelphia re-match that everybody wanted to see.  Kentucky led by Tayshaun Prince, Keith Bogans, Gerald Fitch and Jason Parker, likely would have defeated Duke, paced by Jay Williams, Shane Battier, Mike Dunlevy, Jr., Carlos Boozer, and Chris Duhon.  (OK, maybe not). 

But, the best part of this USC squad is that it gave us the immortal Brian Scalabrine.  Scalabrine was a second round pick (number 34) by the New Jersey Nets, and played 11 seasons in the NBA with the Nets, Celtics and Bulls, having won a title with the Celtics in 2008.  For most of his career, when he was not a rotation player, you could see Brian Scalabrine emphatically cheering on his fellow teammates as if their performance depended upon it.  But, despite his end of the bench status, dude could still play.   (And as an aside, all of these guys at the end of then bench that people love to say "suck", are better than 99% of the world.)  To prove this, a radio station had a charity fundraising contest where for a donation you could play Scalabrine one-on-one to 15, by 1s and 2s.  The contest lasted for the better part of a day.  For the entire day, he gave up 7 points.  THE ENTIRE DAY!  Four of those points were scored by a guy that played at Syracuse, 2 points were scored by a guy that played JUCO, and the 7th by a guy that picked up his dribble and threw the ball backwards over his head.

Now, on to the standings.  As always, feel free to contact me if you think your score is incorrect.

1.  Matt Hopps - 78 - Michigan/Baylor

     George Walks 2 - 78 - Illinois/Kansas

     Day Yi - 78 - Gonzaga/Houston

 

4.  Silas Nichols 2 - 77 - Illinois/Gonzaga

     Jeff Plamondon - 77 - Gonzaga/Houston

     William Pujals - 77 - Gonzaga/Houston

7.  Colleen Hamilton 4 - 75 - Ohio State/Texas

8.  Edy Pecan - 74 - Baylor/Alabama

9.  Brent Bellinger 2 - 73 - Illinois/Iowa

     Silas Nichols 1 - 73 - Gonzaga/Illinois

11.  Kingfish Parham - 72 - Gonzaga/Arkansas

12.  Chris Igtiben 1 - 71 - Illinois/Gonzaga

       Nancy McInerney - 71 - 71 - Alabama/Syracuse

14.  Brent Bellinger 1 - 70 - Gonzaga/Baylor

       Measha Williams 4 - 70 - Gonzaga/Illinois

       Justin Yung - 70 - Alabama/Houston

17.  Dave Marzouca 1 - 69 - Baylor/Kansas

       Measha Williams 2 - 69 - Gonzaga/Houston

19.  Javier Rodriguez - 68 - Gonzaga/Illinois

       Steven Usma - 1 - 68 - Gonzaga/Illinois

       Amy Zdrowak - 68 - Gonzaga/Illinois

22.  Brittany Sosa - 67 - Illinois/Gonzaga

       Katie Zdrowak - 67 - Iowa/Houston

24.  Steven Usma 4 - 66 - Baylor/LSU

25.  Jacey Fowler-Reynolds 1 - 65 - Gonzaga/Illinois

26.  Jenna Finkelstein - 64 - Kansas/Baylor

       Pepe Sosa - 64 - Gonzaga/Illinois

28.  Jacey Fowler-Reynolds 2 - 63 - Alabama/Baylor

       Max Macon 4 - 63 - Baylor/Michigan

       Steven Usma 3 - 63 - Illinois/Michigan

31.  Braeden Helland 3 - 62 - Gonzaga/Houston

       Ty Leatherman - 62 - Baylor/Gonzaga

33.  Skip LaForte - 61 - Michigan State/Baylor

       Ashley Poer 1 - 61 - Gonzaga/Villanova

       Ashley Poer 3 - 61 - Baylor/FSU

       Rich Samuels 1 - 61 - Houston/Gonzaga

37.  Colleen Hamilton 2 - 60 - Gonzaga/Baylor

       Kisha Marzouca 2 - 60 - Baylor/Michigan

       Colonel Kareem Montague - 60 - Gonzaga/Illinois

       Measha Williams 3 - 60 - Gonzaga/Baylor

41.  Chris Igtiben 2 - 59 - Michigan/Ohio State

       Martha Kroesen - 59 - Illinois/Gonzaga

       George Walks 3 - 59 - Michigan/Illinois

44.  Rachel Bornn - 58 - Illinois/Gonzaga

       Braeden Helland - 58 - Gonzaga/Baylor

       Emily Lawson 2 - 58 - Baylor/Gonzaga

       Ashley Poer 2 - 58 - Houston/Gonzaga

       Brandon Satterwhite - 58 - Alabama/Ohio State

       Jeremy Spuhler - 58 - Gonzaga/Illinois

       Steven Usma 3 - 58 - Baylor/Gonzaga

51.  Liz Carew - 57 - Gonzaga/Illinois

       Larry Green - 57 - Gonzaga/Illinois

       Brian Hinaman - 57 - Baylor/Gonzaga

       Max Macon 2 - 57 - Michigan/West Virginia

       Carey Taylor - 57 - Gonzaga/Illinois

       Measha Williams 1 - Gonzaga/Baylor

57.  Colleen Hamilton 3 - 56 - Ohio State/Gonzaga

       Arlene Amo Hopps - 56 - Villanova/Kansas

       Eric Inge - 56 - Illinois/Gonzaga

       Adam Jorgensen 1 - 56 - Illinois/Gonzaga

       Max Macon 3 - 56 - FSU/Arkansas

       Sasha Moon - 56 - Gonzaga/Illinois

       Jason Spuhler - 56 - Gonzaga/Illinois

64.  Guy Hughes - 55 - Gonzaga/Baylor

       Adam Jorgensen 2 - 55 - Iowa/Illinois

       Adam Jorgensen 3 - 55 - Gonzaga/Illinois

       Karen Katz - 55 - Illinois/Iowa

       Katie Kollmeyer - 55 - Michigan/Illinois

       Joshua Ward - 55 - Baylor/Michigan

       Keith Zdrowak - 55 - Ohio State/Gonzaga

71.  Scott Bieterman - 54 - Illinois/Gonzaga

       Paul Cummings 54 - Gonzaga/Illinois

       Jonathan Wasserman - 54 - Michigan/West Virginia

74.  Dan Barsky 1 - 53  Gonzaga/Illinois

       Stephanie Henderson - 53 - Baylor/Iowa

       Mac Kroesen - 53 - Gonzaga/Illinois

       Cheryl Spuhler - 53 - Baylor/Alabama

       George Walks 4 - 53 - Houston/Alabama

79.  James Garvin - 52 - Gonzaga/Baylor

       Colleen Hamilton 1 - 52 - FSU/Arkansas

       Dan Laishley - 52 - Baylor/FSU

       Emily Lawson 1 - 52 - Gonzaga/Baylor

       Greg Lieberman - 52 - Michigan/Ohio State

       Kisha Marzouca 1 - 52 - Illinois/Michigan

       Jane Reynolds - 52 - Alabama/Illinois

       Hannah Sosa - 52 - Florida/Michigan

87.  Braeden Helland 1 - 51 - Illinois/Gonzaga

       Quinn Jackson - 51 - Illinois/Gonzaga

       Chris LaForte - 51 - Michigan/Houston

       Ken Ward - 51 - Virginia/Baylor

       Biscuit Zdrowak - 51 - Baylor/Iowa

92.  Luis Briones - 50 - Ohio State/Gonzaga

       Carolyn Fowler - 50 - Illinois/Alabama

       Amanda Staudt - 50 - Illinois/Michigan

95.  Kyle Henderson 1 - 49 - Gonzaga/Oklahoma State

       Marcus Jackson - 49 - Gonzaga/Illinois

       Michael McNally - 49 - Illinois/Gonzaga

       George Walks 1- 49 - Gonzaga/Illinois

99.  Miles Jackson - 48 - Illinois/Alabama

       Shane Dogmillionaire Jernigan 2 - 48 - Gonzaga/Illinois

101.  Max Macon 1 - 47 - Gonzaga/Baylor

102.  Rich Samuels 3 - 46 - Gonzaga/Illinois

103.  Dave Marzouca 2 - 45 - Ohio State/Kansas

         Barkley Sosa - 45 - Florida/Virginia

         Joshua Zdrowak - 45 - Baylor/Michigan

106.  Kyle Henderson 2 - 44 - Baylor/Gonzaga

         Blake Jackson - 44 - Alabama/Ohio State

         Rich Samuels 2 - 44 - Baylor/Iowa

109.  Jessica Samuels - 43 - Gonzaga/West Virginia

         Wes Wiggins - 43 - Gonzaga/Oklahoma State

         Day Yi - 43 - Michigan/Illinois

112.  Alvaro Gonzalez - 42 - Gonzaga/Baylor

         Justin Hallack - 42 - Baylor/Gonzaga

114.  Carolyn Fowler & Jane Reynolds - 41 - Illinois/Gonzaga

         Braeden Helland 2- 41 - Iowa/Ohio State

         Shane Dogmillionaire Jernigan 1 - 41 - Illinois/Gonzaga

117.  Dan Barsky 2 - 39 - Illinois/Gonzaga

         Sean McInerney - 39 - Ohio State/Iowa

         Brian McMahon - 39 - Gonzaga/Ohio State

120.  Bubba Zdrowak - 35 - Alabama/Ohio State