The Final Four Chronicles: FAQ

 

So one week out from the National Championship game (and the Final Four Chronicles), and as always, your boys are being inundated with questions about the trip.  Here are some "important" questions from our readership that we think we should answer.

Q:  Who all went on the trip?  We suspect it is the four guys (Kev-O, Pepster, Sinickal, Tony), but in the Facebook prompts for the Chronicles, you always tag three of the ladies.  Are they present also?

A:  This question seems to come up every year.  Our respective wives (Susan, Racecar, Allison) are always invited, and welcome, but they seldom want to join us.  I suppose it depends upon the location, timing/schedules and teams.  In a pre-Kev-O trip, Allison and Racecar did join us in Indianapolis, and Racecar is still a little miffed at herself that she did not go last year to San Antonio, being University of Florida alumna, but none of the wives attended this year.

Q:    Why do you always tag us?  Stop doing that!  (From Racecar)

A:    Our bad.

Q:    How much planning goes into the trip beforehand?

A:    Well, we enter the NCAA ticket lottery as soon as it opens, which is generally the week after the tournament concludes (so now).  Then we book plane tickets and an AirBnB generally at the end of the year.  For individually planning of each day, we generally just wing it, except for one really good meal during the trip.  This year it was St. Elmo, which Pepster booked on the Wednesday after touching down back home from San Antonio in 2025.

Q:   Is St Elmo really that good?

A:    Quick Answer is YES!!!  Longer answer is ... it is pretty amazing, but it depends upon what you are looking for in a steakhouse.  They only have one appetizer on the menu because the shrimp cocktail is so legendary.  But, if you are looking for a lot of choices, this isn't the place.  The ambiance is steakhouse ambiance, but very busy, so if you want quiet, this isn't the place for you.  But, it IS amazing.

Q:    What one thing stood out to you about this trip?

A:    On the court it was the extremely poor basketball.  Off the court, it was Ithiyia, our waitress at The Fountain Room for brunch on Saturday, and no, this isn't a veiled post about looks.  She was absolutely amazing.  On top of everything we needed without being constantly at our table, jumping in with quick quips after she hears parts of our conversation as she delivered food, drinks, and more drinks, putting up with us staying longer than we wanted to because it started pouring rain outside, just really a great server.  The type we all wish we had at every meal.  And the food/drinks were great too.

 Q:    What was the most surprising thing that happened during this trip?

A:    On the court it was Michigan absolutely boatracing Arizona, the team most thought was the second-best team all year (behind Michigan).  Off the court was Kev-O being converted into supporting Southwestern Central (Stick 'em Scorpions!).  It was instinctive, and he almost didn't even know it was happening, as it was happening!  Soon he might become part of the administration!

Q:    What was the least surprising thing that happened during the trip?

A:    That we ended up running into and hanging with people we already knew outside of our Final Four trips.  Sinickal's friend Anne - who is "in the business" (they always are) - joined us for the Arrival Day.  [Ed. Note - In the business means in the engineering field with Sinickal and Tony].  Pepster's second-cousin-in-law Trey and his friend Tyler (we did not know Tyler beforehand) joined us for part of The Interregnum and dinner at St. Elmo!  Something akin to this ALWAYS happens.  And, we have peeps in Detroit, so we assume it will happen next year as well!

Q:    So the trip could not have been all roses.  Anything disappointing?

A:    Oh God yes.  During the weekend, we had been discussing the best starting five for each of the Final Four teams.  For example, Michigan's is Juwan Howard, Chris Webber, Jalen Rose, Glen Rice, and then really any other guard - let's say Rumeal Robinson because of the title, but Trey Burke could work, or Lendeborg could join him.  [Ed. Note - we did not discuss Lendeborg in this group; just added him for this blog entry.]  UConn's team is Ray Allen, Rip Hamilton, Emeka Okafor, Andre Drummond if you want to go big, or Clifford Robinson if you want a more standard team - with Kemba Walker at point, or Kemba and Shabazz Napier if you want to go small.  Illinois' team is Deron Williams, Dee Brown, Kendall Gill, Marcus Liberty and honestly, I don't remember the 5th - maybe Nick Anderson.  And, Arizona's team is Gilbert Arenas, Sean Elliott, Mike Bibby, Richard Jefferson, and Lauri Markkanen or DeAndre Ayton if we have to have a big, but really another guard here like Damon Stoudamire or Andre Iguodala work as well.

Q:    What is your point?

A:    Well, we decided to do this for our respective favorite teams.  Since Kev-O and Pepster are both fans of the University of Kentucky, and Kev-O is an alumnus, we tried to do Kentucky.  Point guard was a debate between John Wall and Rajon Rondo - which Kev-O eliminated by starting both of them in his backcourt.  Pepster went with Rondo and Rex Champman.  Some disagreement at the 3, with Kev-O going with Ron Mercer and Pepster selecting Jamal Mashburn.  No argument at the center position as it IS Anthony Davis.  Then came the power forward slot.  For Kev-O it is Oscar Tshiebwe, who matches well with Davis since Davis can roam inside and outside on offense and defense, and Tshiebwe can literally just grab every rebound.  Pepster couldn't think of his selection immediately and a discussion with him and Kev-O turned up KAT in a big lineup, or Jack Givens, or even Dan Issel.  And to answer the original question as we put this topic to Trey and Tyler, Tyler - a Louisville fan - suggested DeMarcus Cousins.  Who Kev-O and Pepster completely forgot about.  On the good side, Kentucky has so many stars that it is difficult to always remember them all.  On the bad side, a Louisville fan had to remind us of Boogie Cousins.  Just so disappointed in ourselves.

Q:    Reading the Chronicles, it looks like you all have a lot of fun.  What was the single most fun thing that occurred.

A:    Not sure we can accurately answer that question, but it is assuredly is NOT one of Pepster's jokes. 

Q:    What do you mean by pheromones?

A:    A really long, convoluted story which has a lot of inside reference/information/ramifications for friends outside of the trip.  So in order to keep that (somewhat) confidential, let's just say it isn't a bad thing in the context of the Chronicles.

Q:    Does Southwestern Central really have a merch store?  You guys are kidding, right?

A:    YES WE DO!  And no, we are not.

Q:    You all are just egotistical enough for this ... Are you taking credit for Viktor Orban's loss in Hungary since you watched the Last Week Tonight episode.

A:    Somehow, Yes we are.

Q:    Are all of your Holy Week references/puns (Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Sunday) intended?

A:    What do you think?

Q:    Did you all really notice drapes?  Seriously?

A:    Yes we did.  And you would have too, if you saw them!

Q:    Who IS Pam?

A;    Not sure we all really know.  She is basically a representation/manifestation of a conglomerate of people.  And no, she is not the Pam that regularly meets up with us when the Final Four is in Houston.

Q:    What and where is Kev-O's school?

A:    It is New Madrid College in New Madrid, Kentucky.

Q:    Why were you discussing hollers?

A:    Listen, in a span of four plus days, lots of unusual topics will arise in discussion.

Q:    Why did you mention the Illinoisivic shirts on the Illinois fans?

A:    Illinois has at least five Eastern Europeans on their squad, starters David Mirkovic, and Tomislav Ivisic, and rotational players Andrej Stojakovic, Zvonimir Ivisic, and Mihailo Petrovic.

Q:    DV cannot be a real person, can she?

A:    Sadly, yes.

Q:    What has "filled-in nicely?"

A:    We will probably catch some flak for that one!

Q:    You guys made up Maguire University just so you wouldn't seem so bizarre for creating Southwestern Central, right?

A:    Nope.  It was a real thing.  And not only pre-dates Southwestern Central, it predates US!!!

Q:    Did you really schedule Maguire for a home-and-home?

A:    No, not yet.  But the conversations have started.  Seriously.

Q:    How do you know Bernie Mac has good taste in women?

A:    That is a story for another day/time, but trust us, he does.

Q:    What IS the ladies' equivalent of Drakkar Noir?

A:    This is a very good question.  Please let us know once you find out!  From our senses it is Clinique "Happy".  Any ladies have a different opinion?

Q:    Are you really going to Detroit?

A:    Absolutely.  Well, we are certainly planning on it.  Of course, sometimes real life gets in the way, and it may for one or more of us next year, but it is on our respective calendars, and the plan is to attend one way or the other!!!

See you all in Detroit! 

NCAA Tournament Pool 2026 - Elite 8/Day 1

 

Post/Standings Under Construction.  Check Back in a Couple of Hours for the Complete Post/Standings.

WE HAVE A NEW LEADER!!!  Stephanie Henderson of Ft. Worth, Texas has surged into the lead thanks to her selections of Arizona and Illinois into the Final Four.  As she has them both in her finals, she will definitely want both these teams to continue their winning ways.

Stephanie wasn't the only entrant to choose Illinois, and although there are more than I thought, I will mention them all here.  Jim Coleman of Boynton Beach, Florida, Adam Jorgensen of Jupiter, Florida, Mac Kroesen of Greenacres, Florida, Carolyn Fowler and Jane Reynolds of Greenacres, Florida, Shane Jernigan 2 of Denver, Colorado, Steven Usma 3 of Miami, Florida, Shane Jernigan 1 of Denver Colorado, Amanda Staudt or Reston, Virginia, Paul Cummings 3 of Palm City, Florida, Ashley Poer 2 of Lake Worth Beach, Florida, and Quinn Jackson of Reston, Virginia.  Since 90% of the pool had the 1-seed Arizona in the Final Four, all of these entries receive the "Pick of the Day" award.

On the flip-side, I need to be completely open about a scoring decision that I made.  I consulted several people in the pool - without naming the entrant - and although I disagree with the majority of recommendations that I received, I went against my better judgment.  Perhaps I am getting soft in my old age.

So, Measha Williams (Buddy Canes 1 Bracket) of Houston, Texas, has Duke over Arizona in his final game.  And, in last night's Western Bracket, he had Arizona and Purdue facing off in the Elite 8.  The problem ... he never selected a winner of the Arizona/Purdue game.  It is obvious that he meant Arizona to win, as he has the Wildcats winning an additional game.  But he did not actually select them to win last night.  I awarded him his 8 points.  He should really thank my wife, Hannah Sosa of Riviera Beach, Florida, for the soft touch and suggestion that I should ask more people than just myself and the host of the other pool on this bracket for the leniency, especially since he is in contention.  But, you can all thank Measha for the additional 2 pages of rules that will be added for next year, even though almost every rule gets broken anyway!

A note about Ashley Poer 2's pick, her 16 points vaulted her up the standings ahead of Chris Simmons of Boynton Beach, Florida/Park City, Utah.  Why do I mention this?  Because when Chris Simmons entered the pool, he did so saying, "I just want to finish ahead of Ashley.  Well, Ashley's first bracket has been smoking him all pool long, but her second bracket managed to land just behind Chris's bracket ... until yesterday!

Another note on brackets, Mark Holbert of Jupiter, Florida admitted to me when watching the Round 1 Thursday games together that he used AI to complete his second bracket, using parameters that included "bonus points for upset selections."  His second bracket is beating his own bracket.  Don't know exactly what this means, but I will let you all draw your own conclusions.

Given Arizona's victory over Purdue, we lost another collective champion in the Boilermakers.  We are guaranteed to lose at least 1 more today, as Duke faces Connecticut, in a battle of teams that everyone wants to lose - even if they picked them to win.  Our champions, with the remaining selections in bold and all caps, are:   Alabama, ARIZONA, CONNECTICUT, DUKE, Florida, Houston, ILLINOIS, Iowa State, Kansas, Kentucky, MICHIGAN, Michigan State, North Carolina, Purdue, St. John's and Virginia.  That leaves us with 6 of the remaining Elite 8 - with nobody having selected Iowa or Tennessee.

Speaking of Illinois, they have not made the Final Four since 2005.  But that team was interesting - I have written about the Deron Williams, Dee Brown, Luther Head team before - but that tournament wasn't very remarkable.  So, I looked to Arizona, which made its first Final Four since 2001.  But that tournament was also not very remarkable (plus Duke won).   Arizona's championship came in 1997, and that game was AMAZING to watch, with loads of talent on the Court, with Miles Simon, Mike Bibby, Michael Dickerson and Jason Terry leading Arizona, and Ron Mercer, Wayne Turner, Nazr Mohammed, Jamaal Magliore, and Scott Padgett for Kentucky.  But, Kentucky lost that game so I am mad that I just mentioned it.  So, I am really at a creative loss as to what tournament history to write about.

So, then I just started going back into Illinois and Arizona's Final Four history, and I came upon the fact that Arizona's first Final Four was in 1988.  Ah, 1988... the last time a truly one-man team one that NCAA Championship.  Ladies and Gentlemen, I introduce (or re-introduce) you to ... Danny and the Miracles.

Kansas entered the NCAA Tournament that year as the 6th-seed in the Midwest Bracket, with double-digit losses (11) on the season and a 9-5 record in conference.  But, what Kansas did have, was Player of the Year Danning Manning and a future Hall of Fame coach in Larry Brown.  They traveled to Lincoln, Nebraska to take on the 11-seed, Xavier Musketeers in the first round.  The Jayhawks won that matchup 85-72, with Danny Manning playing as advertised. He scored 24 points, grabbed 12 rebounds, had 3 assists, 1 steal and 3 blocks.  He was everywhere, and he was a key reason why Xavier's future-NBAer Tyrone Hill spent most of the game in foul trouble, and ultimately fouled out scoring only 4 points.  For Kansas, Milt Newton did score a much-needed 21 points, and also grabbed 12 rebounds to push the Jayhawks into the second round, where they would face Murray State, the 14th seeded Ohio Valley Conference champion that beat NC State in the first round.  Manning again led the Jayhawks in scoring, putting in 25 with 5 rebounds.  No other Kansas player scored more than 16, that being Kevin Pritchard, who went 4-6 from three-point range.  Kansas advanced 61-58 to go to the Sweet 16.

The Sweet 16 was hosted in the Pontiac Silverdome in Pontiac, Michigan, and the Jayhawks played the Vanderbilt Commodores, who entered the tournament as the 7th-seed, but defeated Pittsburgh (the 2 seed) in the second round.  Kansas won 77-64, and they were lead by Manning's 38 points.  Pritchard was once again the second-leading scorer for the Jayhawks with 11, hitting his only three-pointer.  Vanderbilt was led by Barry Booker's 22 points.  As a side note, Vanderbilt's guard, Barry Goheen, grew up near my grandparents in Kentucky, so I did play some hoops against his younger brother.  But Goheen, like I, did not play any hoops in the Elite 8, as Kansas advanced, where they would face conference - and in-state rival - Kansas State (the 4 seed).  Kansas State itself was very much led by a single player - future NBA Bucket Mitch Richmond - but in this game Kansas held Richmond to just 11, as the Jayhawks advanced to the Final Four with a 71-58 win.  How did Danny Manning do in this game?  He had a game-high 20 points and grabbed 5 rebounds.  Milt Newton chipped in with 18 and 7.

For the Final Four, Kansas did not have to travel far, as the host venue was Kemper Arena in Kansas City, Missouri.  In the Semi-Finals, the Duke Blue Devils, the number 2 seed in the East, awaited.  Duke defeated the Mark Macon-led Temple Owls by 10 to earn the Final Four berth, and its star All-American Danny Ferry had a team-high 19 points and a game-high 12 points.  Only Kevin Strickland (who?) joined Ferry with double-digits scoring for the Blue Devils.  Meanwhile, for the Jayhawks, Manning was Manning with 24 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, 4 steals, and 6 blocks.  Yes, he had 10 stocks!!!  Kansas advanced to the finals, where Conference Champion Oklahoma would wait in an All-Big 8 matchup.

Oklahoma, led by future Pearl Jam muse Mookie Blaylock, Ricky Grace, Harvey Grant, and Stacey King - all future NBA players, defeated Arizona in the Semi-Finals and were 35-3 coming into the finals, including 2 victories over Kansas.  But, unfortunately for the Sooners and fortunately for the Jayhawks, Manning showed up and showed out.  He finished with game-highs in scoring and rebounds (31 and 18 respectively) and added 2 assists, 5 steals, and 2 blocks.  Milt Newton and Kevin Pritchard added 15 and 13, as Kansas won the national championship by defeating the Oklahoma 83-79.  Oklahoma played only 6 players all game, led by Dave Sieger's 22 and King's 17.  But, even 5 players in double-figures could not stop the team ultimately dubbed ... Danny and the Miracles.  Guess who was named MOP?  You guessed it ... Danny Manning.

Danny Manning was selected first overall in the 1988 NBA draft by the Los Angeles Clippers, and despite his immense talent and a 15-year career, he spent a lot of his career on injured reserve with multiple injuries.  He did win the NBA Sixth-Man of the Year Award in 1998, and was a two time All-Star (1993-1994).  He averaged over 14 points per game in the NBA and was elected to the College Basketball Hall of Fame.  He currently is an assistant coach with the University of Colorado.

Stats of the Day

5.  32-18 - Illinois' rebounding advantage over Iowa.

4.  23 minutes - the amount of time Trey Kaufman-Renn played for Purdue due to foul trouble.

3.  11-4 - Arizona's run in the 4 or so minutes Kaufman-Renn sat after his third foul of the game, early in the second half.

2.  14:02 - The last amount of time in the game in which Illinois DID NOT miss a two-point shot.

1.  79 - The total points scored or assisted by Marta Suarez and Olivia Miles for TCU in their 79-69 victory over Virginia.  YES, ALL OF THEM!

Players of the Day

10.  Ivan Kharchenkov, Illinois - 18 points, 8 rebounds, 1 steal

9.  Madison Booker, Texas - 17 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals

8.  Oscar Cluff, Purdue - 14 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks

7.  Paris Clark, Virginia - 20 points, 1 rebound, 3 assists, 2 steals, 1 block

6.  Bennett Stirtz, Iowa - 24 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists

5.  Koa Peat, Arizona - 20 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists

4.  Ta'Niya Latson, South Carolina - 28 points, 1 rebound, 5 assists

3.  Keaton Wagler, Illinois - 25 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal

2.  Marta Suarez, TCU - 35 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal

1.  Oliva Miles, TCU - 28 points, 10 rebounds, 8 assists, 2 steals

And a special mention to the horn in the Illinois/Iowa game, which went off, and stayed off, causing an approximately 11-minute delay in the first half.  Serious MVP move by the horn.

As always, check your brackets, and let me know if you think there is a discrepancy that I need to review.  Onto the standings.

Standings after the Elite 8/Day 1

1.  Stephanie Henderson - 100 - ILLINOIS/ARIZONA

2.  Max Macon 2 - 99 - Florida/ARIZONA

     Rich Samuels - 99 - ARIZONA/DUKE

4.  Jason Spuhler - 94 - Houston/ARIZONA

5.  Jim Coleman - 93 - ARIZONA/ILLINOIS

6.  Steven Usma 2 - 84 - DUKE/ARIZONA

7.  Brigadier General Kareem Montague - 91 - ARIZONA/Michigan State

     Measha Williams (Buddy Canes 1 Bracket) - 91 - DUKE/ARIZONA

9.  Glen Merchant - 90 - DUKE/ARIZONA

     Steven Usma 1 - 90 - ARIZONA/Michigan State

11.  Jonathan Cox 2 - 89 - Houston/ARIZONA

       Adam Jorgensen - 89 - ARIZONA/ILLINOIS

13.  Ashley Poer 1 - 88 - MICHIGAN/Houston

       Pepe Sosa 1 - 88 - ARIZONA/Florida

       Chuck Whitcomb - 88 - DUKE/MICHIGAN

16.  Paul Cummings - 87 - DUKE/Purdue

       Crew Ferguson - 87 - DUKE/ARIZONA

       Brittany Sosa - 87 - Florida/ARIZONA

19.  Carolyn Fowler & Jane Reynolds - 86 - Alabama/DUKE

20.  Karen Katz 2 - 85 - ARIZONA/Michigan State

21.  Mitchell K (Lamb) - 84 - ARIZONA/Houston

       Jeff Plamondon 1 - 84 - MICHIGAN/Florida

23.  Brent Bellinger A - 83 - ARIZONA/Florida

       Brent Bellinger B -83 - MICHIGAN/Michigan State

       Floyd Fonte 1 - 83 - MICHIGAN/Florida

       Mango Merchant - 83 - ARIZONA/DUKE

27.  Daniel Barsky 1 - 82 - ARIZONA/Florida

       John Hedgpeth - 82 - DUKE/MICHIGAN

       Ty Hedgpeth - 82 - DUKE/ARIZONA

       Benny Merchant - 82 - MICHIGAN/UCONN

       Silas Nichols - 82 - MICHIGAN/UCONN

       Justin Yung - 74 - MICHIGAN/DUKE

33.  Matt Hopps - 81 - ARIZONA/Michigan State

       Shane Jernigan 1 - 81 - MICHIGAN/DUKE

       Karen Katz 1 - 81 - ARIZONA/Houston

       David Kennedy - 81 - DUKE/MICHIGAN

       Mac Kroesen - 81 - MICHIGAN/ILLINOIS

       Monte Lambert 1 - 81 - Houston/ARIZONA

       Mike Wolff 1 - 81 - DUKE/MICHIGAN

40.  Megan Corrado - 80 - Houston/ARIZONA

       Amanda Staudt - 80 - ARIZONA/ILLINOIS

       Steven Usma 5 - 80 - Florida/Iowa State

       Katie Zdrowak - 80 - UCONN/MICHIGAN

44.  Daniel Barsky 2 - 79 - Houston/ARIZONA

       Kyle Henderson - 79 - UCONN/Gonzaga

       Si "Papa Si" Nichols - 79 - ARIZONA/Michigan State

       Cheryl Spuhler - 79 - Florida/PURDUE

       Josh Zdrowak - 79 - DUKE/MICHIGAN

49.  Shane Jernigan 2 - 78 - ILLINOIS/MICHIGAN

       Annette Pritchard 1 - 78 - Florida/ARIZONA

       Henry Transecki - 78 - Florida/Iowa State

52.  Jonathan Cox 2 - 77 - DUKE/ARIZONA

       Duncan Merchant - 77 - ARIZONA/DUKE

54.  Jenna Finkelstein - 76 - Florida/ARIZONA

       Blake Jackson - 76 - ARIZONA/Florida

56.  Joel Chernoff - 75 - MICHIGAN/DUKE

       Gracie Fonte - 75 - Florida/MICHIGAN

       Hazy Frank - 75 - MICHIGAN/Michigan State

59.  Colleen Giamberini - 66 - MICHIGAN/Houston

       Paul Kludt - 74 - Florida/Purdue

       Max Macon 4 - 74 - Purdue/DUKE

       Dave Piasecki - 74 - Florida/Iowa State

       Steven Usma 3 - 74 - DUKE/MICHIGAN

64.  Carolyn Fowler - 73 - UCONN/Purdue

       Mark Holbert 2 - 73 - UCONN/Purdue

       Guy Hughes - 73 - Florida/MICHIGAN

       Martha Kroesen - 73 - Florida/MICHIGAN

       Ashley Poer 2 - 73 - ARIZONA/DUKE

       Measha Williams (Canes 2 Bracket) - 73 - ARIZONA/UCONN

       Day Yi 1 - 73 - St. John's/ARIZONA

       Bubba Zdrowak - 73 - Florida/MICHIGAN

72.   Randy Bennett - 72 - MICHIGAN/Florida

        Paul Cummings 2 - 72 - ARIZONA/Michigan State

        Dwayne Cushman - 72 - DUKE/ARIZONA

        Natalie Moon - 72 - DUKE/Iowa State

        Vincent Plamondon - 72 - DUKE/Purdue

        Pepe Sosa 2 - 72 - ARIZONA/Florida

        Measha Williams (Canes 3 Bracket) - 72 - DUKE/ARIZONA

79.  Trey Angus - 71 - DUKE/MICHIGAN

       Sean McInerney 2 - 71 - MICHIGAN/Florida

       Sean McInerney 4 - 71 - Florida/MICHIGAN

       William Pujals - 71 - DUKE/MICHIGAN

       George Walks 4 - 71 - Florida/MICHIGAN

       Keith Zdrowak - 71 - ARIZONA/DUKE

 

85.  Paul Cummings 3 - 70 - MICHIGAN/DUKE

       Rylee Montague - 70 - MICHIGAN/Michigan State

       Sasha Moon - 70 - Florida/ARIZONA

       Jeff Plamondon - 70 - ARIZONA/Houston

       Lily Spuhler - 70 - Florida/ARIZONA

       Jonathan Wasserman - 70 - DUKE/MICHIGAN

       Biscuit Zdrowak - 70 - BYU/DUKE

92.  Jenna Finkelstein - 69 - Florida/ARIZONA

       Javier Rodriguez 2 - 69 - DUKE/ARIZONA

94.  Skip LaForte - 68 - Michigan State/ARIZONA

       Monte Lambert 2 - 68 - ARIZONA/Florida

96.  Barbara Curlett - 67 - Florida/MICHIGAN

       Javier Rodriguez 1 - 67 - DUKE/MICHIGAN

       Stacia Wilkaitis - 67 - Florida/ARIZONA

       Day Yi 2 - 67 - DUKE/MICHIGAN

100.  Braeden Helland - 66 - Florida/MICHIGAN

         Mike Litsey - 66 - Florida/MICHIGAN

         Chris Simmons - 66 - ARIZONA/Florida

103.  James Garvin - 65 - Florida/Purdue

         Max Macon 1 - 65 - Florida/Purdue

         Salvatore Plamondon - 65 - Florida/MICHIGAN

         Steven Usma 4 - 65 - MICHIGAN/Florida

         George Walks 2 - 65 - ARIZONA/Kansas

108.  Max Macon 3 - 64 - Houston/ARIZONA

         Kingfish Parham 2 - 64 - DUKE/Arkansas

         Annette Pritchard 2 - 64 - ARIZONA/DUKE

111.  Floyd Fonte 2 - 63 - Iowa State/Houston

        Alyssa Hopps - 63 - DUKE/MICHIGAN

        George Walks 3 - 63 - Kansas/Gonzaga

        Jonathan Wasserman 2 - 63 - MICHIGAN/DUKE

115.  Justine Frank - 62 - Florida/MICHIGAN

         Amy Zdrowak - 62 - DUKE/MICHIGAN

117.  Megan Cox - 61 - Virginia/DUKE

         Jacey Fowler - 61 - North Carolina/Alabama

         Keith W. (Lamb) - 61 - Houston/ARIZONA

         Jane Reynolds - 61 - Florida/MICHIGAN

         Jasmine Tran - 61 - Florida/Alabama

         George Walks 1 - 61 - DUKE/ARIZONA

123.  Sean McInerney 1 - 60 - DUKE/Iowa State

124.  Floyd Fonte 3 - 59 - Michigan State/MICHIGAN

         Hannah Sosa - 59 - Florida/Purdue

         Matt Thibaut - 59 - Florida/MICHIGAN

127.  Quinn Jackson - 58 - Kentucky/MICHIGAN

         Stephanie Soplop 2 - 58 - UCONN/Purdue

129.   Mark Holbert 1 - 57 - ARIZONA/Florida

          Katie Kollmeyer - 57 - MICHIGAN/Michigan State

          Caroline Spuhler - 57 - Florida/Texas Tech

 

132.  Arlene Amo Hopps - 56 - UCONN/Virginia

133.  Marcus Jackson - 55 - DUKE/MICHIGAN

         Dawn Lamb - 55 - Kansas/Gonzaga

135.  Stephanie Soplop 1 - 54 - Florida/Miami

         Mike Wolff 2 - 54 - DUKE/Texas Tech

137.  Kingfish Parham 1 - 52 - ARIZONA/Florida

138.  Colbie (Lamb) - 51 - Kansas/Iowa State

139.  Keith W 1 (Lamb) - 49 - Kansas/Iowa State

140.  Allison Parker - 47 - Virginia/North Carolina

141.  Barkley Sosa - 42 - UCONN/Gonzaga

NCAA Tournament Pool 2026 - Round 2/Day 1

 

And welcome back to another installment of the NCAA Tournament Pool 2026.  Some better and more exciting play yesterday compared to Friday, but other than the Kentucky-Santa Clara game, that is a really low bar.  That being said, the Nebraska-Vanderbilt game was OUTSTANDING!!!  If it had occurred in a later round, it would be one remembered for quite some time!

To start this post, I forgot to include the list of our champions in yesterday's post.  So, I will start off with that for today.  Our collective champion selections are:  ALABAMA, ARIZONA, CONNECTICUT, DUKE, FLORIDA, HOUSTON, ILLINOIS, IOWA STATE, KANSAS, KENTUCKY, MICHIGAN, MICHIGAN STATE, North Carolina, PURDUE, and VIRGINIA.  Nine of these teams are in play today, with at least one matchup having two championship selections face each other - Kentucky and Iowa State - meaning at least one team will fall.

And speaking of falling, WE HAVE A NEW LEADER.  Max Macon 2 of Jupiter, Florida has taken over first place.  We also have a new leader in the race to the bottom.  Allison Parker of Washington, DC is officially in last place (although there are entries ahead of her that are in much worse shape).  I only mention her here because she always, and I mean ALWAYS, makes sure to draw red hearts around Duke for every round she picks them.  So, she gets what she deserves.  And speaking of Duke, let's get straight to the Players of the Day.

Players of the Day (Men's Edition)

8.  Coen Carr, Michigan State - 21 points, 10 rebounds, 1 steal, 2 blocks

7.  Graham Ike, Gonzaga - 25 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal

6.  Yexel Lendenborg, Michgan - 25 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block

5.  Rob Martin, High Point - 30 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists

4.  Tyler Tanner, Vanderbilt - 27 points, 2 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 steals

3.  Cam'Ron Fletcher, High Point - 25 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals

2.  Darius Acuff, Jr., Arkansas - 36 points, 1 rebound, 6 assists, 1 steal

1.  TIE - Gregory Nixon, Paul Szelc, and Clarence Armstrong

Who are these three?  They were the officiating crew for the Duke-TCU game.  After an absurdly one-sided foul fest (which they ultimately rectified late in the game after it was essentially over), they missed an obvious basket interference call on Duke that would have brought Duke's lead down to 7.  Instead, they called a technical foul on TCU coach Jamie Dixon.  The resulting free throws and the ball - which led to a three point - turned the game from a 7-point difference into a 14-point difference with 8:40 left to go, essentially ending the game.  Now, yes, I know it wasn't over and 8:40 is ordinarily a lot of time, but if you were watching the game you saw, IT WAS OVER.  Unless the coach jumps into the play, or touches an official, you simply cannot call a technical foul three for words, especially since Dixon stated he neither cursed nor raised his voice.  Szelc has to have thick skin and swallow his whistle there.

And yes, Duke fans will call me a "hater," and they are DAMN RIGHT on that, but good reason. Christian Laettner should have been ejected from that 1992 Elite Eight game.  Period!  But Duke isn't all I hate on.  In yesterday's blog I gave a little dig to Florida's backup center - WAY BACKUP - Olivier Rioux, who at 7'9" is officially the world's tallest teenager in history (Guinness verified!).  I saw a picture of him leaving the stadium yesterday.

Now I sent this to fellow participant Silas Nichols of Washington, DC, as well as co-host of this blog Sinickal.  At least one of them has an unhealthy obsession with how bad Olivier Rioux is.  I am just mentioning this because I want to see if he posts this in his write-up on the Squares Gambling Pool - which is the other tournament being hosted on this site - with or without accreditation (which obviously won't happen if he reads this first!).  But, we will see.

So, instead of just digs, I want to give credit to four brackets - the ones that selected Texas over Gonzaga - which upset was worth five additional bonus points.  Those entries were (listed in orders of their standings:  Pepe Sosa 1 of Riviera Beach, Florida, Brittany Sosa of Charlotte, North Carolina, Braeden Helland of Jacksonville, Florida, and Steven Usma 1 of Miami, Florida.  But Pepster, that is only 4 names.  I thought you said there were five, you might be thinking.  There are 5.  And that fifth entrant wins the illustrious "Pick of the Day" Award!!!  The award goes to Brigadier General Kareem Montague of Lille, France.  And yes, that "Brigadier General" is a rank, not a nickname.  If I were to use his nickname I would say "Monty", but we actually have two "Monte" entries in the pool, so I would rather use his rank.  And I use it more importantly because he has earned that, and much, much more from all of us.  Kareem has been a long-time participant of this pool (and I don't remember specifically if he participated in earlier iterations from when we were in college or not), and he has been a longer-time participant of serving the American people and our allies.  Congratulation Kareem, and thank you!

  Now back to on the Court.

Players of the Day (Women's Edition)

10.  Mackenly Randolph, Louisville - 20 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal

9.  Lauren Betts, UCLA - 22 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 1 block

8.  Kymora Johnson, Virginia - 28 pints, 7 rebounds, 6 assists

7.  Mikayla Blakes, Vanderbilt - 30 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists

6.  Hannah Hidalgo, Notre Dame - 23 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists, 8 steals

5.  Jazzy Davidson, USC - 31 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals, 1 block

4.  Achol Akot, Oklahoma State - 28 points, 10 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 block

3.  Ava Heiden, Iowa - 29 points, 7 rebounds, 1 steal, 2 blocks

2.  Joyce Edwards, South Carolina - 27 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 1 block

1.  Audi Crooks, Iowa State - 37 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist

And since I have given you a lot of stats here, let's go straight to my stats of the day.

Stats of the Day

5.  67 - the points South Carolina defeated Southern by in the Women's Tournament

4.  5 Straight - Men's Wrestling Titles for Penn State

3.  6 straight - Women's Swimming and Diving Titles for Virginia

2.  8 - steals for Hannah Hidalgo of Notre Dame

1.  3 - Number of Players to average 30+ points and 6+ assists through two rounds in an NCAA Tournament game (Darius Acuff, Jr., Arkansas - 2026, Jimmer Fredette, BYS - 2011, Billy Donovan, Providence, 1987).

So, that reminds me ...

Jimmer Fredette might have been one of the more natural scorers the NCAA has seen in modern vintage, having scored 52 in one game at BYU.  Due to his lack of size for a scoring guard (6'2") and relative lack of athleticism, he never really blossomed on the NBA level despite being drafted 10th overall by the Milwaukee Bucks.  He did spend 5 years to start his career in the NBA (and two later), but he ultimately made his mark in the Chinese Basketball Association, where he won an MVP, and averaged 37.6 points per game - including a game where he dropped 40 in one quarter.  He ultimately transitioned to 3x3 where he was USA Basketball's 2023 Athlete of the Year.

In 2011, BYU had a squad.  They rose as high as number 3 in the polls, before settling in as a 3-seed in the NCAA tournament.  Jimmer Fredette - a first team All-American, had not only advanced his games throughout his four years, but he finally had a running mate on the Cougars in Brandon Davies, a 6'10" big man who complemented Fredette in so many ways on the Court.  Davies was the second-leading scorer on the team, averaging 11.1 points per game, and a team-high 6.2 rebounds per game.  This was the year where BYU could go from a potential Cinderella to a real threat!

The Cougars had a test from Wofford in the first round, but ultimately prevailed 74-66 behind Fredette's 32 points, 4 rebounds and 7 assists.  BYU advanced to the second-round to face Gonzaga.  The Bulldogs proved to be no match as BYU blitzed them 89-67 with Fredette having another spectacular game.  He scored 34 points, and added 2 rebounds and 6 assists.  Off to the Sweet Sixteen they went.  But waiting in the Sweet Sixteen were the Florida Gators, who ended BYU's run 83-74 despite Jimmer's 32 points, 2 rebounds and 5 assists.  Nobody else for the Cougars scored in double figures, and Davies contributed absolutely zero.  In fact, he contributed nothing for the entire tournament.

Why is that?  Well, I'll tell you.  The sophomore power forward was suspended from the team on March 1, just before the start of the conference tournament.  What was his transgression?  A DUI perhaps?  Maybe some marijuana possession to ease the pressure of a tournament run?  Speeding ticket?  Bar fight?  Or worse, something domestic?  No - to all of these.  Davies had the audacity to commit the dangerous act of having premarital sex with his girlfriend.  As sex is a violation of the school's Honor Code, pre-soaking, Davies was kicked out of school. No word as to whether race had anything to do with this, but you can guess what the scuttlebutt was at the time as it was rumored that she was white, and he is black.  With Davies, BYU was projected to be a number one seed.  Without him, the school had a big "What If" moment.

The incident did lead to a hilarious joke from Seth Meyers when he hosted the ESPYS.  Talking about the situation with Davies, Meyers described how Davies was dismissed from the team but also mentioned that nobody ever speaks about his girlfriend.  Meyers then told the audience, "But she went to Arizona State, so she received extra credit!"

Now in a transition from a historical look at the NCAA Tournament, to somebody who might be a reference in this historical section in a few years, Robbie Avila.  The St. Louis big man is a delight to watch, and is subject to many nicknames which are just absolutely outstanding.  Since St. Louis is no longer in the NCAA Tournament after its loss to Michigan yesterday, here is my tribute to Avila - his best nicknames.

1.  Cream Abdul-Jabbar

2.  Larry Nerd (also Larry Blurred) (Doubly funny because Avila used to play at Indiana State)

3.  Milk Chamberlain

4.  College Jokic

5.  SLU Alcindor  

Now, let's get to the standings!

As always, feel free to double-check my scoring on your brackets, as I stare at a lot of numbers for a couple of hours a day and I do make mistakes.  But, if I have to check your bracket, I will review the entire bracket for errors.  I say this just so you should make absolutely sure you feel that I made a mistake with your bracket.  Onto the standings ...

Standings after Round 2/Day 1

1.  Max Macon 2 - 61

2.  Jason Spuhler - 60

3.  Rich Samuels - 57

4.  Pepe Sosa 1 - 56

5.  Crew Ferguson - 55

     Martha Kroesen - 55

7.  Stephanie Henderson - 54

     Glen Merchant - 54

9.  Measha Williams (Buddy Canes 1 Bracket) - 53

     Day Yi 1 - 53

     Josh Zdrowak - 53

12.  Paul Kludt - 52

       Mitchell K (Lamb) - 52

       Henry Transecki - 52

       Steve Usma 2 - 52

16.  Jonathan Cox 2 - 51

       Megan Cox - 51

       Cheryl Spuhler - 51

       Brittany Sosa - 51

20.  Megan Corrado - 50

       Jeff Plamondon 1 - 50

       Ashley Poer 1 - 50

       Annette Pritchard 1 - 50

       Steve Usma 1 - 50

       Steve Usma 3 - 50

       Steve Usma 5 - 50

27.  Brent Bellinger B - 49

       Kyle Henderson - 49

       Brigadier General Kareem Montague - 49

30.  Ty Hedgpeth - 48

       Braeden Helland - 48

       Dave Piasecki - 48

       Vincent Plamondon - 48

       Chuck Whitcomb - 48

       Justin Yung - 48

36.  Daniel Barsky 2 - 47

       Brent Bellinger A - 47

       Jim Coleman - 47

       Mark Holbert 2 - 47

       Guy Hughes - 47

       Karen Katz - 47

       David Kennedy - 47

       Mac Kroesen - 47

       Mango Merchant - 47

45.  Dwayne Cushman - 46

       Pepe Sosa 2 - 46

       Jonathan Wasserman 2 - 46

48.  Hazy Frank - 45

       Matt Hopps - 45

       Karen Katz - 45

       Duncan Merchant - 45

       Si "Papa Si" Nichols - 45

       William Pujals - 45

       Bubba Zdrowak - 45

       Keith Zdrowak - 45

56.  John Hedgpeth - 44

       Shane Jernigan 2 - 44

       Max Macon 4 - 44

       Benny Merchant - 44

60.  Floyd Fonte 1 - 43

       Adam Jorgensen - 43

       Monte Lambert 1 - 43

       Mike Wolff 1 - 43

64.  Blake Jackson - 42

65.  Joel Chernoff - 41

       Max Macon 1 - 41

       Rylee Montague - 41

       Matt Thibaut - 41

69.  Daniel Barsky 1 - 40

       Jonathan Cox 1 - 40

       Paul Cummings 3 - 40

       Carolyn Fowler - 40

       Natalie Moon - 40

74.  Paul Cummings 1 - 39

       Floyd Fonte 2 - 39

       George Walks 3 - 39

       George Walks 4 - 39

       Measha Williams (Canes 2 Bracket) - 39

79.  Carolyn Fowler and Jane Reynolds - 38

       Colleen Giamberini - 38

       Sasha Moon - 38

       Silas Nichols - 38

       Kingfish Parham - 38

       Amanda Staudt - 38

       Katie Zdrowak - 38

86.  Barbar Curlett - 37

       Floyd Fonte - 37

       Gracie Fonte - 37

       James Garvin - 37

       Alyssa Hopps - 37

       Marcus Jackson - 37

       Shane Jernigan - 37

       Katie Kollmeyer - 37

       Dawn Lamb - 37

       Keith W 2 (Lamb) - 37

       Salvatore Plamondon - 37

       Javier Rodriguez 2 - 37

       Jasmine Tran - 37

99.  Randy Bennett - 36

       Paul Cummings 2 - 36

       Jenna Finkelstein - 36

       Jutine Frank - 36

       Quinn Jackson - 36

       Monte Lambert 2 - 36

       Mike Litsey - 36

       Jeff Plamondon 2 - 36

       Chris Simmons - 36

       Measha Williams (Canes 3 Bracket) - 36

109.  Trey Angus - 35

         Jenna Finkelstein - 35

         Sean McInerney 2 - 35

         Sean McInerney 3 - 35

         Javier Rodriguez 1 - 35

         Steven Usma 4 - 25

         George Walks 1 - 25

         Day Yi 2 - 35

117.  Skip LaForte - 34

         Kingfish Parham 1 - 34

         Annette Pritchard 2 - 34

         Stephanie Soplop 1 - 34

         Stephanie Soplop 2 - 34

         Lily Spuhler - 34

123.  Jacey Fowler - 33

         Mark Holbert 1 - 33

         Keith W 1 (Lamb) - 33

         Ashley Poer 2 - 33

         Jane Reynolds - 33

         George Walks 2 - 33

         Jonathan Wasserman 1 - 33

         Stacia Wilkaitis - 33

         Biscuit Zdrowak - 33

132.  Arlene Amo Hopps - 32

         Max Macon 3 - 32

         Sean McInerney - 32

         Amy Zdrowak - 32

136.  Hannah Sosa - 31

         Caroline Spuhler - 31

138.  Barkley Sosa - 30

139.  Colbie (Lamb) - 29

140.  Mike Wolff 2 - 28

141.  Allison Parker - 27

NCAA Tournament Pool 2026 - Round 1/Day 2 Results

 

Welcome back.  Was anybody else singing Lemon Pound Cake to the tune of Under the Boardwalk in their heads while watching games yesterday?  Just me?  Ok.  Well, that song is genius.

Day 2 of the first round started off with an all-time classic.  Just an awesome basketball game between the 10 seed Santa Clara and the 7 seed Kentucky.  Close all game, back-and-forth at the end (something like 50+ lead changes!!!), and after now-Kentucky legend Otega Oweh scored a tough lay-in with about 9.9 seconds left in the game to tie it, Santa Clara sharpshooter Allen Graves etched his name in NCAA lore by nailing a game-winning three-pointer with 2.4 seconds left.  Or did he?  The aforementioned Oweh, received the inbound pass, drove the left sideline until just after half court and put up a heave that banked in for his 8th consecutive Kentucky point in a row, and sent the game to overtime.  [Ed. Note - It is about time Kentucky ended up on the positive side of a last-second shot.  See Laettner, Christian and Maye, Luke].  From there, Kentucky took over pounding the ball inside to Mouhamed Dioubate, and Brandon Garrison providing the defense on switches as the big man blocked not one, but two three-point shots on the perimeter to seal the win for the Wildcats.  Garrison had 6 blocks in the game! 

A note on Dioubate, he is Muslim, which means this weekend is Eid al-Fitr, meaning an end to Ramadan and an end to his requirement to refrain from all food and drink during the daylight.  If this means Kentucky's most athletic player will be able to hydrate and properly and timely replenish his food, nutrients and fluids, this could mean problems for the Midwest bracket!!!

The rest of the games were seriously boring.  REALLY Boring.  Not one upset (by our definition) occurred, with the only interesting point being that all 4 nine seeds won for the first time since 2019 and only the sixth time ever.  And, since the game was so boring, I won't really mention the games at all (except for my stats and players of the day).  But there were some really cool things that happened in college sports yesterday, so I will discuss those until the games get interesting again.

First, Alabama pitcher Tyler Fay threw a no-hitter last night as the Crimson Tide baseball team won 6-0.  Now, Fay didn't no-hit just any team like Southwestern Central, he did it against NCAA and SEC powerhouse Florida, currently 18-3 and ranked 18th in the country couldn't touch Fay as he struck out 13 and only walked 2 in a 132-pitch gem.

The NCAA Women's tournament started yesterday, and TCU's Olivia Miles - a transfer from Notre Dame - earned a 12-16-14 triple double to become the only person, man or woman, with an NCAA tournament triple double for multiple teams.  Yes, we watch women's basketball here.  And while on the subject, let's give a shout out to participant Alyssa Hopps of Quincy, MA, who just completed her first-year on Babson College's women's team, and finished with 5.9 points per game and 4.5 rebounds per game in an average of 14 minutes.  No doubt her role will be expanding in her next three years - and we hope to see her in the Division III version of the tournament soon!

Now back to our regularly scheduled program.

There were some very interesting stats from yesterday's games.  My favorite are:

Stats of the Day

6.  Florida reserve center Olivier Rioux - all 7'9" of him - played 2 minutes and scored 2 points.  This is like if any other team had a giraffe play and actually score a basket!!!

5.  4-0.  The records of the 9 seeds against the 8s.  For only the 6th time ever.

4.  Brandon Garrison of Kentucky had 6 blocks, and UCLA's Donovan Dent had 6 steals against UCF.  That's some serious defense.

3.  Skyy Clark lost 1 tooth while diving for a loose ball and taking an elbow to the face.

2.  Florida's 114-55 decimation of Prairie View A&M is the largest blowout by a 1-seed in NCAA tournament history, and the second largest blowout ever.

1.  1,077 - The number of assists by Purdue's Braden Smith in his NCAA career, surpassing Duke legend and recently fired coach of Arizona State Bobby Hurley.  Congrats Braden.  

Upon reading the "Stats of the Day" list, you may have asked yourself, "Self, I wonder what the largest blowout in NCAA tournament history was," and "I wonder if Pepster will tell us."  Well, I know the answer to both of those queries, and soon you will too.

Way back on March 11, 1963, in McGraw Memorial Hall in Evanston, Illinois, the mighty Loyola Ramblers crushed Tennessee Tech 111-42, a 69-point spread.  In the immortal words of the legendary sports anchor Warner Wolf, "If you had Tennessee Tech and 68, YOU STILL LOST!!!"  All five Loyola starters scored in double figures, whereas Bobby Young (14) and Eddie Mason (10) had more than half of Tennessee Tech's points.

Loyola would eventually make it to the Final Four, held in Freedom Hall in Louisville that year.  Behind Lee Hunter's 29 points and 18 rebounds, and with a huge assist from Jerry Harkness (20 points and 11 rebounds), Loyola would defeat the Duke Blue Devils 94-75.  Duke was led by eventual MOP Art Heyman, who valiantly tried to keep Duke in the game with his 29 points and 12 rebounds, but it was not enough.  In the finals Loyola would face Cincinnati, who crushed Oregon State 804-48 in the semifinals paced by George Wilson's 24 points and 13 rebounds.

In the finals, Loyola had a balanced scoring attack led Hunter's 16 (with 11 boards), Vic Rouse's 15 (and 12 rebounds), with Huntre chipping in 14.  The leading scorer in the game was Cincinnati's Ron Bonham, who drummed his way to 24 points while playing all 45 minutes of the game, which went into overtime.  In fact, 9 of the 10 starters played all 45 minutes, with only the Bearcats Dale Heidotting earning time off the bench.  His four minutes were largely to spell George Wilson, who experiences some late foul trouble.

In this close, largely back-and-forth game, the Loyola Ramblers prevailed, winning the first (and only) men's basketball championship.

Other than the Kentucky-Santa Clara game, the most interesting thing about the games were the press conferences.  In particular two coaches shined in that regard.

First up is Byron Smith, the head coach of Prairie View A&M, who when asked what his team could do to try to slow Florida down as his team was down 60-21 at halftime responded succinctly, "We need some help from the Lord."

Next up is Kevin Willard, Villanova's coach who told the reporter that he was going to "Fire his Staff" at halftime, and that he needed to "get a new staff."  After the game he simultaneously doubled-down on his statement and said it was a joke.  

So, I guess I should discuss some of the play during yesterday's games.

Players of the Day (Women's Edition)

10.  Taleysia Cooper, Tennesse - 24 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals

9.  Mia Nicastro, Western Illinois - 21 points, 9 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, 1 block

8.  Brooke Carlson, Colorado State - 26 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, 

7.  Allie Turner, Gonzaga - 27 points, 1 rebound, 4 assists

6.  Brookly Meyer, South Dakota State - 29 points, 7 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 block

5.  Carys Baker, Texas - 21 points, 14 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 blocks

4.  Toby Fournier, Duke - 24 points, 7 rebounds

3.  Taryn Barbot, Charleston - 36 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 2 steals

2.  Olivia Miles, TCU - 12 points, 16 rebounds, 14 assists, 2 steals, 1 block

1.  Avery Howell, Washington - 30 points, 9 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals

Players of the Day (Men's Edition)

10.  Armani Lyles, Akron - 26 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks

9.  Darryn Peterson, Kansas - 28 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist

8.  Braden Smith, Purdue - 26 points, 3 rebounds, 8 assists

7.  Malik Reneau, Miami - 24 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks

6.  Dominique Daniels, Cal Baptist - 25 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal

5.  Killyen Toure, Iowa State - 25  points, 11 rebounds, 6 assists

4.  Ja'Kobi Gillespie, Tennessee - 29 points, 3 rebounds, 9 assists, 3 steals

3.  LaBaron Philon, Alabama - 29 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 steals

2.  Otega Oweh, Kentucky - 35 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 steal, 1 block

1.  Tarris Reed, Connecticut - 31 points, 27 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals

And now, for our own "Players of the Day", this was not particularly difficult to select the "Picks of the Day."  Primarily because 3 stood out.  With no major upsets of which to speak, a decent amount of entries had 14 of the 16 games correct, 8 had 15 games correct, and 3 went a perfect 16-0 yesterday.  We might have had 4, but Floyd Forte of Grand Haven, Michigan - who otherwise went 15-0, forgot to select a winner of the Kentucky-Santa Clara game.  Another entrant, Ty Hedgpeth of Wilmington, North Carolina, went 15-1, with her only loss being her selection of Santa Clara, which I can only assume was an attempt at payback for all of my Duke jokes throughout the years.  (Did you see my stab at Bobby Hurley earlier?).  But, with that, the "Picks of the Day" go to the perfect 16-0 selections of Measha Williams (Canes 1 Bracket) of Houston, Texas, Steven Usma 3 of Miami, Florida, and Lily Spuhler of Acworth, Georgia.

As we approach tipoff of the Michigan-St. Louis game, good luck everyone, and remember, all games today are worth 2 points each (and some might be subject to upset bonuses!)

As always, please double check my scoring, and if you find a discrepancy, please let me know.  I will 

double-check it for you, as I am only human.  Just remember my admonition from before, I will double-check the entirety of your bracket.  Now, onto the standings!!!

FIRST ROUND STANDINGS

1.  Jason Spuhler - 48

2.  Max Macon 2 - 47

3.  Rich Samuels - 45

4.  Megan Cox - 43

     Crew Ferguson - 43

     Martha Kroesen - 43

     Day Yi 1 - 43

8.  Stephanie Henderson - 42

     Steven Usma 2 - 42

10.  Josh Zdrowak - 41

11.  Megan Corrado - 40

       Paul Kludt - 40

       Mitchell K. (Lamb) - 40

       Glen Merchant - 40

       Henry Transecki - 40

16.  Jonathan Cox 2 - 39

       Cheryl Spuhler - 39

       Measha Williams (Buddy Canes 1 Bracket) - 39

19.  Jeff Plamondon 1 - 38

       Ashley Poer 1 - 38

       Annette Pritchard 1 - 38

       Steven Usma 3 - 38

       Steven Usma 5 - 38

       Chuck Whitcomb - 38

25.  Brent Bellinger B - 37

       Kyle Henderson - 37

       Pepe Sosa 1 - 37

28.  Ty Hedgepeth - 36

       Dave Piasecki - 36

       Vincent Plamondon - 36

       Jonathan Wasserman 2 - 36

32.  Daniel Barsky 2 - 35

       Brent Bellinger A - 35

       Jim Coleman - 35

       Mark Holbert 2 - 35

       Karen Katz 1 - 35

       David Kennedy - 35

       Mango Merchant - 35

       Si "Papa Si" Nichols - 35

       Bubba Zdrowak - 35

       Keith Zdrowak - 35

42.  Shane Jernigan 2 - 34

       Brittany Sosa - 34

       Pepe Sosa 2 - 34

       Justin Yung - 34

46.  Matt Hopps - 33

       Guy Hughes - 33

       Mac Kroesen - 33

       Monte Lambert - 33

       Duncan Merchant - 33

51.  Dwayne Cushman - 32

       Benny Merchant - 32

53.  Floyd Fonte 1 - 31

       Hazy Frank - 31

       Braeden Helland - 31

       Adam Jorgensen - 31

       Karen Katz 2 - 31

       Rylee Montague - 31

       William Pujals - 31

       Matt Thibaut - 31

       Steven Usma 1 - 31

       Measha Williams (Canes 2 Bracket) - 31

       Mike Wolff 1 - 31

64.  Daniel Barsky 1 - 30

       Jonathan Cox 1 - 30

       John Hedgpeth - 30

       Blake Jackson - 30

       Max Macon 4 - 30

       Brigadier General Kareem Montague - 30

       Sasha Moon - 30

       Amanda Staudt - 30

       Katie Zdrowak - 30

73.  Joel Chernoff - 29

       Shane Jernigan 1 - 29

       Dawn Lamb - 29

       Max Macon 1 - 29

       Salvatore Plamondon - 29

       George Walks 3 - 29

       George Walks 4 - 29

80.  Colleen Giamberini - 28

       Quinn Jackson - 28

       Silas Nichols - 28

       Kingfish Parham 1 - 28

       Kingfish Parham 2 - 28

       Lily Spuhler - 28

86.  Paul Cummings 1 - 27

       Marcus Jackson - 27

       Katie Kollmeyer - 27

89.  Paul Cummings 3 - 26

       Jenna Finkelstein 2 - 26

       Carolyn Fowler - 26

       Skip LaForte - 26

       Monte Lambert 2 - 26

       Mike Litsey - 26

       Natalie Moon - 26

       Jeff Plamondon 2 - 26

       Chris Simmons - 26

       Barkley Sosa - 26

       Measha Williams (Canes 3 Bracket) - 26

100.  Trey Angus - 25

         Jenna Finkelstein - 25

         Floyd Fonte 2 - 25

         Gracie Fonte - 25

         Jacey Fowler - 25

         James Garvin - 25

         Mark Holbert - 25

         Keith W 2 (Lamb) - 25

         Sean McInerney 2 - 25

         Sean McInerney 3 - 25

         Javier Rodriguez 2 - 25

         Jasmine Tran - 25

         George Walks 2 - 25

         Stacia Wilkaitis - 25

         Biscuit Zdrowak - 25

115.  Randy Bennett - 24

         Paul Cummings 2 - 24

         Carolyn Fowler & Jane Reynolds - 24

         Justine Frank - 24

         Arlene Amo Hopps - 24

         Sean McInerney 1 - 24

         Annette Pritchard 2 - 24

         Stephanie Soplop 1 - 24

         Stephanie Soplop 2 - 24

124.  Barbara Curlett - 23

         Floyd Fonte 3 - 23

         Alyssa Hopps - 23

         Ashley Poer 2 - 23

         Jane Reynolds - 23

         Javier Rodriguez 1 - 23

         Caroline Spuhler - 23

         Steven Usma 4 - 23

         George Walks 1 - 23

         Jonathan Wasserman 1 - 23

         Day Yi 2 - 23

135.  Max Macon 3 - 22

         Amy Zdrowak - 22

137.  Colbie (Lamb) - 21

         Keith W 1 (Lamb) - 21

         Allison Parker - 21

         Hannah Sosa - 21

141.  Mike Wolff 2 - 20

NCAA Tournament Pool - 2026 - The Road to Indy (Pre-Tournament Sosa Household Brackets)

 

The NCAA Tournament Pool for 2026 recap/results will be posted here.  But for now, to invalidate any accusations of cheating when I win, the 4 brackets of the Sosa Household are posted here.

Tune in for all of the tournament reports to follow.