And the Winner Is: The Tournament Squares Pool

Congratulations Matt Hopps! You matched the final score of an absolutely horrendous final game last night and won the big prize in this pool.

Hail to the Victors?

I don't have a lot to say about that game other than eww! And if you think that was a hard game to watch on TV, be thankful you weren't there in person. At one point during the game, a drunken kid was running on the concourse telling everyone that this isn't a football game! I wasn't convinced that he was telling the truth. If they were throwing footballs at the rim, it might have been more entertaining. 

Alas, we have a champion. Michigan was the best team all year and deserved that win. UConn was a pest. A past champion playing with a muscle memory that let everyone know that they were not going away quietly. The fact that they were down 4 points with the ball with less than 30 seconds left in that game is a miracle!

That's enough about that game. I just need to get my head right for Detroit next year and hope that we get back to high-level basketball in the Final Four. Although we keep getting close finishes in games, we haven't seen really well played game in quite some time.

On to the Squares. Below are the final tallies for square wins. If you are a winner this year, I will be sending Venmo payments over the next several hours. 

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

NCAA Tournament Pool - Sweet Sixteen/Day 1

 

So the Sweet Sixteen began in earnest, and it began with a whimper as Oregon State outlasted Loyola (IL) after a blazing first half that had the Beavers leading 24-16.  That is right, ladies and gentlemen, this snorefest had Loyola scoring only 16 points in the first half.  Heck, Oregon State only had 24.  Ouch.  We had less scoring in the second game, as the one seed Baylor picked off Villanova by 11, after holding the Wildcats to only 21 points in the second half.  Oral Roberts and Arkansas provided us with a lot of drama, and astronomically more scoring by comparison, as the Razorbacks held off the Golden Eagles 72-70 when Davonte Davis hit a short jumper with 2.9 seconds left and Max Abmas - the leading scorer in the NCAA this year - had a good look for 3 from the right wing bounce off the rim to end their Cinderella season.  The nightcap appropriately left us ready to sleep as the Syracuse Orange, who scored a whopping total of 46 points, fell to the 2 seed Houston Cougars.

The games were crucial as WE HAVE A RETURNING LEADER.  Silas Nichols 2 of Washington, D.C., returns to the lead as Nancy McInerney of Atlantic Beach, Florida had a heartbreaking day.  She actually selected a Loyola/Syracuse Elite 8 matchup that would have vaulted her way ahead of everybody.  Alas, Silas jumps back into first.  But, he has Illinois winning.

We lost no champions yesterday as the only favorite to lose was Loyola.  So, our champions remain (in bold):  Alabama, Baylor, Florida, Florida State, Gonzaga, Houston, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State and Virginia.  We are guaranteed to lose at least today as Florida State and Michigan play each other.  

As far as our pool, nobody had Oregon State over Loyola, and that was a 12 versus 8 so not eligible for bonus points anyway.  But, couldn't somebody have selected Oregon State just so I wouldn't have to type out the brackets that co-win the "Pick of the Day", which are everyone that selected 3 winning teams from yesterday.  Given that a 1, a 2, and a 3 won, there really wasn't that many brackets.  So, congratulations to:  George Walks 2 of West Palm Beach, Florida, Edy Pecan of Somewhere Near West Palm Beach, Florida (I think), Rich Samuels 1 of Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, Katie Zdrowak of Orlando, Florida, Jeremy Spuhler of St. Petersburg, Florida, Martha Kroesen of West Palm Beach, Florida, Rachel Bornn of Averill Park, New York, Emily Lawson, of New York City, New York, Brian Hinaman of Parrish, Florida, Biscuit Zdrowak of Orlando, Florida, and James Garvin of Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.  All 11 of you win the "Pick of the Day".  

For standings purposes. most people received 8 points for 2 correct selections.  Obviously it was some combination of Baylor, Arkansas and Houston.  If you received 8 you likely moved up a bit, 12 you moved up a lot, 4 you moved down some, and yes we had a number of entries that failed to score any points yesterday, kind of like Syracuse.  

Players of the Day

5.  Adam Flagler, Baylor. He only scored 16 points, but also only played 24 minutes.

4.  Justin Smith, Arkansas.  Scored a tournament low 12 points, but added 14 rebounds in a game in which Arkansas needed all of them.

3.  Max Abmas, Oral Roberts.  The nation's leading scorer had 25 points, but really needed 28.

2.  Ethan Thompson, Oregon State.  Scored 22 points, had 4 rebounds and 4 assists as Oregon State held off Loyola.

1.  Jalen Tate, Arkansas.  Stepped up his scoring with 22 points, to go with 4 rebounds and 6 assists.

Social Media Posts of the Day

3.  From John Anderson on Facebook:  "Sister Jean, get them rosary beads out before I fall asleep ZZZ"

2.  From Brendan Heslin on Facebook:  "Oral Roberts is a legit basketball team" - Verbal Roberts

1.  Creator unknown - Sister Jean getting the Crying Jordan treatment.

 

Stats of the Day

3.  Syracuse only scored 46 points.  Did you see that Silas Nichols of Washington, D.C.?  Only 46.

2.  Houston, with its victory over 11 seed Syracuse, faces off against the 12 seed Oregon State in the Elite 8.  That game will make Houston the first team ever to play 4 double digits seeds in the same tournament, having already beaten 15 seed Cleveland State and 10 seed Rutgers.

1.  Justin Smith of Arkansas had 11 offensive rebounds.  11!  He had more offensive rebounds than anyone else in the game had rebounds, except Kevin Obanor who had 11 total.

And, the stats of the day bring me to today's history of the NCAA Tournament.  So Houston has/will play 4 double digit seeds, making them playing lower ranked (and presumably lesser) teams.  But, what about teams that have played tougher tournament schedules.  Ladies and Gentlemen, I introduce you to the 1997 Arizona Wildcats.

Arizona, under Hall of Fame Head Coach Lute Olson, was seeded a respectable 4 after finishing the season 19-9, earning at At-Large bid after UCLA won the Pac-10 automatic berth.  They were sent to the Southeast Regional where they defeated a surprisingly tough South Alabama team (13 seed) 65-57 in the first round.  Interestingly, South Alabama was coached by Bill Musselman, who is the father of current Arkansas coach Eric Musselman.  Arizona advanced to the second round where they defeated the College of Charleston (12 seed) 73-69, after the College of Charleston upset Maryland.

Arizona moved into the Sweet Sixteen in Birmingham, Alabama, where they encountered the 1 seeded Kansas Jayhawks, and fought off the top team and won 85-82.  That Kansas team, by the way, had Jacque Vaughn running the point, Scot Pollard patrolling the middle, and were led by the two-person punch of Raef LaFrentz, who would be the 3rd overall pick in the 1998 NBA draft by the Denver Nuggets, and Paul Pierce, who is a finalist this year for the Basketball Hall of Fame.  Arizona then took overtime to beat the 10 seed Providence 96-92 to advance to the Final Four.

The 1997 Final Four was in Indianapolis, also the location of this year's entire tourney, where they clashed with the champions of the East bracket, number 1 seeded North Carolina, a game they won 66-58.  That North Carolina team was loaded with Vince Carter, Antawn Jamison, Ed Cota, Scott Williams, Shammond Williams (no relation), and Makhtar N'Diaye.  And if you don't think I listed that many players just so I could type "Makhtar N'Diaye", you don't know me very well.

Arizona then clashed in the finals with the powerhouse Kentucky Wildcats, fresh off the 1996 championship, in the final game.  Kentucky had 6 players on that roster that would go onto the NBA, Wayner Turner, who at the time had played more college basketball games than anyone else, 151, Scott Padget, Nazr Mohammad, Jamaal Magliore, Derek Anderson and Ron Mercer.  Nevertheless, Arizona outlasted the defending champions in overitme 84-79, to win the national championship.

Ultimately, 5 guys from that Arizona team would later play in the NBA.  Included in that list are Michael Dickerson, A.J. Bramlett, and the man who would have the longest impact in the NBA Jason Terry.  But, this Arizona team was led this year by Mike Bibb, who would be the second overall pick in the 1998 NBA draft, just one spot ahead of the aforementioned Raef LaFrentz, and Miles Simon, who was named the Most Outstanding Player of the 1997 Final Four, as he was the tournament leading scorer with 132 total points, including 30 in the championship game.  Something Syracuse barely managed to do yesterday.

Kentucky, fresh off its 1996 championship over Syracuse and this 1997 overtime championship loss, went on to win the 1998 championship defeating Utah in the Finals led by Most Outstanding Player Jeff Sheppard.  And yes, I found a way to make this tournament about Kentucky.

On to the standings.  Remember, feel free to double check my scoring and let me know if you feel there is an error.  Final two teams listed with remaining possibile teams in bold.

1.  Silas Nichols 2 - 73 - Illinois/Gonzaga

2.  Colleen Hamilton 4 - 71 - Ohio State/Texas

3.  Matt Hopps - 70 - Michigan/Baylor

     George Walks 2 - 70 - Illinois/Kansas

5.  Jeff Plamondon - 69 - Gonzaga/Houston

     William Pujals - 69 - Gonaga/Houston

7.  Kingfish Parham - 68 - Gonzaga/Arkansas

8.  Nancy McInerney - 67 - Alabama/Syracuse

9.  Edy Pecan - 66 - Baylor/Alabama

     Steven Usma 4 - 66 - Baylor/LSU

     Day Yi 1 - 66 - Gonzaga/Houston

12.  Brent Bellinger 2 - 65 - Illinois/Iowa

       Silas Nichols 1 - 65- Gonzaga/Illinois

14.  Chris Igtiben 1 - 63 - Illinois/Gonzaga

15.  Brent Bellinger 1 - 62 - Gonzaga/Baylor

       Measha Williams 4 - 62 - Gonzaga/Illinois

       Justin Yung - 62 - Alabama/Houston

18.  Dave Marzouca 1 - 61 - Baylor/Kansas

       Ashley Poer 3 - Baylor/FSU

       Rich Samuels 1 - Houston/Gonzaga

       Measha Williams 2 - Gonzaga/Houston

22.  Javier Rodriguez - 60 - Gonzaga/Illinois

       Pepe Sosa - 60 - Gonzaga/Illinois

       Steven Usma 1 - 60 - Gonzaga/Illinois

       Amy Zdrowak - 60 - Gonzaga/Illinois

26.  Jacey Fowler-Reynolds 2 - 59 - Alabama/Baylor

       Brittany Sosa - 59 - Illinois/Gonzaga

       Katie Zdrowak - 59 - Iowa/Houston

29.  Braeden Helland - 58 - Gonzaga/Houston

       Ty Leatherman - 58 - Baylor/Gonzaga

31.  Jacey Fowler-Reynolds 1 - 57 - Gonzaga/Illinois

32.  Jenna Finkelstein - 56 - Kansas/Baylor

33.  Chris Igtiben 2 - 55 - Michigan/Ohio State

       Max Macon 4 - 55 - Baylor/Michigan

       Steven Usma 2 - 55 - Illinois/Michigan

       George Walks 3 - 55 - Michigan/Illinois

37.  Ashley Poer 2 - 54 - Houston/Gonzaga

       Brandon Satterwhite - 54 - Alabama/Ohio State

       Jeremy Spuhler - 54 - Gonzaga/Illinois

       Steven Usma 3 - Baylor/Gonzaga

41.  Liz Carew - 53 - Gonzaga/Illinois

       Skip LaForte - 53 - Michigan State/Baylor

       Ashley Poer 1 - 53 - Gonzaga/Villanova

       Carey Taylor - 53 - Gonzaga/Illinois

45.  Colleen Hamilton 2 - 52 - Gonzaga/Baylor

       Max Macon 3 - 52 - FSU/Arkansas

       Kisha Marzouca 2 - 52 - Baylor/Michigan

       Colonel Kareem Montague - 52 - Gonzaga/Illinois

       Measha Williams - 52 - Gonzaga/Baylor

50.  Guy Hughes - 51 - Gonzaga/Baylor

       Karen Katz - 51 - Illinois/Iowa

       Katie Kollmeyer - 51 - Michigan/Illinois

       Martha Kroesen - 51 - Illinois/Gonzaga

       Keith Zdrowak - 51 - Ohio State/Gonzaga

55.  Scott Bieterman - 50 - Illinois/Gonzaga

       Rachel Bornn - 50 - Illinois/Gonzaga

       Emily Lawson 2 - 50 - Baylor/Gonzaga

58.  Larry Green - 49 - Gonzaga/Illinois

       Stephanie Henderson - 49 - Baylor/Iowa

       Brian Hinaman - 49 - Baylor/Gonzaga

       Max Macon 2 - 49 - Michigan/West Virginia

       Measha Willimas - 49 - Gonzaga/Baylor

63.  Colleen Hamilton 3 - 48 - Ohio State/Gonzaga

       Arlene Amo Hopps - 48 -Villanova/Kansas

       Eric Inge - 48 - Illinois/Gonzaga

       Adam Jorgensen 1 - 48 - Illinois/Gonzaga

       Sasha Moon - 48 - Gonzaga/Illinois

       Dan Laishley - 48 - Baylor/FSU

       Jason Spuhler - 48 - Gonzaga/Illinois

70.  Braeden Helland 1 - 47 - Illinois/Gonzaga

       Adam Jorgensen 2 - 47 - Iowa/Illinois

       Adam Jorgensen 3 - 47 - Gonzaga/Illinois

       Joshua Ward - 47 - Baylor/Michigan

       Ken Ward - 47 - Virginia/Baylor

       Biscuit Zdrowak - 47 - Baylor/Iowa

76.  Paul Cummings - 46 - Gonzaga/Illinois

       Braeden Helland 4 - 46 - Gonzaga/Baylor

       Jonathan Wasserman - 46 - Michigan/West Virginia

79.  Dan Barsky 1 - 45 - Gonzaga/Illinois

       Mac Kroesen - 45 - Gonzaga/Illinois

       Michael McNally - 45 - Illinois/Gonzaga

       Cheryl Spuhler - 45 - Baylor/Alabama

       George Walks 4 - 45 - Houston/Alabama

84.  James Garvin - 44 - Gonzaga/Baylor

       Colleen Hamilton 1 - 44 - FSU/Arkansas

       Miles Jackson - 44 - Illinois/Alabama

       Emily Lawson 1 - 44 - Gonzaga/Baylor

       Greg Lieberman - 44 - Michigan/Ohio State

       Kisha Marzouca 1 - 44 - Illinois/Michigan

       Jane Reynolds - 44 - Alabama/Illinois

       Hannah Sosa - 44 - Florida/Michigan

92.  Quinn Jackson - 43 - Illinois/Gonzaga

       Chris LaForte - 43 - Michigan/Houston

       Max Macon 1 - 43 - Gonzaga/Baylor

95.  Luis Briones - 42 - Ohio State/Gonzaga

       Carolyn Fowler - 42 - Illinois/Alabama

       Amanda Staudt - 42 - Illinois/Michigan

98.  Braden Helland 2 - 41 - Iowa/Ohio State

       Kyle Henderson 1 - 41 - Gonzaga/Oklahoma State

       Marcus Jackson - 41 - Gonzaga/Illinois

       Barkley Sosa - 41 - Florida/Virginia

       George Walks 1 - 41 - Gonzaga/Illinois

103.  Kyle Henderson 2 - 40 - Baylor/Gonzaga

         Shane Dogmillionaire Jernigan 2 - 40 - Gonzaga/Illinois

         Rich Samuels 2 - 40 - Baylor/Iowa

106.  Wes Wiggins - 39 - Gonzaga/Oklahoma State

          Day Yi 2 - 39 - Michigan/Illinois

108.  Justin Hallack - 38 - Baylor/Gonzaga

         Rich Samuels 3 - 38 - Gonzaga/Illinois

110.  Carolyn Fowler & Jane Reynolds - 37 - Illinois/Baylor

         Dave Marzouca 2 - 37 - Ohio State/Kansas

         Joshua Zdrowak - 37 - Baylor/Michigan

113.  Blake Jackson - 36 - Alabama/Ohio State

114.  Dan Barsky 2 - 35 - Illinois/Gonzaga

         Sean McInerney - 35 Ohio State/Iowa

         Jessica Samuels - 35 - Gonzaga/West Virginia

117.  Alvaro Gonzalez - 34 - Gonzaga/Baylor

118.  Shane Dogmillionaire Jernigan 1- 33 - Illinois/Gonzaga

119.  Brian McMahon - 31 - Gonzaga/Ohio State

         Bubba Zdrowak - 31 - Alabama/Oklahoma State

2019 NCAA Tournament Pool Results - Round 2 Day 2

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, children and dogs of all ages, my apologies for the delay in posting the standings.  Contrary to popular belief, I do maintain a regular job that requires my attention from time-to-time.  I do appreciate the 8 or 9 of you that contacted me to make sure that I am OK given that these standings were not posted on Monday or Tuesday.  I even appreciate the curse words I received from a couple of you.  (I kid).  (Now, was I kidding about receiving the curse words or about appreciating it, hmmm?)  I especially apologize to Melanie Scherr of Jupiter, Florida, who I think joined the pool this year simply for the write-ups.

So, on this baseball opening day - about which I am extremely pissed.  Random aside, baseball is supposed to start the Monday of the NCAA Tournament finals (or at least one game the Sunday night before).  That way me and the crew can wear our baseball t-shirt/hats and/or jackets as applicable to support opening day baseball.  Silas Nichols of Washington, D.C. and I sat next to a dad/son at the 2006 Final Four in Indianapolis in which the dad took his son to the afternoon baseball game in Cincinnati on Monday afternoon, and then they drove to Indianapolis for the NCAA final between Florida and UCLA (the Joakim Noah is ugly game).  For those that do not know that story at the conclusion of the game Joakim Noah was noticed on camera jawing at a UCLA cheerleader.  When later asked what he was talking about he said that he was bragging to her about winning the championship since she had been calling him "ugly" all game.  Now, Silas Nichols and I may have  run into the UCLA cheerleaders the previous day at the TGI Friday's outside the NCAA Hall of Fame, which doubled as the UCLA host bar for the weekend.  When asked if we were cheering for UCLA or Florida, one of us might have said something along the lines of, "How can we cheer for a team that has a player as ugly as Joakim Noah".  You're welcome America.  Anyway, this calendar is screwy for having the NCAA Finals on the 8th, and baseball starting March 28 (excluding the Japan games, of course).  Damn Global Warming.

Well, I digress. Despite the calendar starting to turn to baseball - at least to the extent anyone cares about baseball anymore - we turn back to Sunday's basketball games, and tonight's Sweet Sixteen.  Sunday's results were uneventful, in that every single higher seed was victorious.  In fact, 15 of the top 16 seeds advanced to the Sweet Sixteen.  The only exception was Kansas State, that lost to UC-Irvine way back in the first round.  UC-Irvine, the 13th seed, lost to much higher seeded Oregon (12th) last round so no bonuses were awarded.  We do have a couple of entries that have Oregon advancing, and moving forward, Oregon is the only team that could possible earn bonus points.  For those of you with Oregon in the Elite 8 - good luck.

Speaking of Oregon, a number of entries had Oregon in the Sweet Sixteen, which led to way more entries than you would think having a perfect 8-for-8 Sunday.  Even more had 7 of 8.  Basically, if you had 6 or less winners from Sunday's games, you lost ground.  Because of the sheer volume of that, I am not awarding any of those brackets the "Pick of the Day".  The Pick of the Day is awarded to Biscuit Zdrowak of Orlando, Florida who had the University of Central Florida Knights defeating the Duke Blue Devils, which even though that upset did not occur, OH MY GOD!!!

Had UCF had one of about 5 plays go their way, literally just one, they win that game.  The Kinght's Aubrey Dawkins (son of coach and Duke star Johnny Dawkins), despite being way behind the entire Duke defense on a fast break, mishandled a wide-open alley-oop that went for naught and turned into a turnover  (that's one).  On the penultimate series with Duke down 3, Duke's Zion Williamson pushes off the defender with the left-hand as he entered the top of the key, which gave him a lane to the basket.  Zion, who is simply a force of nature, sought contact with the 7-6 behemoth from Senegal Tacko Fall, who not only fouled out on the play but allowed Williamson to get a clean look at the basket for a field goal.  If either the offensive foul is called or Fall let's Williamson score, UCF is up 3 or 1 after that possession (that's two).  Williamson missed the potential game-tying free throw, but Duke freshman R.J. Barrett pushed the defender under the basket so that he was able to rebound the miss and lay it in for a Duke 1 point lead (that's three).  UCF however, wasn't done, and had 8.1 seconds remaining.  In going for the win and to advance to the Sweet Sixteen, Knight guard B.J. Taylor dribbles around Duke defensive stopper Trae Jones, gets to the rim and is able to put up a bank shot that was a bit too hard (that's four).  Incidentally, UCF apologists have clamored for a foul on this drive, but this contact was mostly initiated by Taylor, and was minimal compared to the rest of the game so I feel the no-call here was correct.  The aforementioned Dawkins, seeing that Taylor's shot is going to come of the rim, skies around Williamson for the rebound and tips the ball back of the backboard much softer than Taylor, but his tip hits the backboard, hits the rim and falls harmlessly (for the overall number 1 seed) or heartbreakingly (for the 9th seeded Knights) to R.J. Barrett to end the game.  Wow.  Interestingly, a statistician company played 10,000 versions of each game in the tournament and had UCF defeating Duke over 61% of the time.  Too bad the mathematicians calculated this one wrong otherwise our brackets would have become REALLY interesting.

The one good thing about this outcome is the sentiment that due to the referee's no-calls, if Duke wins the championship UCF will hang a championship banner in their gym.

The Tennessee-Iowa game deserves mention only because Tennessee jumped out to a casual 25 point lead, then Iowa came back to ultimately send the game to overtime.  The Hawkeyes were spent by that pint, and the Volunteers ultimately won by 6.  Otherwise, the games were mostly boring.

This made it difficult for me to try to find an applicable tournament history lesson.  But, while reviewing the brackets one thing sticks out - the 12th seeded Oregon Ducks.  Then it dawned on me.  I don't believe anyone in this pool was alive when Oregon won its only basketball national championship.

Amelia Earhart was officially declared dead; Spanish Nationalist troops take Barcelona; Pope Pius XI dies of a heart attack succeeded by Pope Pius XII as the 260th Pope; German troops occupied Bohemia and Moravia, effectively eliminating Czechoslovakia as a country; England and South Africa commenced the longest game of cricket ever played, which only concluded after 12 days because the English team had to catch the last ferry home; and the University of Oregon defeated The Ohio State University 46-33 in Evanston, Illinois to capture the first championship in NCAA Tournament history.  Welcome to the first quarter of 1939.

Oregon, with a 26-5 record bested Texas 56-41 in the first round and Oklahoma 55-37 in the Final Four before winning the championship by beating Ohio State (there were only 8 teams in the tournament).  The Ducks held a definitive height advantage over most teams, and also had a serious experience advantage as all 5 of their starters returned from the previous season.  In the championship game, Oregon received a game high 15 points from John H. Dick (who went on to become a Rear Admiral in the Navy), while three other starters, 6'8" Urgel "Slim" Wintermute, Basketball Hall of Famer Lauren "Laddie" Gale (himself 6'4"), and Bobby Anet were named to various All-American teams.  During the final game, Anet broke the championship trophy while diving for a loose ball during the game and knocking it over - breaking.  Ohio State's Jimmy Hull was named Most Outstanding Player of the tournament after scoring a tournament-high 58 points in his 3 games.

It should be noted that as big a money-making venture as the NCAA Tournament is now, the 1939 tournament lost $2,531.

Dick, joined the United States Navy as an aviator in 1942 after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and remained int he Navy until 1973.  He rose to the rank of Rear Admiral after captaining the USS Saratoga supercarrier from 1967-1969.  This has nothing to do with basketball, but I found it interesting.

Since all of the higher seeds won, for the first full day in the tournament, we did not lose a champion from our pool.  This means we still have 11 different teams that have been selected by at least one entrant to be NCAA Champion.  That number is going to change tonight as we will lose at least two champions given that Gonzaga and Florida State meet as does Tennessee and Purdue.  Our champions - with the 11 remaining champions in bold - are:  Duke, Florida, Florida State, Gonzaga, Houston, Kansas, Kansas State, Kentucky, Michigan, Michigan State, North Carolina, Purdue, Syracuse, Tennessee, Villanova, Virginia.

As for tonight, we have a Sweet Sixteen rematch between Gonzaga and Florida State kicking things off with the 1 seeded Bulldogs looking for revenge, , and fellow 1 seed Virginia playing late in the evening.  Purdue-Tennessee and Texas Tech-Michigan also are on the agenda.  Plenty of selections on both sides of each of these games, so a lot of jostling could occur in the standings.  In golf parlance this is Saturday, "Moving Day".  Hoping not to move too much are our co-leaders, Carolyn Fowler of Greenacres, Florida, and Matt Hopps of Quincy, Massachussetts.

Feel free to check your scores.  Let me know if you see a discrepancy.  Otherwise, enjoy the start of the Sweet Sixteen.

1 - Carolyn Fowler - 78 - Gonzaga/North Carolina

      Matt Hopps - 78 - Duke/North Carolina

3 - Max Macon #2 - 76 - Tennessee/Michigan State
     Measha Williams #2 - 76 - Gonzaga/Virginia

     Measha Williams #3 - 76 - Gonzaga/Virginia

6 - Max Macon #4 - 75 - Duke/Houston

7 - Marcus Jackson - 74 - Virginia/Duke
      Katie Kollmeyer - 74 - Tennessee/Duke

9 - Ashley Poer #2 - 73 - Virginia/Michigan State
      Justin Yung - 73 - Gonzaga/Virginia

11 - Scott Bieterman - 72 - Duke/Kentucky

12 - Silas Nichols - 71 - North Carolina/Michigan

       Krystal Travers - 71 - Kansas State/Florida State

14 - Duncan Merchant - 70 - Duke/Houston
       George Walks #2 - North Carolina/Duke

16 - Brian Hinaman - 69 - Duke/North Carolina
       Mac Kroesen - 69 - North Carolina/Duke
       Ty Leatherman - 69 - Duke/Virginia
       Chad Phillips - 69 - Florida State/North Carolina

20 - Paul Cummings - 68 - North Carolina/Duke

       Debbie Igdaloff Nieman - 68 Duke/North Carolina

       Martha Kroesen - 68 - Gonzaga/North Carolina

       Dave Piasecki #1 -68 - Florida/Kentucky
       Melanie Scherr - 68 - North Carolina/Duke

       Michael Spicer - 68 - North Carolina/Buffalo

       Jonathan Wasserman - 68 - North Carolina/Duke

27 - Karen Katz - 67 - Gonzaga/Houston
        Philip Kroesen - 67 - North Carolina/Duke

29 - William Pujals - 66 - Duke/North Carolina
       Steven Usma #3 - 66 - Kentucky/Duke

31 - Alyssa Ave - 65 - Purdue/Michigan
       Anthony LaPira - 65 - Duke/Tennessee

       Kareem Montague - 65 - Virginia/Duke

       Kyle Sheehan - 65 - Duke/Kentucky

       Steven Usma #4 - 65 - Duke/Kentucky

       George Walks #3 - 65 - Florida State/Kentucky

37 - Jacey Fowler #2 - 64 - North Carolina/Florida State

       Coby Kroesen - 64 - North Carolina/Duke

39 - Chris Kroesen - 63 - North Carolina/Michigan State

       Max Macon #1 - 63 - Virginia/LSU

       Max Marion #2 - 63 - Duke/North Carolina

       Barkley Sosa - 63 - Kentucky/LSU
       Brittany Sosa - 63 - Duke/North Carolina
       Steven Usma #5 - 63 - Virginia/Gonzaga
       Harrington Wax III - 63 - North Carolina/Michigan State

46 - Bill Ganoe #1 - 62 - North Carolina/Duke
       Alvaro Gonzalez - 62 - Duke/Tennessee

       Max Marion - 62 - Duke/Virginia

       Rich Samuels #2 - 62 - North Carolina/LSU
       Steven Usma #1 - 62 - Duke/North Carolina
       Steven Usma #2 - 62 - Virginia/Michigan State

       Measha Williams #1 - 62 - Gonzaga/North Carolina

       Mike Zachary - 62 - Duke/North Carolina

54 - Dan Barsky #2 - 61 - Duke/North Carolina
       Mango Merchant - 61 - Gonzaga/Virginia

56 - Carolyn Fowler and Jane Reynolds - 60 - Kentucky/Michigan State
       Adam Jorgensen - 60 - Michigan State/Virginia

       Edy Pecan - 60 - Syracuse/Kentucky

       Jeremy Spuhler - 60 - Tennessee/LSU
       George Walks #5 - 60 - Gonzaga/North Carolina

61 - Sean McInerney - 59 - Duke/North Carolina

       Allison Parker - 59 - Kentucky/Michigan
       Dave Piasecki #2 - 59 - Florida/North Carolina

       Brittany Sosa - 59 - Gonzaga/Virginia

       Pepe Sosa - 59 - Kentucky/Michigan State

66 - Jenna Finkelstein - 58 -  Gonzaga/Tennessee
       Eric Inge - 58 - Duke/North Carolina

       Kline Kroesen - 58 - North Carolina/Michigan

69 - Glen Merchant - 57 - Duke/Houston

       Kingfish Rod Parham - 57 - Duke/Tennessee

       Jane Reynolds - 57 - Duke/Kentucky
       George Walks #1 - 57 - Kansas/Duke

       Amy Zdrowak - 57 - Duke/Virginia

74 - Hilary Kroesen 56 - Kentucky/Gonzaga
       Sasha Moon - 56 - Duke/Tennessee
       Traci Sheehan - 56 - Michigan State/Tennessee

        Jason Spuhler - 56 - Duke/North Carolina

78 - Bill Ganoe #2 - 55 - Gonzaga/North Carolina
       Arlene Amo Hopps - 55 - Villanova/Virginia Tech

       Skip LaForte - 55 - Michigan State/North Carolina

       Michael Litsey - 55 - Michigan/Virginia

       Dana Mandelbaum - 55 - North Carolina/Duke

       Annette Pritchard - 55 - Gonzaga/North Carolina

       Robert Tanen #2 - 55 - Gonzaga/Virginia

85 - Jacey Fowler #1 - 54 - Villanova/Texas Tech

       Ashley Poer #1 - 54 - Duke/Tennessee

       Jordyn Sheehan - 54 - Duke/Tennessee

       Robert Tanen #1 - 54 - Florida State/North Carolina
      Josh and Katie Zdrowak - 54 - North Carolina/Duke

90 - Jean Calixte - 53 - Duke/North Carolina

       Scott Hansel - 53 - Duke/Kentucky

       Matt Nieman - 53 - Virginia/Gonzaga

       Chris Petit - 53 - North Carolina/Duke

       John Santucci - 53 - Kansas/Michigan
       Ira Schulteis - 53 - Duke/North Carolina

       George Walks #4 - 53 - Duke/Virginia

97 - Rachel Bornn - 52 - Duke/Kentucky

98 - Robert Hosmer - 51 - Duke/Virginia

       Jeff Pamondon - 51 - Duke/Tennessee
        Annette Pritchard #2 - 51 - Duke/North Carolina
        Meredith Tanen - 51 - Gonzaga/Virginia

102 - Dan Barsky #1 - 50 - Gonzaga/North Carolina
          David Olson - 50 - North Carolina/Duke

104 - Hilary Kroesen #2 - 49 - Kansas/Marquette

         Wes Wiggins - 49 - Gonzaga/Virginia

106 - Katie Zdrowak - 48 - Duke/Tennessee

107 - James Garvin - 47 - Duke/Virginia

         Max Macon #3 - 47 - Gonzaga/Kentucky

         Rich Samuels #1 - 47 - Duke/Kentucky
         Cheryl Spuhler - 47 - Duke/Tennessee

         Tara Telliott - 47 - North Carolina/Duke

         Joshua Zdrowak - 47 - North Carolina/Michigan

113 - Samantha Sheehan - 46 - Duke/Tennessee

114 - Liz Carew - 45 - Kentucky/Duke

         Hannah Sosa - 45 - Virginia/Duke

116 - Abigail Sosa - 44 - Tennessee/Duke

117 - Jennifer Armstrong - 43 - Duke/Wisconsin
         Luis Briones - 43 - Duke/Villanova

119 - Biscuit Zdrowak - 41 - Virginia/Michigan State

120 - Griffey Parker - 40 - Houston/Duke

         Jessica Samuels - 40 - Virginia/Gonzaga

122 - Cubbie Kroesen - 39 - Kentucky/Marquette

123 - Keith Zdrowak - 36 - Duke/North Carolina