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 - Sweet Sixteen

Rick Pitino is a traitor.  Pure and simple.  And not only that, somehow he was mesmerized by an undead and turned.  And yet, in the Sweet Sixteen, I found myself rooting for a vampire for the first time since David Boreanaz's portrayal of Angelus in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its spinoff - Angel.  [Ed. Note - Pepster is saying Pitino is a vampire, in case that wasn't clear.]  But despite St. John's intensity and athleticism, Duke managed to escape into the Elite 8.  

Not all of the favorites - or more specifically our collective champions, were as fortunate.  All told, we lost 5 of our champions, including the aforementioned St. John's.  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.

And speaking of Iowa and Tennessee, we had three upsets in the Sweet Sixteen, including the Hawkeyes and the Volunteers.  Joining them were the Illinois Illini.  Sadly, nobody earned any bonus points for these upsets, but several people did select Illinois and Tennessee into the Elite 8.  Only one picked Iowa to advance this far.  So, congratulations to Paul Cummings 1 of Palm City, Florida, as you earned the "Pick of the Sweet Sixteen" Award.  And with his prescient selections, Paul jumps up into third place.

And speaking of Iowa, this is the first time Iowa has made it to the Elite 8 since 1987.  Iowa entered the tournament as a solid 2 seed behind UNLV in the west.  The Hawkeyes were coached by the now-legendary Dr. Tom Davis, who them was in his first season at Iowa.  He had on his bench as an assistant coach, the reprehensible Bruce Pearl.  Iowa finished the season 30-5, and traveled to Tucson, Arizona for its first-round matchup against Santa Clara, which Iowa easily won 99-76.  The Hawkeyes were paced by stars Kevin Gamble and Roy Marble, with Gamble scoring 18 points and Marble adding 16 with 7 rebounds.

In the second round, Iowa needed all of Marble's 28 points and Gamble's 14.  Point guard, and person who looked older in college than he did in the NBA B.J. Armstrong added 16 points as Iowa defeated UTEP by 2, 84-82.  UTEP was led by star - and should be NBA Hall of Famer - Tim Hardaway, who had 11 points, 2 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block.  The Miners were led in scoring by Mike Richmond (18 points) and Jeep Jackson (16 points) but succumbed to the Hawkeyes, who advanced to the Sweet Sixteen.

In the Sweet Sixteen in Seattle, Iowa faced off against Oklahoma, and the Sooners gave them everything they could handle.  But Iowa advanced to the Elite 8 93-91 in overtime, behind Kevin Gamble's 26 points, 2 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals.  Armstrong added a double-double with 16 points and 10 assists.  Marble had 11 points and 7 rebounds.     Oklahoma, which had future pros Harvey Grant, Stacey King - a future teammate of B.J. Armstrong - and Ricky Grace, were led by Tim McCalister's 26 points and David Johnson's 20 points and 12 rebounds.  Iowa headed to the Elite 8, where they found the 1 seed, UNLV.

UNLV's team was loaded with college talent.  Its starters were Mark Wade and Freddie Banks in the backcourt, Gerald Paddio and Armon Gilliam at the forwards, and Jarvis Basnight in the middle.  Gary Graham, who played on the still greatest high school team ever at Baltimore Dunbar, came off the bench.  For Iowa, B.J. Armstrong and Kevin Gamble led the team with 18 points each, with future NBAer Brad Lohaus contributing 12 points and 7 rebounds.  Roy Marble had a difficult day shooting, going 3-10 from the field and 3-7 from the free throw line.  This wasn't enough for Iowa, as they fell 84-81.  Gilliam led the way for the Runnin' Rebels with 27 points and 10 rebounds.  Paddio added 20 points and Banks contributed 17.  Mark Wade, running an efficient offense, had 12 assists to go with his 3 points and 4 rebounds.  UNLV headed to the Final Four in New Orleans, along with Indiana, Syracuse, and Providence.

In the Final Four, UNLV fell to Indiana 97-93.  In the other semifinals, Syracuse defeated fellow Big East member Providence 77-63.  Indiana famously defeated Syracuse in the final 74-73, behind a last-second shot by Keith Smart, which helped earn him the MOP award.  The leading scorers for the entire tournament were Steve Alford, the sharpshooter for Indiana, and Rony Seikaly, the center and future world-renowned DJ for Syracuse.

Now, back to our tournament ...

So Houston lost, but its coach Kelvin Sampson will be at the Final Four (or at least he should be).  And I do not mean in the "Just in town to attend the NABC annual convention" type of way.  He is a finalist for the Basketball Hall of Fame, with the announcement of this year's class taking place on April 4.  He SHOULD make it.  Joining him should be Dick Motta, Jerry Crawford, Mike D'Antoni, Marques Johnson, and a heavy dose of women ... Jennifer Azzi, Elena Della Donne, Chamique Holdsclaw, Candace Parker, and the 1996 US Women's National Team.

The Sweet Sixteen had two standout plays which need mentioning here.  The first, and most important play, was Trey Kaufman-Renn's tip-in off a missed shot with .7 seconds left for Purdue to advance to the Elite 8.  The second was Alvaro Fulgeiras' dunk for Iowa against Nebraska off a virtual-length-of-the court inbound pass with just under one minute to go.  Fulgeiras, who was fouled on the dunk, completed the three-point play to allow Iowa to defeat Nebraska.  More on this play, well now.

Stats of the Day

4.  Arizona had 6 players score 14 points or more in its victory over Arkansas.  This is the first time this has happened in NCAA history.

3.  Meanwhile, Zero Illinois players scored 15 points or more in its Sweet Sixteen win over the Houston Cougars.  ZERO.  It was a very sloppy, defensive-oriented game, but still.  ZERO?

2.  10!  Number of steals by Notre Dame's Hannah Hidalgo.  Although this falls short of the single-game record set by Ticha Penichiero of Old Dominion - who had 14 in a game - Hidalgo has already set the record for most steals in one NCAA Tournament with 24 - this year.  The men's record is 8, shared by Ty Lawson from North Carolina in 2009, Russ Smith from Louisville in 2013, and most recently by JD Notae of Arkansas in 2022.

1.  Four.  4.  Literally 4.  The number of Nebraska players on the Court for the Alvaro Fulgeiras dunked mentioned above - AFTER A NEBRASKA TIMEOUT!!!  Coach Fred Hoiberg has taken the blame for this, but there is a whole lot of blame to go around on this.  No truth to the rumor that Nebraska was confused because of all the 6-on-6 basketball played in Iowa High Schools.

Players of the Day

12.  Trey Kaufman-Renn, Purdue - I am going to 12 just so I can include TKR in this list.  20 points, 8 rebounds, and the aforementioned tip-in.

11.  Yaxel Lendeborg, Michigan - 23 points, 11 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals

10.  MiLaysia Fulwiley, LSU - 28 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, 1 block

9.  Pryce Sandfort, Nebraska - 25 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists

8.  Cameron Boozer, Duke - 22 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 block

7.  Sara Strong, UConn - 21 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, 5 steals, 2 blocks

6.  Toby Fournier, Duke - 22 points, 9 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 steals, 1 block

5.  Darius Acuff, Jr., Arkansas - 28 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal

4.  Mikayla Shakes, Vanderbilt - 26 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, 1 block

3.  Tremon Mack, Texas - 29 points, 3 rebounds, 1 steal

2.  LaBaron Philon, Alabama - 35 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal

1.  Hannah Hidalgo, Notre Dame - 31 points, 11 rebounds, 7 assists, 10 steals

And, I would also like to compliment Sinickal, the person hosting the other pool on this site, for his mention of an athlete's accomplishment in the Women's NCAA Tournament during his Sweet Sixteen posts.  Welcome to the 20th Century!

Standings after the Sweet Sixteen

1.  Max Macon 2 - 91 - Florida/ARIZONA

     Rich Samuels - 91 - ARIZONA/DUKE

3.  Paul Cummings - 87 - DUKE/PURDUE

4.  Jason Spuhler - 86 - Houston/ARIZONA

5.  Stephanie Henderson - 84 - ILLINOIS/ARIZONA

     Jeff Plamondon 1 - 84 - MICHIGAN/Florida

     Steven Usma 2 - 84 - DUKE/ARIZONA

8.  Brigadier General Kareem Montague - 83 - ARIZONA/Michigan State

     Measha Williams (Buddy Canes 1 Bracket) - 83 - DUKE/ARIZONA

10.  Glen Merchant - 82 - DUKE/ARIZONA

       Steven Usma 1 - 82 - ARIZONA/Michigan State

12.  Jonathan Cox 2 - 81 - Houston/ARIZONA

13.  Ashley Poer 1 - 80 - MICHIGAN/Houston

       Pepe Sosa 1 - 80 - ARIZONA/Florida

       Steven Usma 5 - 80 - Florida/Iowa State

       Chuck Whitcomb - 80 - DUKE/MICHIGAN

17.  Crew Ferguson - 79 - DUKE/ARIZONA

       Kyle Henderson - 79 - UCONN/Gonzaga

       Brittany Sosa - 79 - Florida/ARIZONA

       Cheryl Spuhler - 79 - Florida/PURDUE

       Josh Zdrowak - 79 - DUKE/MICHIGAN

22.  Henry Transecki - 78 - Florida/Iowa State

23.  Jim Coleman - 77 - ARIZONA/ILLINOIS

       Karen Katz 2 - 77 - ARIZONA/Michigan State

25.  Mitchell K (Lamb) - 76 - ARIZONA/Houston

26.  Brent Bellinger A - 75 - ARIZONA/Florida

       Brent Bellinger B -75 - MICHIGAN/Michigan State

       Floyd Fonte 1 - 75 - MICHIGAN/Florida

       Mango Merchant - 75 - ARIZONA/DUKE

30.  Daniel Barsky 1 - 74 - ARIZONA/Florida

       John Hedgpeth - 74 - DUKE/MICHIGAN

       Ty Hedgpeth - 74 - DUKE/ARIZONA

       Paul Kludt - 74 - Florida/PURDUE

       Max Macon 4 - 74 - PURDUE/DUKE

       Benny Merchant - 74 - MICHIGAN/UCONN

       Silas Nichols - 74 - MICHIGAN/UCONN

       Dave Piasecki - 74 - Florida/Iowa State

       Justin Yung - 74 - MICHIGAN/DUKE

39.  Carolyn Fowler - 73 - UCONN/PURDUE

       Mark Holbert 2 - 73 - UCONN/PURDUE

       Matt Hopps - 73 - ARIZONA/Michigan State

       Guy Hughes - 73 - Florida/MICHIGAN

       Adam Jorgensen - 73 - ARIZONA/ILLINOIS

       Karen Katz 1 - 73 - ARIZONA/Houston

       David Kennedy - 73 - DUKE/MICHIGAN

       Mac Kroesen - 73 - MICHIGAN/ILLINOIS

       Martha Kroesen - 73 - Florida/MICHIGAN

       Monte Lambert 1 - 73 - Houston/ARIZONA

       Mike Wolff 1 - 73 - DUKE/MICHIGAN

50.  Megan Corrado - 72 - Houston/ARIZONA

       Natalie Moon - 72 - DUKE/Iowa State

       Vincent Plamondon - 72 - DUKE/PURDUE

       Katie Zdrowak - 72 - UCONN/MICHIGAN

54.  Daniel Barsky 2 - 71 - Houston/ARIZONA

       Si "Papa Si" Nichols - 71 - ARIZONA/Michigan State

       William Pujals - 71 - DUKE/MICHIGAN

       Carolyn Fowler & Jane Reynolds - 71 - Alabama/DUKE

       Shane Jernigan 2 - 71 - ILLINOIS/MICHIGAN

 

59.  Annette Pritchard 1 - 70 - Florida/ARIZONA

       Jonathan Wasserman - 70 - DUKE/MICHIGAN

       Biscuit Zdrowak - 70 - BYU/DUKE

62.  Duncan Merchant - 69 - ARIZONA/DUKE

       Jonathan Cox 2 - 69 - DUKE/ARIZONA

64.  Jenna Finkelstein - 68 - Florida/ARIZONA

       Blake Jackson - 68 - ARIZONA/Florida

66.  Joel Chernoff - 67 - MICHIGAN/DUKE

       Barbara Curlett - 67 - Florida/MICHIGAN

       Gracie Fonte - 67 - Florida/MICHIGAN

       Hazy Frank - 67 - MICHIGAN/Michigan State

       Day Yi 2 - 67 - DUKE/MICHIGAN

71.  Colleen Giamberini - 66 - MICHIGAN/Houston

       Braeden Helland - 66 - Florida/MICHIGAN

       Mike Litsey - 66 - Florida/MICHIGAN

       Steven Usma 3 - 66 - DUKE/MICHIGAN

75.  James Garvin - 65 - Florida/PURDUE

       Shane Jernigan 1 - 65 - MICHIGAN/DUKEB

       Max Macon 1 - 65 - Florida/PURDUE

       Salvatore Plamondon - 65 - Florida/MICHIGAN

       Measha Williams (Canes 2 Bracket) - 65 - ARIZONA/UCONN

       Day Yi 1 - 65 - St. John's/ARIZONA

       Bubba Zdrowak - 65 - Florida/MICHIGAN

82.  Randy Bennett - 64 - MICHIGAN/Florida

       Paul Cummings 2 - 64 - ARIZONA/Michigan State

       Dwayne Cushman - 64 - DUKE/ARIZONA

       Kingfish Parham 2 - 64 - DUKE/Arkansas

       Pepe Sosa 2 - 64 - ARIZONA/Florida

       Amanda Staudt - 64 - ARIZONA/ILLINOIS

       Measha Williams (Canes 3 Bracket) - 64 - DUKE/ARIZONA

89.  Trey Angus - 63 - DUKE/MICHIGAN

        Floyd Fonte 2 - 63 - Iowa State/Houston

        Alyssa Hopps - 63 - DUKE/MICHIGAN

        Sean McInerney 2 - 63 - MICHIGAN/Florida

        Sean McInerney 4 - 63 - Florida/MICHIGAN

        George Walks 3 - 63 - Kansas/Gonzaga

        George Walks 4 - 63 - Florida/MICHIGAN

        Keith Zdrowak - 63 - ARIZONA/DUKE

97.  Paul Cummings 3 - 62 - MICHIGAN/DUKE

       Justine Frank - 62 - Florida/MICHIGAN

       Rylee Montague - 62 - MICHIGAN/Michigan State

       Sasha Moon - 62 - Florida/ARIZONA

       Jeff Plamondon - 62 - ARIZONA/Houston

       Lily Spuhler - 62 - Florida/ARIZONA

103.  Megan Cox - 61 - Virginia/DUKE

         Jenna Finkelstein - 61 - Florida/ARIZONA

         Jacey Fowler - 61 - North Carolina/Alabama

         Jane Reynolds - 61 - Florida/MICHIGAN

         Javier Rodriguez 2 - 61 - DUKE/ARIZONA

         Jasmine Tran - 61 - Florida/Alabama

109.  Skip LaForte - 60 - Michigan State/ARIZONA

         Monte Lamber 2 - 60 - ARIZONA/Florida

         Floyd Fonte 3 - 60 - Michigan State/MICHIGAN

         Javier Rodriguez 1 - 60 - DUKE/MICHIGAN

113.  Hannah Sosa - 59 - Florida/PURDUE

         Matt Thibaut - 59 - Florida/MICHIGAN

         Stacia Wilkaitis - 59 - Florida/ARIZONA

116.  Chris Simmons - 58 - ARIZONA/Florida

         Stephanie Soplop - 58 - UCONN/PURDUE

118.  Katie Kollmeyer - 57 - MICHIGAN/Michigan State

         Ashley Poer 2 - 57 - ARIZONA/DUKE

         Caroline Spuhler - 57 - Florida/Texas Tech

         Steven Usma 4 - 57 - MICHIGAN/Florida

         George Walks 2 - 57 - ARIZONA/Kansas

 

123.  Arlene Amo Hopps - 56 - UCONN/Virginia

         Max Macon 3 - 56 - Houston/ARIZONA

         Annette Pritchard 2 - 56 - ARIZONA/DUKE

         Marcus Jackson - 56 - DUKE/MICHIGAN

127.  Dawn Lamb - 55 - Kansas/Gonzaga

         Jonathan Wasserman 2 - 55 - MICHIGAN/DUKE

129.  Stephanie Soplop 1 - 54 - Florida/Miami

130.  Keith W. (Lamb) - 53 - Houston/ARIZONA

         George Walks 1 - 53 - DUKE/ARIZONA

132.  Sean McInerney 1 - 52 - DUKE/Iowa State

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

         Amy Zdrowak - 51 - DUKE/MICHIGAN

135.  Quinn Jackson - 50 - Kentucky/MICHIGAN

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

         Mark Holbert 1 - 49 - ARIZONA/Florida

138.  Allison Parker - 47 - Virginia/North Carolina

139.  Mike Wolff 2 - 46 - DUKE/Texas Tech

140.  Kingfish Parham 1 - 44 - ARIZONA/Florida

141.  Barkley Sosa - 42 - UCONN/Gonzaga

NCAA Tournament Pool - Round 2/Day 2

*Please note - there will be no update on Friday after the Thursday Sweet Sixteen games.  My schedule for work/life just will not permit it.  There will be a full Sweet Sixteen post on Saturday!*

AND DOWN GOES FRAZIER!!! DOWN GOES FRAZIER!!! DOWN GOES FRAZIER!!!  We knew that we had to lose at least one champion, as Iowa State and Kentucky played against each other.  But, WE LOST FOUR!!!  And with Florida and Kentucky both losing, we will not have a repeat champion.  But Pepster, Kentucky didn't win last year.  Correct!  But, their starting point guard Denzel Aberdeen did, as a player for the Florida Gators before transferring to the Wildcats this year.  So he cannot repeat either.  

And speaking of Florida, my lovely wife Racecar attended the Florida games in Tampa with fellow entrant Jenna Finkelstein, of St.  Petersburg, Florida.  Here is a picture of them after the round 1 game ...

And here is a picture of them after the second round game...

Florida lost because Todd Gulden inexplicably called for a full court press while up 2, which allowed a pick to free up Iowa to run downcourt unmolested to create a 3-on-2 fast break, allowing Alvaro Fulgueiras hit a wide-open three from the corner, that busted almost everybody's bracket to some extent.  EXCEPT ...the four brave souls that selected Iowa over Florida to earn the upset bonus.  Those entries, Paul Cummings of Palm City, Florida, Carolyn Fowler of Greenacres, Florida, Rylee Montague of Lille, France and Biscuit Zdrowak of Orlando, Florida, earn the collective "Picks of the Day".  Particular props to Paul Cummings, who not only selected Iowa over Florida, but also made the second-round game his guarantee!!!  Congrats Paul - lots of points there!

On another note, Fulgueiras is a great story.  Playing at Iowa from Spain, he hadn't seen his mom since school started in August just prior to coming out for Friday's first-round game.  And although it was touching to see them hug after he hit the shot - which will definitely show up in One Shining Moment - I fear that if Iowa advances and further, that his Mom might turn into a Sister Jean type of situation - where the media coverage overshadows the team.

And speaking of One Shining Moment, we had not one, but two buzzer-beaters yesterday!!!  The first came when St. John's Dylan Darling was able to just blow by his defender from the point to get to the rim for a relatively easy layup, as St. John's defeated Kansas by two.  Fulgueiras and Darling, Otega Oweh awaits you!

Not only did Florida and Kentucky lose, but so did Kansas and Virginia - leaving our collective champion selections a little lighter.  They are:  ALABAMA, ARIZONA, CONNECTICUT, DUKE, Florida, HOUSTON, ILLINOIS, IOWA STATE, Kansas, Kentucky, MICHIGAN, MICHIGAN STATE, North Carolina, PURDUE, ST. JOHN'S and Virginia.

Of note, the Kentucky game was a particularly physical battle, as the refs let a lot go.  (Please note this is not a complaint on the officiating, as games take on a life of their own, and as long as the refs are consistent, the players have to adjust.)  I only note this because I remarked, in two separate text groups, that if the referees are going to allow overly-physical play, that will always favor the team with a Serbian.  Factor that knowledge in on future bets.

Speaking of Dylan Darling, here are my Stats of the Day.

Stats of the Day

5.  Laila Hall, North Carolina - 3 blocks in her women's tournament game - IN ONLY 17 MINUTES!!!

4.  Kentucky - 20 turnovers in the game.  Hard to win playing like that

3.  Tamin Lipsey, Iowa State had 5 steals - 1/4 of those 20 Kentucky turnovers

3.  Matt Painter, Purdue Coach and Alumnus - Won his 500th game

1.  2 points - The total number of points scored by Dylan Darling for St. John's over Kansas

  

Yes, you read that correctly.  Darling, who scored the last-second, game-winning, buzzer-beater against Kansas, scored his only two points of the game on that shot!

Players of the Day

10.  Fletcher Loyer, Purdue - 24 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists, 1 steal

9.  Olivia Miles, TCU - 18 points, 10 rebounds, 8 assists, 1 steal

8.  Tavon Banks, Iowa - 20 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal

7.  Olivia Olson, Michigan - 27 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals

6.  Latrell Wrightsell, Alabama - 24 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals

5.  Mikaylah Williams, LSU - 24 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal

4.  Tamin Lipsey, Iowa State - 26 points, 3 rebounds, 10 assists, 5 steals

3.  Syla Swords, Michigan - 26 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, 1 block

2.  Alex Karaban, Connecticut - 27 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block

1.  Madison Booker, Texas - 40 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals

Before we get to the standings, it is time for the NCAA Tournament history lesson, brought to you by Iowa defeating Florida - a 9-seed beating a 1-seed.

We head back to the 199 NCAA Tournament, second round, on March 15 specifically, inside the Cox Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.  The number 1 seeded Kansas Jayhawks had a tremendous season, entering the tournament 34-3.  They thoroughly annihilated Prairie View A&M 110-52 in the first round (sound familiar to this year?), behind the play of its two stars, Paul Pierce (who had 25 points and rebounds) and Raef Lafrentz (who added 20 points and a game-high 15 rebounds).  Rhode Island had itself a high-scoring game, hanging 97 on Murray State to win comfortably by 23.  Rhode Island had 6 different players score in double-digits in this game, including its star player (name redacted for suspense), to setup the game against the Jayhawks.

In the second round game, Kansas was again paced by its two stars, as Pierce scored 23 and Lafrentz scored 22, while Lafrentz contributed a game-high 14 rebounds.  But, nobody else on the team put up double-digit scoring, which would be costly against an ordinarily well-balanced Rams squad.  Pierce would go on to become the 10th pick in the NBA draft by the Boston Celtics, and have a stellar, NBA Championship winning, borderline Hall of Fame career.  Lafrentz would himself be selected third in the same draft by the Denver Nuggets, and have a long (11 year) but ordinary career in the NBA.  So basically, they could play.

But even their talents were not enough for the Jayhawks as they fell 80-75 to Rhode Island.  Rhode Island's stellar point guard, Tyson Wheeler, directed the offense, and ended up with 20 points, 5 rebounds, and 8 assists, the majority of those going to the true star of the game Cuttino Mobley.  Mobley ended the game with 27 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, and even added 2 steals at the defensive end.

This game stands out in my mind because we often see these type of games as huge upsets, but forget that sometimes these smaller, lesser known schools, have some absolute studs.  Cuttino Mobley himself was drafted in the second round of the 1998 draft - 41st by the Houston Rockets - the same draft in which LaFrentz and Pierce went much, much higher.  Mobley played 11 full seasons in the NBA, averaging exactly 16 points again for the Rockets, Magic, Kings, and Clippers, and was the type of bucket-getter which every team needs, either as a third-option or off the bench.  In retrospect, you see Mobley' s NBA-level talent, and you can see how Rhode Island - the 9 seed - could be the 1 seed Kansas.  

Similar to when Lehigh's C.J. McCollum dropped 30 on Duke as the 15th-seeded Mountain Hawks defeated the 2-seeded Blue Devils in 2012.  (You knew I had to slip in a Duke comment somewhere!)  McCollum went on to be the 10th overall pick in the 2013 draft by the Portland Trail Blazers, and is still playing as I type this for the Atlanta Hawks, and has averaged over 17 points per game for his NBA career. 

Well, enough about history.  Let's get to the standings.  A reminder that I am human, and make mistakes.  Feel free to let me know if you think I made one on your bracket and I will be happy to double-check it.

Standings after Round 2

1.  Max Macon 2 - 71

     Rich Samuels - 71

3.  Jason Spuhler - 70

4.  Mitchell K (Lamb) - 64

     Jeff Plamondon 1 - 64

     Ashley Poer 1 - 64

     Pepe Sosa 1 - 64

     Steven Usma 2 - 64

9.  Paul Cummings 1 - 63

     Crew Ferguson - 63

     Kyle Henderson - 63

     Brigadier General Kareem Montague - 63

     Brittany Sosa - 63

     Measha Williams (Buddy Canes 1 Bracket) - 63

     Josh Zdrowak - 63

16.  Glen Merchant - 62

       Henry Transecki - 62

       Steven Usma 1 - 62

19.  Jonathan Cox 2 - 61

       Karen Katz 1 - 61

       Martha Kroesen - 61

       Day Yi 1 - 61

23.  Megan Corrado - 60

       Stephanie Henderson - 60

       Steven Usma 5 - 60

       Chuck Whitcomb - 60

27.  Daniel Barsky 2 - 59

       Brent Bellinger A - 59

       Brent Bellinger B - 59

       Si ("Papa Si") Nichols - 59

       Cheryl Spuhler - 59

32.  Ty Hedgpeth - 58

        Braeden Helland - 58

        Paul Kludt - 58

        Dave Piasecki - 58

        Annette Pritchard 1 - 58

        Justin Yung - 58

38.  Jim Coleman - 57

       Megan Cox - 57

       Carolyn Fowler - 57

       Mark Holbert 2 - 57

       Matt Hopps - 57

       Guy Hughes - 57

       Karen Katz 2 - 57

       David Kennedy - 57

       Mac Kroesen - 57

47.  Vincent Plamondon - 56

        Pepe Sosa 2 - 56

        Floyd Fonte 1 - 56

50.  Hazy Frank - 55

       Mango Merchant - 55

       William Pujals - 55

53.  Daniel Barsky 1 - 54

       John Hedgpeth - 54

       Shane Jernigan 2 - 54

       Max Macon 4 - 54

       Benny Merchant 4 - 54

       Rylee Montague - 54

       Steven Usma - 54

       Jonathan Wasserman 2 - 54

61.  Adam Jorgensen - 53

       Monte Lambert 1 - 53

       Duncan Merchant - 53

       Mike Wolff 1 - 53

       Bubba Zdrowak - 53

66.  Dwayne Cushman - 52

       Blake Jackson - 52

       Natalie Moon - 52

69.  Joel Chernoff - 51

       Floyd Fonte 2 - 51

       Alyssa Hopps - 51

       George Walks 3 - 51

       George Walks 1 - 51

       Keith Zdrowak - 51

75.  Colleen Giamberini - 50

       Carolyn Fowler & Jane Reynolds - 50

       Silas Nichols - 50

       Biscuit Zdrowak - 50

79.  James Garvin - 49

       Max Macon 1 - 49

       Salvatore Plamondon - 49

       Javier Rodriguez 2 - 49

       Jasmine Tran - 49

       Measha Williams (Canes 2 Bracket) - 49

85.  Randy Bennett - 48

       Jonathan Cox - 48

       Paul Cummings 2 - 48

       Jenna Finkelstein - 48

       Monte Lambert 2 - 48

       Kingfish Parham 2 - 48

       Katie Zdrowak - 48

92.  Trey Angus - 47

       Barbara Curlett - 47

       Floyd Fonte 3 - 47

       Gracie Fonte - 47

       Dawn Lamb - 47

       Sean McInerney 2 - 47

       Sean McInerney 3 - 47

       Matt Thibaut - 47

       Day Yi 2 - 47

101.  Paul Cummings 3 - 46

         Justine Frank - 46

         Mike Litsey - 46

         Sasha Moon - 46

         Jeff Plamondon 2 - 46

         Lily Spuhler - 46

107.  Jenna Finkelstein 1 - 45

         Jacey Fowler - 45

         Shane Jernigan 1 - 45

         Katie Kollmeyer - 45

         Keith W 2 (Lamb) - 45

         Jane Reynolds - 45

         George Walks 2 - 45

114.  Skip LaForte - 44

         Max Macon 3 - 44

         Sean McInerney 1 - 44

         Annette Pritchard 2 - 44

         Amanda Staudt - 44

         Measha Williams (Canes 3 Bracket) - 44

120.  Marcus Jackson - 43

         Javier Rodriguez 1 - 43

         Jonathan Wasserman 1 - 43

         Stacia Wilkaitis - 43

124.  Quinn Jackson - 42

         Chris Simmons - 42

         Stephanie Soplop 1 - 42

         Stephanie Soplop 2 - 42

128.  Keith W 1 (Lamb) - 41

         Ashley Poer 2 - 41

         Carolins Spuhler - 41

         Steven Usma 4 - 41

         George Walks 1 - 41

133.  Arlene Amo Hopps - 40

         Kingfish Parham 1 - 40

135.  Colbie (Lamb) - 39

         Hannah Sosa - 39

137.  Barkley Sosa - 38

         Amy Zdrowak - 38

139.  Mark Holbert 1 - 37

140.  Allison Parker - 35

141.  Mike Wolff 2 - 34

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