Final Four Chronicles: THE FINALS

 

Can UConn win its third title in four seasons?  Will Michigan just continue what it started this season and maul the Huskies?  Let's find out!!!

08:00 - All up ... almost.

10:37 - Signs of life from Kev-O.

10:59 - Continuing a conversation from yesterday, Sinickal texts Allison to remind her that "funny is the point!"

11:19 - We have scheduled Maguire University for a home-and-home series next year.

11:38 - Off to lunch.

11:39 - So we messed up big time.  For the first time ever, the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament, the National Invitational Tournament, and the Division II and III Championships were all here in the same location.  Since it was the first time ever, we did not expect or anticipate it.  There could have been A LOT more basketball this weekend.  We will rectify this next year.  [Ed. Note - This scheduling was changed because the NABC annual convention is always on-site of the Final Four.  With all the tournaments here, all of the coaches can also be in attendance.]

11:44 - We pass a building that is very obviously an old/former church.  It is now a dispensary.  The stained-glass windows framing the front door are of Bob Marley and Willie Nelson.

11:50 - Enter Fat Dan's Deli.  After walking around the block to find it.

11:51:30 - It is a Chicago-Style deli.  The Chicago Combo with is 1/2 sausage and 1/2 Italian Beef with peppers, dipped, is calling Sinickal's name.  Pepster orders the same.

11:56 - It arrives and is glorious.  Tony orders the Italian Beef, and Kev-O has one of the best Cuban Sandwiches he has ever had.

11:59 - The guy at the bar sitting next to Sinickal strikes up a conversation.   He ends up being the President of the Indy Eleven, a USL soccer team.

12:06 - A sign behind the bar of Champagne Velvet Brand Beer.  Apparently, Miller High Life ISN'T the champagne of beers!

12:07 - The bar does not carry Champagne Velvet.

12:21 - Kev-O notices this gem on one of the walls.

12:23 - OK, this place is just loaded with amazing signs.  One is from Burn Em Brewing, whose motto is "Comforting the Disturbed and Disturbing the Comfortable!"

13:11 - Pepster buys Tony a hug from the bartender.  They are actually listed on the menu.  Hugs are free, but kisses are $5.

13:50 - As Kev-O is on a call outside, the bartender catches Sinickal, Pepster, and Tony all looking at their phones.  She asks why everyone is so serious.  Sinickal said that it's bad as he was doom scrolling.  Pepster goes, "Serious? I was checking some gambling odds."  Tony, "I was just looking at porn!"  [Ed. Note - He wasn't.  We think.]

13:58 - We all started to notice the pheromones.

13:59 - Bartender asks Pepster if he would like another Old Style.  He says "No.  I would love another Old Style."  Bartender immediately yelled, "Woooooo!"   Out of nowhere from some other region of the deli a waitress yells, "Wooooooo!"

14:08 - Sinickal after returning from a bio break mentioned that there is a cuck chair (and a spare) in the bathroom.  Seriously, a chair sitting against the wall facing the toilet.  Kev-O says, "Yeah, I tied my shoes on it earlier!"

14:17 - Discussing the reasons for the chair being in the bathroom, the bartender says, "I have not heard of untoward things happening in that chair.  I have heard not a thing." Do we believe her, or is she hiding something?

14:35 - A local couple sits down next to us, although the guy is covered head-to-toe in Michigan gear.  She roots for Auburn, so she watched the NIT final last night.  He, obviously, is a Michigan fan.  Strike up one of many conversations, but when he says he is from Marysville, Ohio, where a Honda plant is, he notes, "I hope you don't drive a Honda, because it was likely made by my classmates.  That isn't good."

14:59 - Discussing Southwestern Central and our merch shop with this couple as Sinickal is going to text the link to the lady.  Kev-O tells him he should just get a QR code, followed by, "Damnit, why am I helping you."  He claims he has Stockholm Syndrome and will likely be the first recipient of the Southwestern Central Stockholm Syndrome Scholarship.  Pepster immediately starts to call him "Patty Hearst!"

15:18 - Having a discussion about extroverts and introverts.  Trying to convince everyone that he is an introvert, Sinickal explains that he set his mancave up so he can just be in his basement by himself, and that Allison doesn't even want to go down there.  Pepster remarks, "So introverts include people hiding from their spouses?  That's like 90% of the population!"

15:21 - Sinickal re-sent the text to the couple next to us because he messed up the area code the first time and mistakenly sent it to someone in Quebec.  Kev-O tells Pepster to start brushing up on international law because we are going to need help with all the tariff issues.

15:21:04 - Sinickal notices HE SAID WE!!!!

15:24 - While perusing the merch store, the lady says on her upcoming girls' golf trip her team is going to be the Scorpions and wear polos!!!!

15:25 - We tell her that every time one of them nails a putt, they have to yell, "Stick 'Em!"

15:44 - Tony notices that they have actual bleachers seats - two of them - outside of the bathroom door.  (This place loves it some Chicago!).  We immediately dub it "The On-Deck Circle."

15:56 - We leave Fat Dan's and notice we have received a parking ticket.  Sinickal goes, "But I paid!  Have we been here more than two hours?"

15:57 - We all stop laughing.

16:21 - Back at home after a stop at the store.

16:30 - Another 48 Hours is on!  We somehow always find an Eddie Murphy flick on these trips!

16:45 - Nice little power nap time.

17:50 - Uber ordered.

17:56 - In Uber to Tom's Watch Bar.

18:07 - At Tom's Watch Bar.  This line is way too long to wait in queue.  We are walking to the stadium until we find a place with a shorter line.

18:14 - Dick's Last Resort it is.  No line.

18:22 - Glancing at the television sets behind the bar, and the temperature is going to be a low of 32 tonight.  We thought it was April?!

18:51 - Unc is definitely trying to hit on the waitress that is 40+ years his junior.

19:47 - Guy on the other side of the bar is lifting his shirt and taking selfies of himself.

19:55 - One bartender asks the other if he has vehicular transportation.  Yes, those words exactly.

20:24 - We head to the stadium.

20:34 - Enter Lucas Oil Stadium.

20:42 - A whole lot of Michigan fans being incredibly disrespectful during the national anthem.  We don't think anybody will be protesting them.

20:48 - House DJ does a pre-game yell, and this place is about 90% Michigan fans.

20:50 - Tip-Off.  Radio Silence.

21:14 - We eschewed our seats and decided to stand in the standing room only area, which is close to three separate concessions, the largest men's room we have ever seen in a stadium, and the exit.  As we are standing, guy walking down the concourse just yelling at everybody, "This isn't football.  This isn't football."  Security actually came up to us to ask what he was saying, because they thought he might be trying to start something.

21:20 - We refer to this game as a "Rock Fight" because of how poorly both teams are shooting.

21:23 -We found Waldo.  Student in the Michigan section dressed up as Waldo and got pictured on the Jumbotron.

21:47 - Halftime.  Michigan up 33-29.

21:59 - UConn's "Spirit Program" performs.  Not cheerleaders.  Spirt Program.  We are doomed as a country.

22:00 - UConn's mascot is still a furry.

22:21 - They show Bruce Pearl on the Jumbotron.  Everybody, and we mean EVERYBODY, Boos.

22:45 - During a second-half break, they play Journey's Don't Stop Believing, which apparently won a fan poll over Livin' on a Prayer by Bon Jovi and the Black-Eyed Peas' I Gotta Feeling.  Kev-O goes, "Yeah.  This one is on us."

23:03 - We call time of death.

23:19 - Michigan wins the national championship!  Hail to the Victors!  Wait a minute.  We have not heard Hail to the Victors all night.  That is odd.

23:28 - Elliott Cadeau is named MOP.  

23:34 - There it is.  Hail to the Victors is finally being played.

23:58 - ONE SHINING MOMENT!

00:02 - Leave Lucas Oil Stadium.

00:15 - Loughmillers is closed!  Huh?

00:20 - To Ten Hands at the Westin.

00:39 - We get our drinks and are sitting out in the lobby.  A group of 6 or so people in the couch/table area next to us is talking about the game.  They are all Michigan fans.  One of them says that if Lendeborg had two good legs this would have been a much different game.  The only woman in the group said, "He had 2 good legs.  He didn't have 3 good legs!"

00:40 - One of the guys at the same table jokes, "Such bad shooting.  We need to fire the coach!"

00:45 - Pepster starts talking to the Michigan people next to us when one of them shows a picture on his phone of himself guarding Magic Johnson in high school.

01:03 - Checking some news about the game and The Score Mobile app has the headline, "Michigan Thrives in Rock Fight."  Were they listening in on our conversation from earlier?

01:05 - Enter our Uber home.  Way too much Drakkar Noir going on.  Either the driver spilled some, or he dropped off some high school kids earlier in the evening.

01:11 - Home.

01:17 - The Rundown is on.

01:32 - Pepster and Tony turn in.  Sinickal and Kev-O not far behind!

NCAA Tournament Pool 2026 - Round 1/Day 1 Results

 

I am currently updating the Pool Commentary.  Check back in a few hours.

Hello Everybody, and welcome to our tournament pool.  This year we are 143 strong!!!  A note, so that you don't get too confused, there is another pool - a Squares Format - running on this blog as well.  You should be able to tell the two apart.  One of them is a little more verbose than the other.  (Hint, that is this one.)

We welcome back all three of the finalists from last year, Measha Williams, Paul Cummings, and Steve Usma.  Good luck on repeating.

Also welcome back our last place contestant, Barkley Sosa, whose method of selecting all of the dog mascots - and against every cat mascot - was not successful last year, but was OH SO CLOSE in the first round yesterday in her pick of Siena over Duke.

James Garvin of Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, was the first entry submitted this year, but the first to pay was Chris Simmons of Boynton Beach, Florida/Park City, Utah.  I only mention this because he wanted me to mention it, and I wanted to add that he did not put his name, e-mail address, or any contact information whatsoever on his bracket.

The tournament started off with a bang yesterday, as the first game ended with Ohio State taking a last second shot against TCU, but it missed, sending the Horned Frogs - and Landman lovers everywhere - into the second round.  It also gave Michigan fans something to crow about, like former Wolverine Hooper Jalen Rose.

We have a wide variety of champions selected this year, which I will continuously post here.  Remaining champions will always be capitalized and in bold.  This year, our collective champion selections are:  ALABAMA, ARIZONA, CONNECTICUT, DUKE, FLORIDA, HOUSTON, ILLINOIS, IOWA STATE, KANSAS, KENTUCKY, MICHIGAN, MICHIGAN STATE, North Carolina, PURDUE, and VIRGINIA.

Yes, you read that correctly.  We have already lost a champion.  Jacey Fowler of Greenacres, Florida was the unlikely recipient of that L yesterday.

On the flip side of that, we had three major upsets, with High Point defeating Wisconsin (more on that later), Virginia Commonwealth beating North Carolina (also more on that later), and Texas winning against BYU.  All told, we have 6 brackets with all 3 of those upset selections.  Jonathan Cox of Palm Beach Gardens, Crew Ferguson of Raleigh, North Carolina and Day Yi of Forest Hill, New York.  Those 3, however, did not have any of those upsets as the guarantee.  Day did, however, go 15-1, which would ordinarily be enough for the pick of the day.  But that honor goes to the one of the entries with all 3 upsets picked correctly AND one of those being their guarantee.   Max Macon 2 of Jupiter, Florida and Rich Samuels of Palm Beach Gardens, Florida fit the bill, but only Jason Spuhler of Acworth, Georgia qualifies under that scenario AND went 15-1, losing only the TCU-Ohio State game.  Congratulations Jason, you are the pick of the Day!

And we received our first big upset of the tournament when High Point came back to defeat the Wisconsin Badgers.  A note from the post-game press conference:

Reporter:  "What happened Wisconsin?"

Wisconsin:  "I was going to go to the second round, but then I got High .... Point."

Sums it up.  By the way, did anybody follow the Afroman trial?  (For those that don't know, Afroman was the artist that performed But I Got High).  A couple of years ago, sheriff's deputies, acting on a no-knock warrant based solely upon (ultimately determined to be) made up statements from a confidential information, raided Afroman's house, destroyed his door and other parts of his house, took evidence and money, but ultimately finding nothing.  The District Attorney did not file any charges, and Afroman's stuff was returned, except the money that was returned was less than the amount catalogued by the authorities on site.  Afroman, who had a security system including cameras inside his house, took the footage and made videos about what happened, including this hilarious song Lemon Pound Cake.  Seven officers sued Afroman for defamation and false light, and on Wednesday evening, after a couple of days of absolutely hilarious testimony, the jury returned a verdict in Afroman's favor.  Who knew that in my lifetime the three biggest free speech cases would be about flag-burning, Afroman, and Two Live Crew!!!  Amazing.

Anyway, back to the games, High Point finished off Wisconsin behind one of the more remarkable stats in NCAA Tournament history.  Which brings me to the biggest stats from yesterday's actions.

Stats of the Day

3.  Virginia Commonwealth erased a 19-point deficit to defeat North Carolina.

2.  All 5 of Siena's starters played all 40 minutes of the game against Duke!!!  Not one sub.

1.  Chase Johnston of High Point scored a breakaway layup with 11 seconds left for the final points of the 83-82 win.  This was Johnston's FIRST TWO-POINT BASKET OF THE SEASON!!!  That's right, he did not hit a two-pointer all year!!!

Siena's performance against Duke almost made history in defeating Duke, but it is still remarkable in that its starters played the entire game, excepting a last-minute substitution to get a senior in the game.  The last time this happened was in the 1979 semi-final in which DePaul's starters played the entire game against Indiana State.  Let's take a look at this game.  

Indiana State has some remarkable talent on the floor as none other than Larry Bird managed to score a game-high 35 points, bring down a game-high 16 rebounds, and finish off with a game-high 9 assists.

For DePaul, their 5 starters spread out the statistics pretty evenly.  Star Mark Aguirre scored 19 points and added 5 rebounds, and he was helped by an additional 19 points from Gary Garland - who also had 4 rebounds and 8 assists.  Curtis Wilkins and Jim Mitchem also scored in double-figures as DePaul narrowly fell to the Sycamores 76-74.  Aguirre would ultimately become the number 1 overall draft pick by the Dallas Mavericks in 1981, and had a stellar NBA career.  He is also a member of the College Basketball Hall of Fame.

Larry Bird would be the 6th pick in the 1979 draft by the Boston Celtics, and only fell that low because of a rule change that most owners/general managers did not understand.  Indiana State went on to fall in the finals to the Michigan State Spartans 75-64, with Bird once again leading the team with 19 points and 13 rebounds.  It was not enough as the Spartans, led by one Magic Johnson, scored 24 points, had 7 rebounds and dished 5 assists.  He would eventually be the number 1 pick in the 1979 NBA draft by the Los Angeles Lakers, and had a storied NBA career leading to the Hall of Fame, where he was joined by Bird.  Some say this 1979 NCAA championship game led to the rise of the NBA.  Who's to argue that?

And speaking of stars, here are the stars from yesterday's action.

Players of the Day

Honorable Mentions to Jeremiah Wilkins of Georgia, and Joseph Pinion of South Florida, who likely would have made the Top 10 if their teams had won.

10.  Pryce Sandfort, Nebraska - 23 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 7-13 from Three

9.  Henri Veesaar, North Carolina - 26 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal

8.  Cameron Boozer, Duke - 22 points, 13 rebounds, 3 assists

7.  Tyler Tanner, Vanderbilt - 26 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal

6.  Morez Johnson, Michigan - 21 points, 10 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 block

5.  A.J. Dybantsa, BYU - 35 points, 10 rebounds, 1 assist

4.  Mates Vokietius, Texas - 23 points, 16 rebounds, 1 assist (would be much higher if he didn't miss 7 free throws in a row)

3.  Rob Martin, High Point - 23 points, 3 rebounds, 10 assists

2.  David Mirkovic, Illinois - 29 points, 17 rebounds, 3 assists

1.  Terrence Hill, VCU - 34 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 7-10 from Three, 40 minutes off the bench

Today's action should hopefully be as good or better than yesterday's, with the Santa Clara versus Kentucky having already tip-offed.  But, the match-up of the day is Long Island v. Arizona.

A note about the standings.  There are 141 entries listed.  We have 143.  One person submitted entries in a format that is not particularly usable by me.  Now, I can see it, and I know the score on those 2 brackets, but I am waiting for a bracket in a format I can print out to add to my collection, the selection symbolizes dope, take a toke, but don't choke.  If you do, you'll have no clue on what me and my homes Snoop Dogg came to do.  But, I digress.  When I have them in my hand today, they will be added.

Also, I am human and I do score everything by hand, so I will make mistakes.  So if you think I have made an error with your bracket, let me know.  I will re-check it.  And, if I find a mistake, I will correct it.  Please note that this may mean an upward correction, or a downward correction.   Whatever I find.

Now, onto the standings!

ROUND 1/DAY 1 STANDINGS

1.  Jason Spuhler - 35

2.  Max Macon 2 - 33

     Rich Samuels - 33

4.  Day Yi 1 - 30

5.  Megan Corrado - 29

     Jonathan Cox - 29

     Megan Cox - 29

     Crew Ferguson - 29

     Martha Kroesen - 29

     Steve Usma 2 - 29

11.  Glen Merchant - 28

       Jeff Plamondon 1 - 28

13.  Mitchell K (Lamb) - 27

       Henry Transecki - 27

       Josh Zdrowak - 27

16.  Paul Kludt - 26

       Ashley Poer 1 - 26

18.  Stephanie Henderson - 24

       David Kennedy - 24

       Cheryl Spuhler - 24

       Steve Usma 5 - 24

       Jonathan Wasserman 2 - 24

       Chuck Whitcomb - 24

       Bubba Zdrowak - 24

25.  Brent Bellinger B - 23

       Kyle Henderson - 23

       Mac Kroesen - 23

       Annette Pritchard 1 - 23

       Pepe Sosa 1 - 23

       Measha Williams (Buddy Canes 1 Bracket) - 23

       Keith Zdrowak - 23

32.  Daniel Barsky 2 - 22

       Brent Bellinger A - 22

       Braeden Helland - 22

       Mark Holbert 2 - 22

       Guy Hughes - 22

       Karen Katz - 22

       Mango Merchant - 22

       Dave Piasecki - 22

       Vincent Plamondon - 22

       Steve Usma 3 - 22

       Justin Yung - 22

43.  Jim Coleman - 21

       Hazy Frank - 21

       Ty Hedgpeth - 21

       Shane Jernigan 2 - 21

       Benny Merchant - 21

       Duncan Merchant - 21

       Si ("Papa Si") Nichols - 21

       Brittany Sosa - 21

       Pepe Sosa 2 - 21

52.  Matt Hopps - 20

        Amanda Staudt - 20

54.  Dwayne Cushman - 19

55.  Daniel Barsky 1 - 18

       John Hedgpeth - 18

       Rylee Montague - 18

  

58.  Joel Chernoff - 17

       Jonathan Cox 1 - 17

       Blake Jackson - 17

       Adam Jorgensen - 17

       Karen Katz 2 - 17

       Monte Lambert 1 - 17

       Max Macon 1 - 17

       Max Macon 4 - 17

       Measha Williams (Canes 2 Bracket) - 17

       Katie Zdrowak - 17

68.  Floyd Fonte 1 - 16

       Colleen Giamberini - 16

       Marcus Jackson - 16

       Quinn Jackson - 16

       Shane Jernigan 1 - 16

       Dawn Lamb - 16

       Mike Litsey - 16

       Brigadier General Kareem Montague - 16

       Sasha Moon - 16

       Kingfish Parham 1 - 16

       William Pujals - 16

       Matt Thibaut - 16

       Steve Usma 1 - 16

       George Walks 3 - 16

       George Walks 4 - 16

       Mike Wolff 1 - 16

84.  Skip LaForte - 15

       Kingfish Parham 2 - 15

       Jeff Plamondon 2 - 15

       Measha Williams (Canes #3 Bracket) - 15

88.  Katie Kolllmeyer - 14

       Monte Lambert 2 - 14

       Silas Nichols - 14

       Salvatore Plamondon - 14

       Barkley Sosa - 14

93.  Paul Cummings 1 - 12

       Paul Cummings 3 - 12

       Sean McInerney 12 - 12

       Natalie Moon - 12

       Chris Simmons - 12

       Lily Spuhler - 12

       Jasmine Tran - 12

       Stacia Wilkaitis - 12

101.  Trey Angus - 11

         Jenna Finkelstein 2 - 11

         Carolyn Fowler - 11

         Carolyn Fowler & Jane Reynolds - 11

         Arlene Amo Hopps - 11

         Sean McInerney 2 - 11

         Ashley Poer 2 - 11

         George Walks 2 - 11

109.  Randy Bennett - 10

         Barbara Curlett - 10

         Jenna Finkelstein 1 - 10

         Floyd Fonte 2 - 10

         Floyd Fonte 3 - 10

         Gracie Fonte - 10

         Jacey Fowler - 10

         James Garvin - 10

         Mark Holbert 1 - 10

         Keith W (2) (Lamb) - 10

         Sean McInerney 1 - 10

         Annette Pritchard 2 - 10

         Jane Reynolds - 10

         Javier Rodriguez 1 - 10

         Javier Rodriguez 2 - 10

         Stephanie Soplop 2 - 10

         Hannah Sosa - 10

         Caroline Spuhler - 10

         George Walks 1 - 10

         Jonathan Wasserman 1 - 10

         Day Yi 2 - 10

         Biscuit Zdrowak - 10

131.  Paul Cummings 2 - 9

         Justine Frank - 9

         Alyssa Hopps - 9

         Keith W. 1 (Lamb) - 9

         Max Macon 3 - 9

         Allison Parker - 9

         Stephanie Soplop - 9

         Steven Usma 4 - 9

         Amy Zdrowak - 9

140.  Colbie (Lamb) - 8

         Mike Wolff 2 - 8

NCAA Tournament Pool - Round 1/Day 2

 

And we are back.  Day 2 of round 1 appears and who rears its ugly head?  That's right, Covid-19.  Apparently I was prescient yesterday when I wrote, "And yes, I hope this is the last Covid reference of the tournament.  Unless, of course, a team has to withdraw."  And guess what, a team had to withdraw.  And, although it was not Virginia of the ACC tournament withdrawal due to Covid, it was its in-commonwealth neighbor, Virginia Commonwealth University, giving Oregon an official 1-0 win in a walkover.  That will look great for the defensive stats.

What does that mean for the bracket?  Nothing.  Oregon wins, VCU loses, and that is how it will be scored.  Interestingly, the NCAA had a Covid-19 plan to replace teams.  If a team from a conference with multiple NCAA bids had to withdraw from the tournament, an ordered list of replacements was made to replace the team, if the withdrawal happened before midnight last Tuesday night (12:00 E.D.T. Wednesday morning).  The first team on the list was Louisville.  If a team from a single-bid conference had to withdraw before the same time deadline, the conference could replace it.  Once that deadline passes, we see what happened yesterday - a walkover.

As for the pool, we have a new leader.  Congratulations to Jeff Plamondon of Lincoln, Rhode Island.  Jeff vaulted into the lead by selecting Ohio as his guaranteed upset, but also had a strong day 1 by selecting North Texas, Oregon State and Syracuse as upsets.  You can see how close you are in relation to Jeff in the standings below.

And, speaking of Ohio, the Bobcats upset the aforementioned Virginia Cavaliers, meaning we will not have a defending NCAA tournament champion.  Marcus Jackson of Reston, Virginia is back in the pool this year, so we still have our defending champion in our pool.  And, Ashley Poer of Lake Worth, Florida and Steven Usma of Miami, Florida return as well, so let's see if somebody can repeat "in the money".

With the Cavaliers losing, we lost another championship pick, leaving us with 10 remaining.  As a reminder, the championship picks in our pool are (remaining teams in bold):  Alabama, Baylor, Florida, Florida State, Gonzaga, Houston, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, and Virginia.

Ohio wasn't the only upset yesterday, although for most of the day it looked like the day was going to end in straight chalk.  No upsets whatsoever through the first 8 games.  This did not bode well for the many entrants that not only selected Georgetown, but also as their guaranteed upset.  Georgetown repaid your faith in them by being down 24 at halftime, as Colorado led the Hoyas 47-23.  An entertaining 50-49 second hald did nothing to cut Georgetown's lead as the Buffaloes move forward.  

In the late games, 2 of the 3 finished in upsets.  UCLA, who defeated Michigan State in a "play-in" game on Thursday night, continued their hot run defeating BYU, and Abilene Christian defeated Texas 53-52.  So, what looked like was going to be a slow day regarding upsets, gave our pool 3 upsets, and lots of bonus points.

A good amount of entrants selected UCLA, and Ohio had its proponents as well, with both earning some guarantees.  But it was the Abilene Christian choice that was the sparsest, and thus, kudos to Justin Yung of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, Colonel Kareem Montague of the DC Metropolitan Area, Braeden Helland of Jacksonville, Florida and Max Macon 2 of Jupiter, Florida for selecting Abilene Christian over Texas.  But, you did not have the prescience to gurantee that pick, like Ty Leatherman of Wilmington, North Carolina and Ken Ward of West Palm Beach, Florida.  Ty and Ken, you have earned the "Pick of the Day."

But, the "Bracket of the Day" has to go to long-time player Karen Katz of Pittsburgh Pennsylvania, as she selected Ohio, UCLA, AND Abilene Christian.  Great work Karen.

And since Karen Katz has participated numerous years in this tournament pool, that reminds me that despite the no-contest defeat yesterday, Virginia Commonwealth has participated many years in the NCAA Tournament.  So, today's history lesson is just that, Virginia Commonwealth.

VCU first played in the NCAA Tournament in 1980, losing as a 12 seed to Iowa.  However, returning most of its players the next year, VCU earned a 5 seed, and defeated 12 seed Long Island, before falling to Tennessee 58-56 in overitme.  After missing the tournament in 1982, the Rams continued their run by winning 1 game in 1983, 1984, and 1985 as a 5, 6, and 2 seed respectively.  VCU had a long hiatus until 1996, when it returned as a 12 seed only to lose to Mississippi State 58-51.   Another hiatus followed before VCU returned in 2004, losing by 1 to Wake Forest as a 13th seed.

But, it was the 2005 Rams team that put VCU on the map.  VCU, the 11 seed, played 6 seeded Duke, who should have been known they were in trouble from the day the matchup was announced.  The CBS cameras were at VCU, and when the game was announced, point guard Eric Maynor jumped out of his chair and started clapping, ecstatic with the matchup.  And boy, did Maynor deliver.  Maynor and his teammates overwhelmed Duke with their athleticism, and Maynor scored 22 points, including a jumper with 1.8 seconds left to secure the win 79-77,  Maynor scored 6 of his points in the last 1:24.  VCU then fell in overtime 84-79 to Pittsburgh.  Eric Gaynor went on to be a first round draft pick of the Utah Jazz and spent 7 years in the NBA, before playing 5 professional seasons overseas.  He still possesses the VCU scoring and assist records.

Given Virginia's loss, I initially thought that my tournament history segment was going to be based upon defending champions losing in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, but that has happened more times than I thought, and more recently than I thought.  And besides, how can I pass up a chance to take a shot at Duke.

Stats of the Day

1.  Ohio's defeat of Virginia was Ohio's fourth NCAA Tournament win as 13 seed or higher.  That is tied for the most ever with Richmond.

2.  I know, this isn't really a stat, but it is fascinating.  UCLA defeated BYU in Hinkle Fieldhouse, which is a court on which former UCLA great - and basketball Hall of Famer - John Wooden played some of his high school games.

Players of the Day

5.  Tanner Groves - Eastern Washington.  Although Eastern Washington lost to Kansas, Tanner Groves scored 35 points, the most in a game so far in this tournament.

4.  Joe Pleasant - Abilene Christian.  Pleasant scored 11 points and 8 rebounds.  A very nice game, but Pleasant is here because he hit 2 free throws with 1.2 seconds remaining to secure Abilene Christian's 53-52 win over Texas.  Pleasant is a 58% free throw shooter for the season.

3.  Ben Vander Plas - Ohio.  Vander Plas scored 17 points, had 5 rebounds and 4 assist as Ohio defeated Virginia.  Although not a lot of points, Vander Plas did score 10 points in a 4 minute span that saw Ohio go from 1 down to 7 up late in the second half.  The fact that his father was teammates at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay with Virginia coach Tony Bennett, and in fact that he is named after Bennett (Bennet Vander Plas) is his full name, just adds to the story.

2.  Covid-19 - Independent.  Defeated Virginia Commonwealth in a walkover.

1.  Johnny Juzang - UCLA.  Juzang, a Kentucky transfer and brother of Harvard player Christian Juzang, scored 27 points on 10-16 shooting, including 3-7 from three-point range, as UCLA defeated higher ranked Brigham Young University, coached by Kentucky legend and 1996 National Champion Mark Pope.  And, if you didn't think I could somehow make this tournament about Kentucky despite its absence, you don't know me well enough.

Best Social Media Posts

1.  Truthfully, I didn't pay much attention to social media while watching yesterday's game.  The golf torunament can be a little tiring.  But, Virginia's loss made me re-visit UMBC's twitter feed from during that 1-16 matchup in 2018.  One of the best twitter runs in history, right up there with the Wendy's twitter roast from earlier this year.  It all started with Seth Davis, the basketball analyst from CBS, tweeted out "Virginia.  Sharpie."  at the start of the game.  Go check it out @UMBCAthletics.

Now, on to the standings.  As always, let me know if you think I made an error in calculations on your bracket.  I will be happy to go back and revisit.  Remember, points double for today's games.  First up is Illinois versus Loyola-Chicago.  Here we go ...

1.  Jeff Plamondon - 49

2.  Silas Nichols 2 - 48

3.  Silas Nichols 1 - 45

4.  Steven Usma 4 - 43

     Ashley Poer 1 - 43

6.  Brent Bellinger II - 41

     Kingfish Parham - 41

8.  William Pujals - 40

     Steven Usma 1 - 40

10.  Chris Igtiben 1 - 39

       Justin Yung - 39

12.  Brent Bellinger 1 - 38

       Dave Marzouca 1 - 38

14.  Liz Carew - 37

       Karen Katz - 37

       Katie Kollmeyer - 37

       Max Macon 4 - 37

       George Walks 2 - 37

19.  Ty Leatherman - 36

       Colonel Kareem Montague - 36

       Amanda Staudt - 36

22.  Larry Green - 35

       Nancy McInerney - 35

       Carey Taylor - 35

       Day Yi 1 - 35

26.  Brandon Satterwhite - 34

       Pepe Sosa - 34

28.  Jacey Fowler-Reynolds I - 33

       Colleen Hamilton 4 - 33

       Stephanie Henderson - 33

       Edy Pecan - 33

       Steven Usma 2 - 33

       Ken Ward - 33

       Measha Williams 4 - 33

35.  Scott Bieterman - 32

       Braeden Helland - 32

       Arlene Amo Hopps - 32

       Matt Hopps - 32

       Chris Igtiben 2 - 32

       Eric Inge - 32

       Dan Laishley - 32

       Steven Usma 3 - 32

       George Walks 3 - 32

       Measha Williams 2 - 32

       Measha Williams 3 - 32

46.  Skip Laforte - 31

       Max Macon 2 - 31

       Rich Samuels 1 - 31

       Amy Zdrowak - 31

       Katie Zdrowak - 31

51.  Jacey Fowler-Reynolds 2 - 30

       Sasha Moon - 30

       Brittany Sosa - 30

       Jonathan Wasserman - 30

       Keith Zdrowak - 30

56.  Braeden Helland 1 - 29

       Braeden Helland 2 - 29

       Guy Hughes - 29

       Max Macon 1 - 29

       Cheryl Spuhler - 29

61.  Kyle Henderson 2 - 28

       Adam Jorgensen 1 - 28

       Ashley Poer 3 - 28

       Rich Samuels 2 - 28

65.  Jenna Finkelstein - 27

       Kyle Hnderson 1 - 27

       Adam Jorgensen 2 - 27

       Adam Jorgensen 3 - 27

       Kisha Marzouca 2 - 27

       Joshua Ward - 27

71.  Paul Cummings - 26

       Carolyn Fowler - 26

       Colleen Hamilton 2 - 26

       Braden Helland 4 - 26

       Kisha Marzouca 1 - 26

       Javier Rodriguez - 26

       Jason Spuhler - 26

78.  Martha Kroesen - 25

       George Walks 1 - 25

       Day Yi - 2 - 25

81.  Rachel Bornn - 24

       Colleen Hamilton 1 - 24

       Colleen Hamilton 3 - 24

       Emily Lawson 2 - 24

       Jane Reynolds - 24

       Hannah Sosa - 24

       Jeremy Spuhler - 24

88.  Marcus Jackson - 23

       Mac Kroesen - 23

       Dave Marzouca - 23

       Michael McNally - 23

       George Walks 4 - 23

93.  Alvaro Gonzalez - 22

       Rich Samuels 3 - 22

95.  Dan Barsky 1 - 21

       Quinn Jackson - 21

       Shane Dogmillionaire Jernigan - 21

       Chris Laforte - 21

       Ashley Poer 2 - 21

       Wes Wiggins - 21

       Joshua Zdrowak - 21

102.  Luis Briones - 20

         James Garvin - 20

         Miles Jackson - 20

         Shane Dogmillionaire Jernigan - 20

         Max Macon 3 - 20

         Barkley Sosa - 20

         Measha Williams - 20

109.  Carolyn Fowler and Jane Reynolds - 19

         Greg Lieberman - 19

         Sean McInerney - 19

         Brian McMahon - 19

         Jessica Samuels - 19

114.  Brian Hinaman - 18

         Blake Jackson - 18

         Emily Lawson 1 - 18

117.  Dan Barsky 2 - 17

         Bubba Zdrowak - 17

         Biscuit Zdrowak - 17

120.  Justin Hallack - 16

NCAA Tournament Pool - Elite 8/Day 2

The two number 1 seeds, Villanova and Kansas, each clinched their respective trips to San Antonio by defeating Texas Tech and Duke, respectively.  Villanova won relatively easy, but Kansas won in an overtime thriller that saw one of the greatest overtime performances ever by redshirt-sophomore guard Malik Newman, who scored all of Kansas's 13 overtime points, and guarded Duke's Grayson Allen, who must have been trippin' if he thought he was going to win that battle.  Villanova and Kansas will make a fantastic semifinal game in San Antonio.

Speaking of San Antonio, today's basketball history is about location, location, location.  San Antonio has hosted the Final Four three previous times:  1998, 2004, 2008.  Let's take a look back at those Final Fours.

In 1998, the best of these years, a very game Utah team behind its triumverate of point guard Andre Miller, forward Keith van Horn and center Michael Doleac, defeated a North Carolina team that featured Vince Carter and Antawn Jamison 65-59.  In that semifinal, Andre Miller's 15 points, 14 rebounds and 7 assists controlled the game, and more importantly the temp of the game, to keep the high flying Tar Heels out of the finals, despite 21 points from Vince Carter,  In the other matchup, the Kentucky Wildcats behind Jeff Sheppard's 27 points, outlasted the Stanford Cardinal 86-85 despite 26 points from Arthur Lee and 16 rebounds from Mark Madsen.  This marks Kentucky's third straight final appearance, having defeated Syracuse in 1996 and losing in overtime to Arizona in 1997.  In the final game, Kentucky coasted to a 78-69 victory behind a balanced scoring attack led by Scott Padgett's 17.  Jeff Shepherd was named Most Oustanding Player, and in part because of making it to three straight finals games, Kentucky's point guard Wayne Turner sets an NCAA record of 151 games played (which has since been surpassed).

In 2004, we saw a classic semifinal game between Connecticut and Duke, as the Huskies trailed the Blue Devils by 8 with three minutes remaining in the game.  UConn's All-American center Emeka Okafor, although limited to only 22 minutes of playing time due to early foul trouble, scored 16 points and had 10 rebounds, all the while fouling out all 3 of Duke's centers, including Sheldon Williams.  Connecticut's defense held Duke scoreless for the final 4 1/2 minutes, excluding a buzzer-beater by Chris Duhon that secured the final score of 81-79.  In the other semifinal game, Georgia Tech defeated Oklahoma State 67-65 behind Will Bynum's last second layup after the Cowboys' John Lucas tied the game with a three-pointer with 26 seconds left.  The final game was one of the worst finals of recent memory, so I will ignore it other than to say Emeka Okafor, scored 24 points and was named Most Outstanding Player as Connecticut won 82-73.

Kansas fans are hoping for a repeat as they emerged victorious at the last Final Four played in San Antonio in 2008.  This Final Four is interesting because it matched up all four number 1 seeds in the tournament.  This is the first, and only time, this has happened since seeding originated.  In the first game, Kansas thumped North Carolina 84-66 behind Brandon Rush's 24 points.  North Carolina, led by Wayne Ellington's 18 points, and Tyler Hansbrough's 9 rebounds and 1,431 ugly faces, couldn't compete.  In the other semi-final game Memphis defeated UCLA 78-63 behind 27 points from Chris Douglas-Roberts, who bested Russell Westrbook's 22 in perhaps some foreshadowing of Westbrook's NBA career (lots of production/no titles).  Since the semifinals were lopsided, it makes sense that the finals match was outstanding.  Douglas-Roberts again led the scoring for Memphis with 22, but it wasn't enough as Darrel Arthur went 20/10 for Kansas, who also got a game-tying three pointer from Mario Chalmers to send the game to overtime, where Kansas won easily 75-68.  The Jayhawks strategy of fouling Memphis down the stretch paid off, as Memphis missed four of its last five free throws in regulation.

As for the pool, Day Yi 2 of New York City has remains in first place, and increased his lead as he had both Villanova AND Kansas in the final four.  Hus was one of 15 entrants to earn the full 16 points yesterday.  All of those that did gained significant ground on the field.  Because so many people had both, no "Pick of the Day" today.

The "Worst Pick of the Day", or really the "Most Heartbreaking Pick of the Day" goes to Steven Usma 3 of Miami, Florida, and Traci Sheehan of Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, who both selected Texas Tech into the Final Four.  Not that it was a bad pick, but almost everyone had Villanova, so you lost ground with what turned out to be a solid-looking upset choice.

Three of the original thirteen different champions remain, with Duke bowing out to Kansas.  The Kansas - Villanova winner will largely determine the final standings.  Who will win?  We will have to wait and see.  But for now, the remaining champions are:

Arizona, Cincinnati, Duke, Florida, Gonzaga, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Michigan State, North Carolina, Villanova, Virginia and Xavier.

Remember to check my math, and let me know if you have any questions regarding your bracket.

On to the standings ...

1.  Day Yi 2 - 93 - Villanova

2.  Carolyn Fowler and Jane Reynolds - 85 - Villanova

3.  Dan Barsky - 85 - Virginia

4.  Thomas Bean 1 - 83 - Villanova

5.  Rich Samuels 2 - 82 - Villanova

     Joshua Zdrowak - 82 - Kansas

7.  Jessica Samuels - 81 - Villanova

8.  Anthony LaPira - 80 - Michigan State

9.  Chris Kroesen - 79 - Xavier

     Rich Samuels 1 - 79 - Kansas

11.  Barkley Sosa - 78 - Kentucky

12.  Sasha Moon - 77 - Villanova

       Steven Usma 2 - 77 - Villanova

      George Walks 3 - 77 - Virginia

15.  George Walks 6 - 76 - Michigan State

16.  Greg Kummerlen - 74 - North Carolina

       Jane Reynolds - 74 - Michigan State

18.  Adam Jorgensen 2 - 72 - Michigan State

       Dan Laishley - 72 - Virginia

       Ty Leatherman - 72 - Virginia

       Max Macon 3 - 72 - Villanova

       Max Macon 4 - 72 - Virginia

       Biscuit Zdrowak - 72 - Michigan State

24.  Carolyn Fowler 71 - Kansas

       Arlene Amo Hopps - 71 - Villanova

       Jacey Fowler 1 - 71 - North Carolina

       Debbie Igdaloff Nieman - 71 - Virginia

       Bryan van Gorder - 71 - North Carolina

29.  Kyle Sheehan - 70 - Duke

       Day Yi 1 - 70 - Virginia

31.  Jen Armstrong - 69 - Michigan State

       Thomas Bean 2 - 69 - Michigan State

       Jim Coleman - 69 - Gonzaga

       Brittany Sosa - 69 - Duke

35.  Alvaro Gonzalez - 68 - Michigan State

       Allison Parker - 68 - Virginia

       Cheryl Spuhler - 68 - Duke

       Josh and Katie Zdrowak - 68 - Villanova

39.  Adam Jorgensen 1 - 67 - Duke

       Katie Kollmeyer - 67 - Villanova

       Steven Usma 3 - 67 - Michigan

       Wes Wiggins 1 - 67 - Arizona

43.  Albert Harper III - 66 - Michigan State

       Mango Merchant - 66 - Michigan State

45.  Katie Zdrowak - 65 Villanova

46.  Noel Martinez 2 - 64 - Villanova

       Abigail Sosa - 64 - Michigan State

       Jeremy Spuhler - 64 - Duke

49.  Steffan Alexander - 63 - Florida

       Bill Ganoe 2 - 63 - Virginia

       Measha Williams 2 "Upset City"- 63 - Duke

52.  James Garvin - 62 - Villanova

       Steven Usma 1 - 62 - Kansas

       Steven Usma 5 - 62 - Villanova

55.  Cathy Donahue - 61 - Duke

       Steve Jorgensen - 61 - Arizona

       Max Macon 2 - 61 - Michigan State

       Pepe Sosa - 61 - Villanova

       Justin Yung - 61 - North Carolina

60.  Hannah Sosa - 60 - Florida

       George Walks 2 - 60 - Kansas

62.  Paul Cummings - 59 - Villanova

       Bill Ganoe 1 - 59 - North Carolina

       Max Macon 1 - 59 - Kansas

       Noel Martinez 1 - 59 - Duke

       Jeff Plamodon - 59 - Virginia

       Traci Sheehan - 59 - Duke

       George Walks 4 - 59 - North Carolina

       Measha Williams 3 "Spread" - 59 - Virginia

70.  Kent Armstrong - 58 - Villanova

       Jenna Finkelstein - 58 - North Carolina

       Matt Hopps - 58 - Virginia

       George Walks 1 - 58 - Kansas

       Keith Zdrowak - 58 -  Duke

75.  Duncan Merchant - 57 - Virginia

76.  Glen Merchant - 56 - Villanova

       Kingfish Rod Parham - 56 - Kentucky

78.  Brent Bellinger - 55 - Virginia
       Colleen Hamilton 1 - 55 - Virginia

       Edy Pecan - 55 - Michigan
       Measha Williams 1 - "Gut" - 55 - Virginia

82.  Joe Carter - 54 - Virginia

       Martha Kroesen - 54 - Villanova

       Jonathan Wasserman - 54 - Duke

85.  Silas Nichols - 53 - Arizona

       Wes Wiggins 2 - 53 - Michigan State

87.  Colleen Hamilton 2 - 52 - Villanova

       Samantha Sheehan - 52 - Duke

       Steven Usma 4 - 52 - Duke

90.  Bill Danner - 51 - Virginia

       David Peterson - 51 - Virginia

92.  Col. Kareem Montague - 50 - Villanova

93.  Michael Litsey - 49 - Villanova

94.  Bill Foman - 48 - North Carolina

       Jacey Fowler 2 - 48 - Cincinnati

       Mac Kroesen - 47 - Gonzaga

97.  Carter Alexander - 46 - Florida

      Amy Zdrowak - 46 - Michigan State

99.  Colleen Hamilton 3 - 45 - North Carolina

       Karen Katz - 45 - Virginia

101.  George Walks 5 - 44 - Arizona

102.  Eric Inge - 42 - Virginia

103.  Doug Tuttle - 36 - Florida

104.  Griffey Parker - 31 - Xavier

105.  Ashley Poer - 30 - Virginia

Unknown - Matt Nieman - I still need to talk to you about my bracket question! - YES STILL!!!