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

2025 NCAA Tournament Pool Semi-Finals Results

 

Final Four Standings (Post-Semi-finals)

1.  Measha Leonardo Williams - 156 - FLORIDA

2.  Max Macon 3 - 147 - HOUSTON

3.  Paul Cummings - 142 - FLORIDA

4.  Brent Bellinger - 138

5.  Steven Usma 2 - 137 - FLORIDA

6.  Matt Hopps - 135 - FLORIDA

7.  Preston Holbert - 134 - /FLORIDA

8.  Dan Barsky 1 - 133 - HOUSTON

      George Walks 3 - 133 - FLORIDA

10.  Jonathan Cox - 132

11.  Justine Frank - 131 - FLORIDA

       Jane Reynolds & Carolyn Fowler - 131 - FLORIDA

       Measha Donatello Williams - 131 - FLORIDA

14.  Bill Ganoe 1 - 130 - FLORIDA

15.  Guy Hughes - 129 - FLORIDA

       Shane Jernigan - 129 - HOUSTON

17.  Alyssa Hopps - 127 - FLORIDA

18.  Kingfish Parham - 126

       Pepe Sosa - 126 - FLORIDA

20.  Theo Frank - 124 

       Mike Wolff 2 - 124 - FLORIDA

22.  Brent Bellinger 2 - 123 - FLORIDA

       Christina Gomez - 123

       Adam Jorgensen - 123

25.  Vincent Plamondon - 122 - FLORIDA

26.  Rachel Bornn - 121 - FLORIDA

       Javier Rodriguez 2 - 121

       Rich Samuels 1 - 121

       Day Yi 2 - 121

      

30.  Xavier Conway - 120 - FLORIDA

        Bill Ganoe 3 - 120

        Alvaro Gonzalez - 120

        Marcus Jackson - 120 - HOUSTON

34.  Sean McInerney III - 119

       Sean McInerney IIII - 119 - FLORIDA

       Silas Nichols - 119 - FLORIDA

37.  Mark Holbert - 118 - FLORIDA

       Dan Laishley - 118

       Measha Raphael Williams - 118

40.  Shane Dogmillionaire - 117 - FLORIDA

41.  Dan Barsky 2 - 116 - HOUSTON

       Eric Inge - 116

       Kisha Marzouca - 116

       Brigadier General Kareem Montague - 116

       Jazz Piasecki - 116 - FLORIDA

46.  Kyle Henderson 1 - 115 - FLORIDA

       Measha Michaelangelo Williams - 115 - HOUSTON

       Dave Wilson - 115 - FLORIDA

49.  Max Macon 1 - 114 - FLORIDA

       Chris Simmons - 114

       Marcus Spruill- 114

       Steven Usma 3 - 114

53.  Katie Kollmeyer - 113 - FLORIDA

       Kline Kroesen - 113 - HOUSTON

55.  Steven Usma 1 - 112

56.  Kevin Dick - 110 - FLORIDA

       Kyle Henderson 2 - 110 - HOUSTON

       James Garvin - 110 - FLORIDA

       Lily Spuhler - 110 - FLORIDA

       Jonathan Wasserman - 110 - FLORIDA

61.  Jenna Finkelstein - 109 - FLORIDA

       Colleen Giamberini - 109

       Natalie Moon - 109

64.  Sean and Barbie McInenery - 108 - FLORIDA

       Sasha Moon - 108

       Jeremy Spuhler - 108 - FLORIDA

67.  Ty Hedgpeth - 107

       Chuck Whitcomb - 107

69.  Paul Cummings 2 - 106 - HOUSTON

       Salvatore Plamondon - 106

       Jason Spuhler - 106 - FLORIDA

       Joshua Zdrowak - 106

73.  Joel Chernoff - 105

       Karen Katz 2 - 105 - HOUSTON

       Dave Piasecki - 105 - FLORIDA

       Mike Wolff 1 - 105 - FLORIDA

77.  Benny Frank Finkelstein - 104 - FLORIDA

       George Walks 2 - 104

79.  Christina Zanzig - 103

80.  Martha Kroesen - 102 - FLORIDA

       Dustin Lansing - 102

       Si Nichols - 102 - HOUSTON

83.  Rich Samuels 2 - 101

84.  Max Macon 2 - 100

       Justin Yung - 100

86.  Caroline Spuhler - 99 - FLORIDA

87.  Barbie McInerney - 98 - FLORIDA

       Ashley Poer 2 -98 - FLORIDA

       Javier Rodriguez 1 - 98

       Brittany Sosa - 98 - FLORIDA

       Stacia Wilkaitis - 98 - FLORIDA

92.  Max Macon 4 - 97 - FLORIDA

93.  Jacey Fowler II - 96

       Allison Parker - 96

       Hannah Sosa - 96 - FLORIDA

       George Walks 4 - 96

97.  John Hedgpeth - 94

       William Pujals - 94 - FLORIDA

       Cheryl Spuhler - 94 - FLORIDA

100.  Jeff Plamondon - 93

101.  Bill Ganoe 2 - 91 - HOUSTON

         Karen Katz 1 - 91

         Kisha Marzouca 2 - 91

104.  Braeden Helland - 90 - FLORIDA

         Day Yi - 90

106.  Jim Coleman - 89

         Brandon Satterwhite - 89 - FLORIDA

         Bubba Zdrowak - 89 - FLORIDA

         Katie Zdrowak - 89

 110.  Sean McInerney 1 - 87

          Biscuit Zdrowak - 87 - HOUSTON

112.  Ashley Poer 1 - 85

        Logan Spuhler - 85 - FLORIDA

        Keith Zdrowak - 85

115.  Quinn Jackson - 84

         Steven Usma 4 - 84 - FLORIDA

117.  Sean McInerney II - 83 - FLORIDA

118.  Carolyn Fowler - 82

         Jane Reynolds - 82

120.  Jacey Fowler I - 81

121.  George Walks 1 - 77

122.  Tyler Giamberini - 75

123.  Jessica Samuels - 74

         Amy Zdrowak - 74

125.  Arlene Amo Hopps - 73

         Dave Marzouca - 73

127.  Chris LaForte - 71

128.  Ferris Spuhler - 69

129.  Dave Marzouca 2 - 66

         Amanda Staudt - 66

131.  Stephanie Henderson - 63

132.  Luna Frank - 60

133.  Wes Wiggins - 59

134.  Barkley Sosa - 41

NCAA Tournament Pool - Final Standings - OFFICIAL!!!

 

Here are the standings after the championship game.  Although I do not expect anything to change, I do want to take the weekend to double-check to finalize everything, especially since we have a tie for third, so I have to go calculate the tiebreaker.  But, I didn't want everyone to think I forgot about the pool while in Arizona.  Congratulations - at least for now - to Dan Barsky of Miami, Florida, Paul Cummings of Palm City, Florida, Jim Coleman of Boynton Beach, Florida and Brigadier General Kareem "Monty" Montague, of Hickham Air Force Base, Hawaii.  3 of those 4 will win a portion of the proceeds, and have been notified separately of the situation and of the timing.

Final Pool Results/Standings

1.  Daniel Barsky 1 - 154

2.  Paul Cummings 2 - 153

3.  James Coleman - 149  - WINNER BY TIEBREAKER!!!

ALL EARNINGS HAVE BEEN DISTRIBUTED IN THE METHOD YOU SUBMITTED TO ME.

4.  Brigadier General Kareem Montague - 149

5.  Paul Cummings 3 - 146

     Ty Hedgpeth - 146

     Si Nichols - 146

8.  George Fox 2 - 143

9.  Brian McMahon - 137

     Jeff Plamondon - 137

     Cheryl Spuhler - 137

12.  Natalie Moon - 136

13.  Bill Ganoe 2 - 131

       Jeremy Spuhler - 131

15.  Justine Frank - 130

       Javier Rodriguez - 130

       Measha Williams 3 - 130 

18.  Matt Hopps - 128

       William Pujals - 128

       Rich Samuels 1 - 128

21.  Rich Samuels 5 - 126

22.  Alvaro Gonzalez - 125

       Dawn Lamb - 125

       Sean McInerney 2 - 125

25.  Silas Nichols - 123

26.  Scott Bieterman 1 - 120

       Brittany Sosa - 120

       Sasha Moon - 120

29.  Max Macon 2 - 118

       Rich Samuels 2 - 118

       Rich Samuels 3 - 118

32.  Miles Jackson - 117

       Chris O'Neil - 117

       Day Yi - 117

35.  George Fox 1 - 115

       Max Marion 3 - 115

       Keith Wynne - 115

38.     Justin Yung - 114

39.  Rich Samuels 4 - 112

       Jason Spuhler - 112

41.  Adam Jorgensen 1 - 111

       Lee Pagan - 111

       Barkley Sosa - 111

44.  Colleen Giamberini - 110

       Measha Williams 1 - 110

46.  Marcus Spruill - 109

       Amanda Staudt - 109

48.  Barbie Curlett 2 - 108

49.  Noel Martinez 1 - 107

       Shane Jernigan 1 - 107

51.  Chris Simmons - 106

52.  Keith Zdrowak - 105

53.  Bill Ganoe 3 - 99

       Kyle Henderson 2 - 99

       George Walks 3 - 99

       Amy Zdrowak - 99

57.  Barbie Curlett 1 - 98

       Kyle Henderson 1 - 98

       Allison Parker - 98

60.  Jenna Finkelstein - 97

61.  Jacey Fowler 1 - 96

       Blake Jackson - 96

       Shane Jernigan 2 - 96

64.  Marcus Jackson - 94 

       George Walks 4 - 94

66.  Paul Cummings 1 - 93

       John Hedgpeth - 93

       Katie Zdrowak -93

69.  Braeden Helland - 92

       Max Marion 1 - 92

71.  Adam Jorgensen 2 - 91

72.  Daniel Barsky 2 - 90

       Joel Chernoff - 90

       Bill Ganoe 1 - 90

       Dan Laishley - 90

76.  Matt O'Kell - 89

 

77.  Logan Spuhler - 88

78.  Jane Reynolds - 87

       Cassi Spruill - 87

80.  Josh Zdrowak - 86

81.  Kevin Dick - 85

       Carolyn Fowler - 85

83.  James Garvin - 84

       Mark Holbert - 84

85.  Brent Bellinger - 83

       Anne-Marie O'Neil - 83

87.  Measha Williams 2 - 82

       Mike Wolff 1 - 82

89.  Jody Cox - 81

       Dave Piasecki - 81

91.  Karen Katz - 80

92.  Ashley Poer - 79

       Pepe Sosa - 79

       Bubba Zdrowak - 79

95.  Skip LaForte - 76

       Biscuit Zdrowak - 76

97.  Tyler Giamberini - 74

       Katie Kollmeyer - 74

       Sean McInerney 1 - 74

       Jacey Reynolds 2 - 74

       Lily Spuhler - 74

       Jonathan Wasserman - 74

104.  Jessica Samuels - 73

105.  Stephanie Henderson - 72

         Arlene Amo Hopps - 72

107.  Dave Marzouca 1 - 71

         Kisha Marzouca 1 - 71

109.  Michael McNally - 70

         Coco Wynne - 70

111.  Derrick Lowe - 69

         Ryan Rodriguez - 69

         Jamie Toole - 69

114.  Clair Bullock - 68

115.  Nick Kuehl - 67

116.  Carolyn Fowler & Jane Reynolds - 66

         Melissa Gaynor - 66

         Quinn Jackson - 66

         Chris Pettit - 66

120.  Scott Bieterman 2 - 65

         Kingfish Parham - 65

122.  Savannah Grace Pressly - 64

         Cheryl Spuhler - 64

124.  Max Marions 2 - 63

         George Walks 1 - 63

126.  George Walks 2 - 62

127.  Max Macon 3 - 61

         Max Macon 4 - 61

129.  Kisha Marzouca 2 - 60

 

130.  Max Marion 4 - 59

131.  Guy Hughes - 55

132.  Mike Wolff 2 - 51

133.  Dave Marzouca 2 - 50

134.  Noel Martinez 2 - 49

         A.J. Ripin - 49

136.  Hannah Sosa - 45

137.  ALYSSA HOPPS - QUINCY, MASSACHUSETTS - 35 POINTS - CLINCHED LAST PLACE AND RETURN OF ENTRY FEE

2023 NCAA Tournament Pool - Round 1/Day 1

 

Welcome to all - Veterans and Rookies alike!!!  As always, it was a crazy start to the Tournament, as the Paladins proved they truly are "A knight without armor in a savage land"!  If you don't know this lyric, it is a line from the theme song to a television show Have Gun, Will Travel, by Johnny Western.  The name of the song is the The Ballad of Paladin.  What is a Paladin you ask?  It is a team that just beat Virginia when JP Pegues launched a three-pointer with 2.2 seconds left in the game to defeat the Cavaliers by 1, that is what a Paladin is.  By the way, doesn't Paladin versus Cavaliers seem like some sort of team jousting competition?  Just me?  Ok.

A side note, there are two concurrent pools being run on this blog.  They are very different as one is a traditional "squares" pool regarding final scores and the other is this one.  I have a feeling that you can wade your way through.  Just wait until we arrive in Houston and start posting our tournament blog!

Before the tournament even started we had shots fired (not the Alabama basketball kind) and the trash talk commenced. Allison Parker of Washington, D.C. submitted her bracket with a frown emoticon drawn next to each time she selected Alabama and a filled-in heart emoticon for each time she selected Duke.  No, she is not an alumna of Duke, she did that to spite me, and I will exact my revenge, somehow.  Feel free to contribute to the trash talk in the comment section.

Well, back to the welcome.  We not only have some new entrants into the tourney, we even have a new city represented.  No, not a city that hasn't had a resident entrant before, an actually new city.  We have veteran contenders that used to live in Lake Worth, Florida that now live in Lake Worth Beach, Florida - and none of them moved.  How is this relevant?  It probably isn't - but just expanding the breadth of the pool.

Welcome back to 2 of our reigning pool winners from last year:  Dawn Lamb (Keith) of Delray Beach, Florida and Jeff Plamondon of Lincoln, Rhode Island.  

So, the road to Houston has already proved troublesome for some high ranked teams, like the aforementioned Virginia, and also Arizona.  Fourth-seeded Virginia lost to 13th seeded Furman - the Paladins - and the 15th seeded Princeton Tigers of the Ivy League shocked the 2-seed in Arizona.  Those were the only two upsets to win bonus points in our pool, and yes, we had entrants that selected each of those upsets.  In fact, 24 entries selected Furman, including three guarantees.  Those were Carolyn Fowler of Greenacres, Florida, Mitch K (Lamb) of Delray Beach, Florida, and Pepe Sosa of Riviera Beach, Florida.  For those that don't know Pepe Sosa, I hear that he is a helluva guy.  Two people chose Princeton to upset Arizona, and they are Alyssa Hopps of Quincy, Massachussetts, and the aforementioned Allison Parker of Washington, D.C.  Since 24 people chose Furman, the pick of the day goes jointly to Alyssa and Allison.  A special note to Paul Cummings 2 of Palm City, Florida who was the only person to correctly pick 14 games.

Although, more of us should have seen this upset coming.  Although this is only the 11th time a 15th seed has defeated a 2 seed (and for the third year in a row), it is the second that that this has happened to Arizona.  Anyone remember that game?  Well, you will now.

Santa Clara entered the NCAA tournament as a 15th seed in the west bracket, and played Arizona in the first round in Salt Lake City, Utah, where Arizona was a 19 1/2 point favorite.  Arizona was loaded that year, started Ed Stokes, Khalid Reeves, Chris Mills, Ray Owes and Damon Stoudamire, with Reggie Geary playing major minutes off the bench.  Some of these guys played major NBA minutes, but not as much as Santa Clara's "star."  Santa Clara won with defense, holding the vaunted Arizona offense to just 17-55 shooting, while shooting just under 49% themselves.   The Broncos were led with 19 points and 8 rebounts by Pete Eisenrich, with starters DeWayne Lewis and John Woolery each adding double digit.  But the name to come out of this game, and off the bench for Santa Clara, is a generously listed 6'3" point guard from Canada named Steve Nash.  Nash came off the bench and scored 10 points, added 7 rebounds and led the team with 4 assists as the Broncos defeated the Wildcats 64-61.

Santa Clara proceeded to lose to Temple 68-57 in the second round as Aaron McKie scored 25, Rick Brunson contributed 20 and Eddie Jones added 17.  All three of these players had solid to great NBA careers, but none of them ended up in the Basketball Hall of Fame or won 2 MVPs like Steve Nash.

I bet Silas Nichols of Washington, DC, thought I was going to write about the Richmond Spiders, the first 15 seed to defeat a 2 seed when the beat Syracuse Orange, nee Orangemen, 73-69 in 1991, but I wouldn't do something like that, seeing that I already did that last year.  You can see that entry here.

Since Arizona lost, now is the time to discuss our pool's predicted champions.  We have 18 this year, including Arizona.  All picked champions will remain in the updates, but only those teams that remain will be capitalized.  The champions selected are:  Alabama, Arizona, Connecticut, Duke, Florida Atlantic, Gonzaga, Houston, Indiana, Kansas, Kansas State, Miami, Marquette, Michigan State, Purdue, Tennessee, Texas, UCLA, Virginia.

You read that correctly, somebody chose Florida Atlantic.  And although we do have a current FAU student in our pool this year, it was not her.  We might have more to come on this topic.

As for the rest of the games, the only unanimous picks from yesterday were:  Alabama and Houston.  So yes, that means some entrants selected Howard over Kansas, and Northern Kentucky over Houston.  A few even selected UNC-Asheville over UCLA.  With craziness like these picks, that is how we have entrants with Princeton over Arizona and Furman over Virginia.

Interesting Stats - Day 1

4.  Alabama All-American Brandon Miller scored 0 points in Alabama's first round victory.  ZERO!

3.  Virginia basketball is 1-3 in its last four first round games in the NCAA Tournament, including the infamous defeat to University of Maryland - Baltimore County in 2018.

2.  Furman last won an NCAA tournament game in 1974, defeating South Carolina.

1.  After three games had finished yesterday, only 6.6% of brackets uploaded to CBS Sportsline had 100% of the games correct.  AFTER THREE GAMES!

Fun Social Media Posts

Ok - I admittedly didn't follow much social media yesterday, but perhaps more today.

1.  From Facebook:  "Glad to see Alabama didn't come into the NCAA Tournament gun-shy!"

Players of the Day

6.  Dereck Lively - Duke - 4 points, 12 rebounds, 6 blocks

5.  Jalen Swanson - Furman - 19 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists

4.  Johni Broome - Auburn - 19 points, 12 rebounds, 5 blocks

3.  D'Moi Hodge - Missouri - 23 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 4 steals

2.  Sir'Jabari Rice - Texas - 23 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists

1.  Andrew Frank - Penn State - 27 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist

Now, on to the standings.  Feel free to let me know if you think I made a mistake, as sometimes I do.  Just know that if I re-score your sheet and find a mistake that was made in your favor, I will correct that to.  Now, onto the standings ...

1.  Pepe Sosa - 21

2.  Mitch K (Lamb) - 20

3.  Carolyn Fowler - 19

4.  Gracie Kroesen - 18

5.  Scott Bieterman 1 - 17

     Justin Gaeta - 17

     Stephanie Henderson - 17

     Alyssa Hopps - 17

     Silas Nichols - 17

     Jeff Plamondon - 17

     Brittany Sosa - 17

12.  Scott Bieterman 2 - 16

       Jim Coleman - 16

       Shane Jernigan - 16

       Skip LaForte 1 - 16

       Bennie Merchant - 16

       Colonel Kareem Montague - 16

       Matt Okell 1 - 16

       Edy Almond Pecan - 16

20.  Drew Foster - 15

       Martha Kroesen - 15

       Allison Parker - 15

       Rich Samuels 1 - 15

       Rich Samuels 2 - 15

       Dana Williams - 15

26.  Paul Cummings 2 - 14

       Bill Ganoe 3 - 14

       Katie Kollmeyer - 14

29.  Jacey Fowler 1 - 13

       Bill Ganoe 1 - 13

       Eric Inge - 1

       Sean McInerney 1 - 13

       Sean McInerney 3 - 13

       Duncan Merchant - 13

       Sasha Moon - 13

       Amy Zdrowak - 13

       Biscuit Zdrowak - 13

       Bubba Zdrowak - 13

39.  Jim Baruffi - 12

       Sal DiSanza - 12

       Jenna Finkelstein - 12

       George Fox 2 - 12

       Alvaro Gonzalez - 12

       Kyle Henderson - 12

       Guy Hughes - 12

       Blake Jackson - 12

       Marcus Jackson - 12

       Miles Jackson - 12

       Quinn Jackson - 12

       Adam Jorgensen - 12

       Max Macon 3 - 12

       Kisha Marzouca 2 - 12

       Sean McInerney 4 - 12

       Chris Simmons - 12

       Barkley Sosa - 12

       Cheryl Spuhler - 12

       Jonathan Wasserman - 12

       Day Yi 1 - 12

       Joshua Zdrowak - 12

60.  Aly Baruffi - 11

       Jacey Fowler 2 - 11

       George Fox 3 - 11

       James Garvin - 11

       Matt Hopps - 11

       Chris Kroesen - 11

       Skip LaForte 2 - 11

       Dan Laishley - 11

       Ty Leatherman - 11

       Brian McMahon - 11

       Jeff Plamondon 2 - 11

       Jessica Samuels - 11

       Jason Spuhler - 11

       Logan Spuhler - 11

       Amanda Staudt - 11

       Jamie Toole - 11

       Steven Usma 2 - 11

       Day Yi 2 - 11

       Katie Zdrowak - 11

79.   Brent Bellinger - 10

        Annabelle Fowler - 10

        Carolyn Fowler and Jane Reynolds - 10

        Justine Frank - 10 

        Bill Ganoe 2 - 10 

        Liam Gray - 10

        Kyle Henderson 2 - 10

        John Hopps - 10

       Mac Kroesen - 10

       Dawn Lamb - 10

       Keith W1 (Lamb) - 10

       Keith W2 (Lamb) - 10

       Lizzy W (Lamb) - 10

       Max Macon 1 - 10

       Max Macon 2 - 10

       Max Macon 4 - 10

       Kisha Marzouca 1 - 10

       Kisha Marzouca 3 - 10

       Matt Okell 2 - 10

       Ashley Poer 1 - 10

       Jane Reynolds - 10

       Jeremy Spuhler - 10

       Steven Usma 3 - 10

       George Walks 2 - 10

       George Walks 4 - 10

       Mike Wolff - 10

       Keith Zdrowak - 10

106.  Paul Cummings 1 - 9

         George Fox 1 - 9

         Mark Holbert - 9

         Arlene Amo Hopps - 9

         Dave Marzouca 1 - 9

         Dave Marzouca 2 - 9

         Dave Marzouca 3 - 9

         Mango Merchant - 9

         Matt Okell - 9

         Kingfish Parham - 9

        Ashley Poer 2 - 9

        Savannah Grace Pressly - 9

        William Pujals - 9

        A.J. Ripin - 9

        Hannah Sosa - 9

        Steven Usma 1 - 9

        Steven Usma 4 - 9

        Steven Usma 5 - 9

        George Walks 1 - 5

125.  Braeden Helland - 8

         Shane Jernigan - 8

         Sean McInerney - 8

         Rich Samuels 3 - 8

         George Walks 3 - 8

         Justin Yung - 8

131.  Lily Spuhler - 7