Final Four Chronicles: Questions & Answers

 

So, the Final Four is complete, with UConn winning its second consecutive national championship, your Final Four crew have all safely returned home, and most of the sporting world has moved to the Masters, the NBA Playoffs, the WNBA draft, the NFL draft, or something else.  But, we here at WeMakeItRain have received a number of questions about our trip, so as a service to our followers, we have brought back the Q&A, first (and only) done in NEW ORLEANS 2022.

So, on to the questions ...

Q:    Your first entry says 2 of the 3 members of WeMakeItRain were in attendance.  Who was missing?  

A:    Hopps.  He could not attend.  In fact, he has only made one post on WeMakeItRain, and that was back in September 2007.  He might not actually be a part of this site any longer!

Q:    Your first entry also says that 3 of the 4 members of the coaching staff attended.  Who was missing?

A:    Also Hopps.  He would have been dismissed from the coaching staff already if Kev-O even hinted at the fact he wants the gig.  But, he absolutely abhors Southwestern Central.

Q:    You always tag Alison and Racecar in your posts, but no mention of them during your chronicles.  Why not?

A:    They did not attend.  We tag them so they know what we are up to.

Q:    Who writes the entries?

A:    We all contribute our memories of the days, the content of the posts, and editorial control.  

Q:    Does everything about which you write actually occur?

A:    Absolutely.  Everything is 100% true.  We may control content for time and space, but nothing is made up.

Q:    Why do you insist on the accuracy of the time zones and the time changes?

A:    We do not.  Pepster does, mostly to raise the ire of Sinickal.

Q:    Even when all in the same time zone, there are sometimes references to time zones.  Why don't I get it?

A:    It goes all the way back to New Orleans, 2003, when Pepster flew into New Orleans from Florida and stated that he was thirsty, blaming it on the change in time zones.  Then, later that week, the clocks sprung forward, making everyone thirsty one hour earlier, you know, because of the time change.  Been a line ever since.  [Ed. Note - The "spring forward" from standard time to daylight savings time used to occur in the first weekend in April.  It has since been moved up in the calendar.]

Q:    What do you think of Phoenix as a Final Four host.

A:    We enjoy the area.  Some fun times in Scottsdale, some great golf, and great weather.  Events are way too spread out.  We shouldn't have to drive an hour to the event from all of the best social areas of the city.

Q:    I didn't see a mention of the Road to the Final 4 5K.  Did you run again this year?

A:    Again?!  That's funny.

Q:  What team was represented the most?

A:    Purdue, and it wasn't even close!

Q:    Pepster - my boyfriend's mom is going to read this.  You can't post jokes like the one about Lebanon!  Ok, so not so much a question as a comment.

A:    We don't have to answer if it isn't a question.  But, from Pepster's brother:  "Leba-bomb, amirite?"  

A:    OK, we'll answer.  We aren't trying to offend anybody at all, just noting occurrences that we find interesting, fun, funny, noteworthy, or just worth mentioning.  We don't think anybody is really offended, especially the commenter's boyfriend's mom.  But if so, we will try to take that into account next year.

Q:    Speaking of next year, where is it being held, and are you going?

A:    San Antonio, Texas, and absolutely.  Some of us will definitely be there, and hopefully all.  

Q:    How did you like your AirBnB?  Was it in a good neighborhood?

A:    Great location:  Old Town Scottsdale.  Close to groceries, restaurants, bars, walk-up late night burrito joint.  Just amazing.  We solved the flaw of the window treatments.  The only real problem was the security system, which set an alarm off every time we opened the door to the back patio.  We could stop the alarm quickly, but not allowed to disarm it because of regulations to prevent children from drowning.

Q:    What was the best food you ate?

A:    SumoMaya Sunday Brunch.  Easy!

Q:    Did you have any local beer?  If so, what were your favorites?

A:    We really didn't have that much.  Too much travel around the darn metropolitan area wastes time that could have been spent drinking.  That being said, the Scottsdale Blonde Ale was good, and Sinickal introduced us to "Long Drink," which is a Finnish style gin mixed drink served in a can.  Pretty good.

Q:  For which team were you cheering?

A:    Sinickal was boisterously in favor of Syracuse.  Kev-O and Pepster were ABD, "Anybody but Duke."  Tony was in favor of Texas.  Now, all that being said, we wanted to see really good basketball, and that didn't really happen.  UConn was too dominant.

Q:    Did anything stand out in the games?

A:    Zach Edey gets every call, and Stephon Castle can play!  Mark Sears is pretty good too.  DJ Burns may not have been the best DJ on his team - that honor belonged to Horne.

Q:    What did you mean by "magical pheromones?"

A:    Some people just have a flair for the dramatic.

Q:    How did Pepster get the 1904 Olympics question about St. Louis correct.

A:    We don't know.  He somehow knows more about the Olympics than a normal person should.

Q:    Why did you call the person in the passenger seat of the Waymo a sociopath?

A:    Ok, listen.  The Waymo is just a version of a rideshare, just without a driver.  So, you sit in the back if it is just you.  That is what you do.  If you want to be playful, then you sit in the driver seat and scare all the other drivers around you.  But you do not - under any circumstances - sit in the front passenger seat!

Q:    What is the airport cheat code?

A:    If we told you and everybody started doing it, it would no longer be the time-and-effort-saving cheat code, now would it? We will say that Sinickal travels A LOT!

Q:    On the Departure Day, Sinickal noted the amount of people in Coach House drinking at 10:45 a.m. Weren't you there at that time drinking?

A:    Yes, but we were flying out of Phoenix that day, and days of air travel don't count.  Also, Sinickal and Pepster were there together, not by themselves like the others.

Q:    Who IS the second best NBA player from Duke?

Q:    Wait, who is the best NBA player from Duke?

A:    Grant Hill, duh!

Q:    Ok, that makes sense.  Who is the second best NBA player from Duke?

A:    Pepster believes it is already Jayson Tatum.  Sinickal believes that Tatum has to show he can win first, so he throws out Shane Battier.  Elton Brand was very good.  All of us believe it could be Zion Williamson if he continues to stay healthy. Carlos Boozer had a nice career, but not to that level.  We all also discount Kyrie Irving because he only played 11 games at Duke.  Kev-O believes nobody should speak about Duke, ever.  In all honesty, given their success in college, Duke does not have a great body of NBA alumni.

Q:    Did you ask why there was a dump truck in the bar?

A:    No, we did not, because it was apparent it was there for the bike show.  However, shouldn't every bar have at least one dump truck at all times?!

The Final Four Chronicles: The Finals

Well, we have made it to the Finals, where the top 2 teams for most of the year have lived up to their expectations and defeated 62 other teams [Ed. Note - 66] for the right of playing for the national championship.  But, before we get to the finals, there is golf, and an assortment of other wanderings around.

05:00 - Tony has a work meeting.  The wonders of working for an international conglomerate for which time zones don't exist!

06:00 - Kev-O and Pepster awaken to see that every single person they each know has texted them about Calipari heading to Arkansas.

06:32 - Sinickal, Pepster and Kev-O head out to golf.  Unfortunately Tony's back is not cooperating.

06:40 - Sinickal tells Pepster and Kev-O to remind him about Allison's outgoing voice-mail message from college.  Pepster asks, why don't we just call her now.  We do.  She is a little under-the-weather and hoarse, and can't stop laughing about at our request.  This is 4 minutes of hilarity, in which we don't ever hear what the message was.  We have to wait until later.

06:46 - Allison calls Silas back and leaves her college outgoing message on his voice-mail so we all can hear.  It was a personalized version among her and her roommate to Young MC's Bust a Move.  Hilarious.  And, a reason to post THIS!

06:52 - Enter Talking Stick.  A little history behind it ...

06:58 - Tell the pro shop attendant that our 4th will not be with us because he threw his back out.  We tell the attendant that we hope he can make the game tonight.  Guy makes a funny joke about about whether or not Tony can play tonight so he could make a bet on the game.  We all miss it.  Need some coffee.

07:03 - Sinickal is looking forward to a round of just roasting Kev-O about Calipari going to Arkansas.  Although Pepster is in the denial stage, Kev-O is clearly in the angry stage.

07:07 - Breakfast sandwiches in the recently renovated and re-opened clubhouse bar.  Place looks amazing.  Sandwiches are good, too.  We realize we missed dinner last night.

07:50 - First tee.  Radio Silence.

08:22 - Kev-O introduces Sinickal and Pepster to a "Transfusion."

08:55 - OK, so not completely radio silent, but the black guy tells the white guy, "I think it is a little flatter than you do," as they are both reading similar lengthy putts for birdie.

12:15 - Finish golf.  Nice track.  Kev-O played well.  Sinickal loosened up as the round went on, and Pepster finished strong.  Back at it tomorrow.

12:17 - One of the cart attendants tells the story of how he was clinically dead after an accident on August 17, 1999.  We are not entirely sure where this story even came from, and Kev-O manages to walk-away without seeming rude, leaving Sinickal and Pepster to fend for themselves.

12:28 - Pass a restaurant called "Dilla Libre" which signage claims they are the "Quesadilla Champions of the World!"

12:32 - At a red light and the woman driving the car next to us has no left hand, yet she is working her phone and eating a burrito all while driving!

12:37 - Arrive at home to clean up and head back out for lunch and Glendale - THE FINALS!!!

12:45 - Kev-O decides he is going to lean into the skid and just wear Kentucky gear and tell every UConn fan, "Thanks in advance for your coach!"

12:53 - Kev-O decides to tell every fan of every team that, except for Purdue.  Nobody wants Matt Painter.

13:29 - Head out to lunch.  Going to downtown Phoenix.

13:37 - Kev-O realizes, "We could hire Dawn Staley!!!"

13:38 - Sinickal tells him, you are going through about 25 stages of grief.  Thinks of when he should bring up to Kev-O that, "You could hire Kim Mulkey!"

13:39 - We notice that we have seen a way larger number of people with a missing limb than we would ordinarily see in our regular lives.

13:40 - We pass a shirtless guy at a bus stop who is just approaching the street and flipping off every car in traffic.

13:46 - We also notice a whole lot of people just dragging luggage around town.

13:47 - We pass a Waymo with the rider in the front passenger seat.  We decide she is a sociopath.

14:12 - Enter the Arrogant Butcher in downtown Phoenix.  This is the UConn host bar.  It is quiet.  Guy makes a crack at Sinickal who responds, this bar has UConn energy - which is none.  We leave.

14:18 - Enter Chico Malo for some food.

15:15 - Start to leave Chico Malo.

15:16-15:26 - Have a long conversation with a former UConn player who graduated from 1995, who we cannot identify, even after later viewing the roster.  He says he was Kevin Ollie's roommate.  Much smack talk among schools occurs.

15:18 - Guy is seriously bragging about the run that Connecticut is going through in the last 2 to 3 decades and says, "There must be something in the water."  Kev-O snaps, "Syphilis."  Guy replies, "No, there's no syphilis.  A couple of crabs, I ain't gonna lie!"

16:13 - Parked at State Farm Stadium, or technically WestGate Center outside of the Stadium.

16:21 - Buffalo Wild Wings, again.  Easiest place to get into in WestGate.

16:53 - Pepster notices a guy wearing a "23" Iowa State jersey.  Sinickal states that it is too bad he isn't wearing a "23" jersey for the best player from Iowa, Roy Marble.  The two extoll the virtues of Marble as a player.  Kev-O says, "I don't know if you two are doing a bit, or if you are serious!"

17:00 - Old-timer sitting next to Sinickal is a St. John's fan who went to Fordham at his first Final Four.  Lots of good basketball discussion, until this, "Matt Painter is a good coach."

17:28 - Get tab.

17:48 - Finally get to pay tab.  Walk to State Farm Stadium begins.

17:53 - Lawrence Taylor just asked us for tickets.  Kev-O says, "Anyway kids, don't do crack!"

17:55 - Evangelist preaching about how you would love and cherish someone that paid your monetary debts, we should do the same for someone that took your sins away.  Pepster yells out, "I'll take False Analogies for $800 Alex."

17:56 - See another evangelist with a microphone.  Kev-O asks, "Is that a Trump Bible?"  Guy basically tells Kev-O he is going to hell.  Kev-O says, "See you there!"

17:57 - Guy is now being annoying and just really trying to single us out as we are trying to walk to the stadium, saying we need Jesus in our lives.  Sinickal tells him that Jesus just went 4-4 against the Astros.

Note, our comments are not against religion or even religiosity, but rather these evangelists that show up with a microphone outside big events are the absolute worst.  We see them every year, and most of them aren't even properly citing scripture, and are really just making things up.  We wonder what they did wrong in life that they thought they had to make up for it in this manner.

17:59 - Enter the outside security perimeter and a guy sees the orange "S" on Sinickal's shirt and says, "Hey, Superman!"

18:02 - Inside the stadium, on the escalator, and Sinickal starts his first "Let's Go Orange!" chant.

18:18 - Introduction of the UConn starters.  Pepster realizes that the dapman is the most underrated player on the college basketball team.  Sinickal remarks that he is the Get-Back Coach of college basketball.

18:21 - Tip-Off, and radio silence.

18:31 - From the Jumbotron Kev-O points out that Bobcat Goldthwait is cheering for UConn.

18:37 - Annoying UConn trust fund kids are standing the entire game.  Lots of people behind them getting angry at this point.  So we tell the kids they are getting in the way of the fans behind them, and there are appropriate times to stand and cheer based upon the ebb-and-flow or rhythm of the game, but just not the entire game.  They demonstrate that they do not understand rhythm.  Kev-O adds, "Also, get a haircut!"

19:10 - It is halftime and UConn wins 36-30.

19:20 - Tony notices that the UConn cheerleaders are very diverse.  They have every shade of white.

19:35 - We realize that UConn is going to go on a run, and that we might be able to make a decision to beat the foot traffic at the under-12 timeout.

19:50 - Exit the Stadium.

19:51 - As we are exiting the stadium we see that Carson Palmer's number is retired - BY THE CARDINALS!  This is ridiculous.

19:55 - As we are walking to Westgate a younger guy in a Purdue shirt was also leaving and asked for whom everyone that was leaving, i.e. us, was cheering.  We see his Purdue shirt, and he says he had to leave because he got kicked out.  He gave the double-bird to a UConn fan in the men's room.

19:58 - Kid, seeing Kev-O's UK fit, asks if Kentucky was going to hire Rick Pitino.  Kev-O and Pepster contemplate multiple felonies.

19:59 - Kid, asks Kev-O if he went to school there, since, you know, most UK fans didn't.  We all laugh because "game recognizes game."  Kid dropped a serious grenade, and deserved some credit.

20:01 - Enter Yardhouse, find four seats at the bar.  Good choice to leave early as this game is really over.

20:31 - UConn wins.

21:03 - One Shining Moment, not a lot of basketball plays this year in the montage.

21:15 - Leave Yardhouse.

21:48 - Leave parking lot.

Time Unknown - Arrive at Big Si and Anne's house to pick up a car, as we will need multiple cars for our luggage and golf clubs tomorrow.

Time Further Unknown - Arrive at our house, in bed within 30 seconds!

The Final Four Chronicles: The Interregnum

 

It is the day between the games, or as Kev-O refers to it, "My Favorite Day of the Weekend!"  We know we have brunch reservations, and we know we are going to see Papa Si and Anne.  I wonder if there will be any interesting basketball news today.  [Ed. Note - There will be.]

07:00 - Pepster awakens.

07:22 - Big Wigg, already showered comes outside to the patio.  Our first vacation cigar of the day.

08:20 - Sinickal comes out of his room to join the crowd.

08:35 - Sinickal is talking to Big Wigg and Pepster about golf, and more specifically about this prediction Sinickal made back in 2011 about TIGER WOODS.  He begins telling a story about a bet he made with a friend of his that Tiger would not catch Jack Nicklaus (Sinickal taking the side that he wouldn't).  That bet was made so long ago with Tiger not winning enough majors that the person he bet has died.

08:36 - Pepster opines that it is an easier bet that Tiger Woods catches syphilis before he catches Nicklaus.

8:38 - Tony, who has been up for awhile, enters the fray.

08:39 - Followed by Kev-O.

09:31 - Planning on which sports bar to go to prior to brunch so we can see as much of the women's championship as possible, and settle on Zipps.  Pepster immediately perks up because he thinks that is where Sir Mix-a-Lot and his crew went in the song My Posse's on Broadway.  Turns out, it isn't.  The line is "But Taco Bell was closed, the girls was on my tip.  They said go back the other way we;ll stop and eat at Dick's."  The entire crew is so disappointed that Pepster messed up this lyric.  But nobody more disappointed than Pepster.  Well, at least we have an excuse to post some Mix-a-Lot. 

09:56 - Strolling through social media looking for tidbits on the women's game and Pepster comes across this post from one high school basketball teammate to another.  "G - let's bet.  I got South Carolina.  You can have Iowa and the refs!"

09:57 - Pop into Tacos Jalisco for some breakfast tacos and/or burritos.  We picked it partly because it was close.  And, it really was.  We could have walked.

09:59 - Turns out we can order the breakfast burrito with asada AND chorizo!

10:03 - This is REALLY good.  Nice little dive with a walk-up counter, and it is open late night.  This could be an important thing to remember.

10:19 - Strange guy with unmatching workout clothes walks into and out of the bathroom with a strange bag.  As he walks out, he goes and stands in the parking lot just looking around, and gets into a car that randomly pulls up.  Tony thinks this is strange.  Sinickal notes, "The Italian sitting with his back to the wall and facing the front door is pointing out shady behavior!"

10:26 - Sinickal telling a story about a scientific study his friend insists he read about magical phermones possessed by redheads.

10:28 - Sinickal and Kev-O remember that they forgot to tell us about how an accordion player was playing live in the Minneapolis airport on Friday - at 7:45 in the morning!!!

10:30 - Mexican music videos playing on the television in Tacos Jalisco.  One comes on in which the lead singer in tactical gear with a V/R headest kills someone, and then dances over him dressed as a furry.

10:31 - As we exit Tacos Jalisco, Kev-O states that he had never before seen a Nissan Rogue tac'd out.  Tony notices the K-9 on duty sticker on the back door window.  

10:37 - Dunkin' Donuts for some coffee for Sinickal and Kev-O.  The woman working the drive thru had a lot going on with her look and fit.

10:41 - At a stoplight next to the "Champagne Train", a pink-painted school bus designed for parties.  Women are dancing, screaming and twerking.  Tony opens his window.  Kev-O does not.

11:24 - Discussing games from last night and Sinickal points out a tweet that notes the most notable thing about Forrest Gump is that he graduated from Alabama.

We also pick up on a discussion we had last night about the best woman basketball player ever.  Pepster and Sinickal start off the conversation with there could only be two answers.  Then he says that someone in his club brought up Anne Myers.  That person is wrong.  It is Cheryl Miller or Diana Taurasi.  Nobody else.  This translates into a discussion of Dawn Staley's cumulative playing and coaching careers.  Just outstanding!

11:58 - Enter Zipps.  Told we can't stand at the bar because it is a "walkway".

11:58:30 - Exit Zipps.

11:59 - Enter Clancy's.  Pretty full, but not packed.  We are able to get a table.

12:05 - A man standing at the corner of the bar during the national anthem on television.  Since people are still talking and ordering food and drinks and workers generally doing their jobs, he yells out, "Be quiet, I am trying to listen to the song!"

12:06 - Kev-O looks back at him, and he is not wearing shoes, and his belt is in his hand.

12:07 - We decide he must be an Iowa fan.

12:08 - He leaves the bar after the anthem and never returns to Clancy's.  He just popped in for the anthem!

12:10 - Dawn Staley looks like she took her jacket from a Missy Elliott video.  Twitter finds out the jacket costs $5,370.

12:15 - A Great Value Brand Freddie Mercury exits Clancy's.

12:16 - Tip-off.

12:16 - First Iowa basket, this is an obviously Iowa-heavy crowd.

12:32 - One guy at the corner of the bar cheers for South Carolina.  He must be our reinforcement.

13:01 - Good game in the first half.  If they didn't show the score we would never have thought South Carolina was up.

 13:31 - Leave for our brunch reservations at SumoMaya.

13:45 - Enter SumoMaya.  This brunch is AMAZING.  Seriously, check out THIS MENU.  You pay for an entree, and they bring unlimited tapas-style appetizers to the table.  Just first-rate food with a great atmosphere.  Danielle and Trey join us for brunch.

15:15 - Remarking to Trey that his people - Purdue fans - are here in droves.  He says he is pretty proud.  Tony says it is because they are looking for an excuse to leave Purdue.  Kev-O notes that they call it West Lafayette, not Best Lafayette.

15:16 - Kev-O telling a story about the first time he brought his wife Susan home to Kentucky, and that when they arrived in Lexington, Tony interrupts with, "you put her on a horse!"

15:47 - Leave SumoMaya.

16:07 - Cold Beers and Cheeseburgers.  Different one than before.

16:15 - Sinickal's long-time family friend Don shows up.

16:24 - Don, who is originally from St. Louis, starts talking about his grandfather who graduated college in St. Louis in 1904.  Asks us if we know what happened in St. Louis in 1904.  Pepster knows this one - it was the Summer Olympics!

16:30 - Don says that "One of my kids loves Amsterdam."  He is asked which kid.  He names his son, then says, "My other kids have problems traveling outside of Scottsdale!

16:34 - Waitress asks if we need another round, looks at Kev-O's drink and says, "Your drink looks sad."  Pepster adds, "Drinks tend to look like their owner."  Kev-O responds, "I may be sad, but I am also not deaf!"

16:35 - Papa Si and Anne, Sinickal's parents arrive.

16:36 - Sinickal introduces Kev-O to his parents as "Hopps' replacement".

16:39 - Papa Si, seeing our shirts - asks how we are connected to Southwestern Central.  Answer, "We created it!"

17:34 - Long discussion about the Dali/Key Bridge accident.

17:53 - Papa Si regaling us about the restaurant at the Fairmont Princess at which he had a very expensive lunch while looking at a potential condominium in the same complex.  Sinickal says, "If you can't afford the burger, you can't afford the condo."

17:55 - Don says to Kev-o about buying a house in the 5s - you can't even sit in Scottsdale for $500,000.00!

18:32 - Sinickal to Anne, his Mom, "You didn't have a problem beating me and trash talking."  Her response, "That's 'cause you couldn't play!"

19:03 - Long discussion, continued from the day before and earlier today, who is the second best basketball player from Duke?

19:20 - Long Barbershop talk.  Papa Si exclaiming that he still goes to the barbershop.  "I have hair on the side!"

19:22 - If Ice Cube and Queen Latifah don't say it happened, then it doesn't happen!  Sinickal's comments on barbershops.

19:28 - After a long argument made by Anne, Papa Si responds, "My point was ..."

19:48 - Leave Cold Beer and Cheeseburgers.

19:50 - As we pass a store alongside the road, Tony asks if it is open.  When told yes, he says, "Oh, I thought it was midnight!"

19:54 - A DOG IS DRIVING A CYBER TRUCK!!!

19:57 - We find out that John Calipari is discussing the head coaching position at Arkansas.  Remember, Kev-O is a Kentucky alumnus and Pepster is a long time Kentucky basketball fan.  They are crestfallen.

19:59 - The group discusses Calipari replacements, and Jay Wright is first on our list.  Danny Hurley comes up and Sinickal, forever twisting the dagger, says, "Why don't you throw money at Danny Hurley?  Except, for him, that would be taking a step down!"

20:15 - Back at home.

21:11 - Start watching #BlackAF

21:15 - Confirmed Calipari is going to Arkansas.

21:16 - Kev-O needs a minute.  Steps outside.

21:16:18 - Tony to Kev, "Just put the cig out before you fall into the pool!"

21:19 - Kev-O realizes, "There is not enough whiskey in the world for me right now!"

21:45 - Kev-O decides to hit the hot tub.  Pepster joins later.

22:51 - Kev-O and Pepster leave the hot tub to go to bed.  Kev-O ends the evening with, "Arkansas, huh?"

Arkansas, huh, indeed!!!

NCAA Tournament Pool - Final Four

 

Pool Standings after Final Four

1.  Javier Rodriguez - 130 - PURDUE

     Measha Williams 3 - 130 - PURDUE

3.  Daniel Barsky 1 - 126 - UCONN

4.  Paul Cummings 2 - 125 - UCONN

     Alvaro Gonzalez - 125 - PURDUE

6.  James Coleman - 121 - UCONN

     Brigadier General Kareem Montague - 121 - UCONN

8.  Scott Bieterman 1 - 120 - PURDUE

     Brittany Sosa - 120 - PURDUE

10.  Paul Cummings 3 - 118 - UCONN

       Ty Hedgpeth - 118 - UCONN

       Max Macon 2 - 118 - PURDUE

       Si Nichols - 118 - UCONN

       Rich Samuels 2 - 118 - PURDUE

15.  Miles Jackson - 117

16.  George Fox 1 - 115 - PURDUE

       George Fox 2 - 115 - UCONN

       Max Marion 3 - 115 -PURDUE

19.     Justin Yung - 114

20.  Rich Samuels 4 - 112

21.  Lee Pagan - 111

22.  Measha Williams 1 - 110

23.  Brian McMahon - 109 - UCONN

       Jeff Plamondon - 109 - UCONN

       Marcus Spruill - 109

       Cheryl Spuhler - 109 - UCONN

       Amanda Staudt - 109

28.  Natalie Moon - 108 - UCONN

29.  Noel Martinez 1 - 107 - PURDUE

30.  Chris Simmons - 106

31.  Keith Zdrowak - 105 - PURDUE

32.  Bill Ganoe 2 - 103 - UCONN

       Jeremy Spuhler - 103 - UCONN

34.  Justine Frank - 102 - UCONN

35.  Matt Hopps - 100 - UCONN

       William Pujals - 100 - UCONN

       Rich Samuels 1 - 100 - UCONN

38.  Bill Ganoe 3 - 99

       Kyle Henderson 2 - 99

       George Walks 3 - 99 - PURDUE

       Amy Zdrowak - 99 - PURDUE

42.  Barbie Curlett 1 - 98

       Kyle Henderson 1 - 98

       Allison Parker - 98

       Rich Samuels 5 - 98 - UCONN

46.  Jenna Finkelstein - 97

       Dawn Lamb - 97 - UCONN

       Sean McInerney 2 - 97 - UCONN

49.  Jacey Fowler 1 - 96

       Blake Jackson - 96

       Shane Jernigan 2 - 96

52.  Silas Nichols - 95 - UCONN

53.  Marcus Jackson - 94 

       George Walks 4 - 94 - PURDUE

55.  Paul Cummings 1 - 93 - PURDUE

       John Hedgpeth - 93

       Katie Zdrowak -93

58.  Braeden Helland - 92

       Max Marion 1 - 92

       Sasha Moon - 92 - UCONN

       Rich Samuels 3 - 92 - UCONN

62.  Adam Jorgensen 2 - 91

63.  Daniel Barsky 2 - 90 - PURDUE

       Joel Chernoff - 90

       Bill Ganoe 1 - 90

       Dan Laishley - 90

67.  Matt O'Kell - 89

       Chris O'Neil - 89 - UCONN

       Day Yi - 89 - UCONN

 

70.  Logan Spuhler - 88

71.  Max Macon 1 - 87 - UCONN

       Jane Reynolds - 87

       Cassi Spruill - 87

       Keith Wynne - 87 - UCONN

75.  Josh Zdrowak - 86

76.  Kevin Dick - 85

       Carolyn Fowler - 85

78.  James Garvin - 84 - PURDUE

       Mark Holbert - 84

       Jason Spuhler - 84 - UCONN

81.  Brent Bellinger - 83

       Adam Jorgensen 1 - 83 - UCONN

       Anne-Marie O'Neil - 83 - PERDUE [sic]

       Barkley Sosa - 83 - UCONN

85.  Colleen Giamberini - 82 - UCONN

       Measha Williams 2 - 82

       Mike Wolff 1 - 82

88.  Jody Cox - 81

       Dave Piasecki - 81

90.  Barbie Curlett 2 - 80 - UCONN

        Karen Katz - 80 - PURDUE

92.  Shane Jernigan 1 - 79 - UCONN

       Ashley Poer - 79

       Pepe Sosa - 79

       Bubba Zdrowak - 79

96.  Skip LaForte - 76

       Biscuit Zdrowak - 76

98.  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

The Final Four Chronicles: The Arrival

Yes, it is that time of year again folks, where the good men of WeMakeItRain - well 2/3 of us - and the coaching staff of Southwestern Central - well 3/4 of us - and good friend head west to the promised land of the Final Four and the National Association of Baskebtall Coaches annual conference, this year held in Glendale/Phoenix/Scottsdale.  I know I have written this before, but the NCAA says the Final Four is in Phoenix, but it is actually in Glendale, but we are anchored in Scottsdale.  We will see all three of these cities, and also some guest appearances as well, especially since Sinickal's parents live in Scottsdale.  As always, all times are local and remain in the same time zone as previous entries until a change is noted.  If something occurs mid-flight, the entry will remain in the time zone in which the flight originated until landing in a different zone. [Ed. Note from Sinickal: Pepster is an attorney]

Thursday, April 4

20:30 E.D.T. - Tony Wheels up to Phoenix.

20:32 - Tony notes that his flight has a ton of UConn folks on it, and they are still the quietest fan base.  [Ed. note - last year's UConn fans didn't celebrate as we thought fitting of a championship team, and we were in the UConn host bar a lot.]

20:56 - Kev-O remarks that they have 5 titles this century, and they can't be bothered to be rowdy.

20:57 - Followed by "They don't deserve [Dan] Hurley as coach.

Friday, April 5

00:00 MDT - Tony lands in Phoenix.

04:28 EDT - Pepster departs for FLL.

05:20 - As Pepster enters the parking lot, Fat Joe featuring Li'l Wayne's We Make It Rain comes on Flex2K.  Our anthem coming on at this point in time, must be a sign.  To get yourself in the appropriate mood, give it a listen.  Fat Joe ft. Li'l Wayne

05:21 - Pepster sends the crew this photo.

04:57 - Sinickal spots Kev-O a few people ahead of him in the Clear line. Tries to get his attention, but he is both still asleep and in his phone.

05:22 - Kev-O and Sinickal meet up in DCA.  They are on the same first leg to MSP, but on different flights to PHX.

05:36 - Plane boarding and staff hierarchy is clear. Sinickal is in first class and a clearly annoyed Kev-O flips him off on his way to coach. 

05:48 - Pepster notes that the airport bars don't open until 8:00 in Fort Lauderdale.

05:50 - Sinickal - "I can't believe the State of Florida would ban the right of the people to drink at anytime though.  Not like them."

05:53 - Pepster, "Free State of Florida, my ass!"

05:54 - Kev-O joins in, "Thanks a lot DeSanctimonious!"

07:00 - Pepster sees that his flight is delayed until 7:52.

07:01 - Sinickal to Pepster, "You still can't drink though!"

04:04 MST - Tony says, "If your flight is delayed a little longer you might get one in!"

[Ed. Note - definitely too early to drink even if open, but still seems remarkable that an airport is full, and most places - not just bars - were closed.]

07:48 CDT - Sinickal and Kev-O arrive in Minneapolis and hustle to the Delta Sky Club. The drinking journey begins. Kev-O with vodka and Sinickal with bourbon. Sinickal notes that this ain't Florida.

08:50 - Sinickal and Kev-O are on different flights to Phoenix. Kev-O departs for his. 

10:33 EDT - Pepster's brother in Jersey City and sister in Emmaus, Pennsylvania, as well as Tony's brother in Queens, all text to say they were just in an earthquake.  Everyone is good though.

7:40 MST - Tony texts a graphic about the earthquake showing the epicenter in Lebanon, New Jersey.

10:43 EDT - Pepster responds, "Lebanon, huh?  Probably not the worst explosion that will happen in Lebanon this weekend.

7:45 MST - Tony replies, "Poor Lebanon.  First they come under attack due to crazy neighbors and then to be related to a location in New Jersey.  Tough week for them."

10:03 MDT - Pepster reads a group e-mail involving some friends primarily centered around college.  One of them says, "Not as bad as ones I felt when I lived in Cali. 4.8 out of 10.  Would quake again." 

10:04 - Pepster lands in Denver.

10:27 - Pepster sees a guy who is approximately 5'9" tall, and 285 pounds wearing a Colorado Buffaloes t-shirt that says "I'm not hard to find!"  

11:10 - Pepster wheels up to PHX.

10:53 MST - Kev-O lands in Phoenix.

13:08 CDT - Sinickal just got a notification that his golf clubs were put on Kev-O's earlier flight from Minneapolis.

11:48 MST - Kev-O enters Chelsea's Kitchen in the airport.

12:30 - Pepster arrives in Phoenix.

12:39 - On the way to baggage claim, Pepster passes a step-and-repeat for the Final Four with a DJ spinning dance music.  This city seems prepared!

12:52 - Pepster meets up with Kev-O in Chelsea's Kitchen, as we await Sinickal's arrival. (Note: Pepster finally gets a drink.)

12:53 - Sinickal arrives in Phoenix.

13:12 - Sinickal is grabbing his bags and going to pick up the rental car, says it'll be about 30-40 minutes.  Kev-O and Pepster order another round.

13:42 - From Sinickal, "In the car, will be on north side in about 10 minutes."

13:48 - Sinickal asks us from what door did we exit.  We tell him we are at Door 27 north.  Sinickal is three minnutes out.

13:49 - Sinickal asks "Are you sure it is Door 27?"

13:58 - Sinickal driving the rental car pulls up to the curb to pick up Kev-O and Pepster, only when he gets out of the car, it isn't Sinickal.  The driver apologizes to us as if he did something wrong by vaguely looking like Sinickal behind tinted windows.  This posting is the first time Sinickal and Tony know this happened.

14:01 - Sinickal again, "Are you sure it's Door 27?"

14:05 - Sinickal continues, "That door doesn't exist."

14:10 - It certainly does!

14:11 - Yes, the door exists, but Kev-O realizes we were at Departures on Level 2, not Arrivals on Level 1.  We're idiots.

14:26 - Kev-O tells Pepster and Sinickal that he prepped for this Final Four by studying a map of the panhandle of Oklahoma, as he is still trying to figure out where Southwestern Central is located.  [Ed. Note - it's in the northeast corner of the panhandle.]

14:33 - Since we cannot get into the AirBnB until 3, a quick stop at Fate Brewing after we pass an establishment that Bob Lanier "turned Sinickal on to."

14:34 - Guy across the bar wearing a t-shirt that reads:

                                                                Jesus

                                                                Booger

                                                                Lonnie

                                                                Mance

                                                                & Sip 

Gotta love He Got Game.

14:56 - Tony heads to the AirBnB in a Waymo!!!  "This is wild," he says.

15:02 - Tony arrives safely at AirBnB.

15:04 - The rest arrive at the AirBnB.

15:33 - Heading to Albertsons for "supplies."

15:38 - Kev-O sees a distraught mother in the parking lot and remarks, "She definitely beats her kids!"  To be fair, they looked like they deserved it.

15:44 - Full liquor sold in the grocery store.  And we thought Florida was a "free" state.

16:12 - Pepster sees his first pedi-bar.  He hates those things.  And to those that say, but you can pedal and get to drink with your friends.  Pepster says, I can drink with my friends in a bar.

16:13 - Kev-O states that he lived in Nashville for 8 years and he is certainly with Pepster.

16:14 - Sinickal to Kev-O, "But your hatred is not as visceral.  You need more bass in your voice!"

16:20 - Enter Cold Beer and Cheeseburgers.

16:28 - Order wings.

Mostly radio silence as the first women's Final Four game is on between NC State and South Carolina.  South Carolina rolls.

17:54 - DJ Burns' sister just checked in for NC State.

18:52 - Leave Cold Beer and Cheeseburgers.

18:54 - While walking to the car, see a lot of bikers at the Mexican restaurant next to Cold Beer and Cheeseburgers.  Kev-O notices one of them and says, "Can you really be a Harley-Davidson guy and wear Skechers?"

18:56 - Kev-O realizes that we all hobbled out of Cold Beers and Cheeseburgers.  Discuss whether it is age creeping up on us, or the fact that our bodies are three hours ahead.  We note it is the time change.

18:58 - Another f'in pedi bar.

19:00 - Enter Coach House.  See Danielle and Trey, Pepster's second cousin and second cousin-in-law [Ed. Note - her husband] from Seattle.  They are in town for - you guessed it - THE FINAL FOUR.  Trey is a proud alumnus of Purdue who wasn't around for their last Final Four appearance, so they made sure to come to this one!

19:01 - Sinickal and Kev-O commence the first of many games of Golden Tee.  [Ed. Note - This turned out to  be the only game of Golden Tee.]

19:02 - Before too many beers are consumed Pepster informs Danielle and Trey that they will be mentioned in the blog and asks if there is a preferred moniker other than their names.  They both agree they are just happy to be mentioned, so no alias necessary.

19:07 - Danielle is remiss that she didn't come wearing her school gear - Coastal Carolina - as everybody else had donned clothing from their respective alma mater, even those schools not in the Final Four.

Radio Silence as a lot of people are watching the Iowa-Connecticut women's final four game.  Apparently that Caitlyn Clark is popular.  Who knew?  [Ed. Note - we did.]

19:57 - Danielle and Trey start their inquiry of Sinickal - whose parents live in Scottsdale - as to where they could get something good to eat that is close.

20:31 - Very questionable illegal screen called against UConn.

20:42 - Danielle and Trey still probably in need of food, but have an other drink to hang out with us instead!

21:08 - Band at the Coach House breaks into Bust a Move, then tells the crowd that it was a song by Young MC. This would be funny if we had a picture of the band.

21:15 - Pepster notes that he is tired and says out loud that unlike us Danielle and Trey did not have to go through a time change to get to Scottsdale. Sinickal remarks that they probably aren't thirsty either. 

21:24 - We decide it is time for us to go home, but not before a picture to send to the Sosa/Perez family.  Please excuse the bad lighting, it was the bar's fault.

21:26 - We head home.

21:29 - Back home.  Commence eating potato chips bought earlier at Albertsons.  Wondering if Danielle and Trey ever found food ...

21:43 - Big Wigg - Pepster's friend from West Palm who now lives in Tucson texts to coordinate plans for the morning.  That's right, Big Wigg is joining!  Gonna be a crew!

21:46 - Pepster retires for the evening.

NCAA Tournament Pool Elite 8/Day 2

Well, we made it to the Final Four, and you have made it to my last full-blown update of the tournament.  Now, I will post the updated standings after the Semi-Finals on Saturday, but no analysis, report, history, etc., etc., etc.  Why not?  Because your Tournament Host is travelling to the Final Four on Friday, and we will recap all of the excitement right here on this page as we will pseudo-live blog our adventures.  So, you can still keep up with the Final Four without an actual "report". 

As far as this report goes, it is all Zach Edey all the time.  Apparenlty he is a darn good college player.  He had 19 points and 10 rebounds in Purdue's victory over Tennessee - AT HALFTIME!  He finished with 40 and 16.  Just a dominating performance.  Apparently, he was not worried about the jinx I put on Terrence Shannon the day before.  He showed up, showed out, and then talked-smack about Coach Rick Barnes from Tennessee not recruiting him.  He was a three-star recruit out of high school, but right now is the defending NCAA Player of the Year, a finalist, and virtual shoo-in, for the award this year, and right now THE BEST PLAYER in the Final Four.  Tennessee's Dalton Knecht showed why he was the SEC Player of the Year with his gallant effort of 37 points, but there was just too much of the 7'4" Edey.

In the second game, 11-seed North Carolina State defeated the 4-seed Duke Blue Devils by methodically pulling away in the second half using the size of DJ Burns, the 6'9" 275 pound big man with footwork so smooth NFL offensive line coaches must be salivating!  Duke's more lithesome front court - especially star Kyle Filipowski - could not hang as he only scored 11 points, but also fouled out!  It should be noted that Burns received his third foul early in the second half, but was able to avoid his fourth until long-after it mattered.  NC State has won its 9th consecutive tournament game as it was forced to win the ACC Tournament just to qualify for NCAA Tournament, and a missed free throw in the semi-finals of the ACC Tourney by Virginia's Issac McNeely with 5.3 seconds remaining and Virginia up three allowed a game-tying buzzer-beater three by Michael O'Connell to keep NC State's season alive.  And boy have they taken advantage of it!!!

This game was a travesty at half-time, with Duke leading NC State 27-21.  The erudite Charles Barkley remarked that both teams looked like they were thinking about the Final Four instead of playing basketball.  Well, NC State played basketball putting up 55 in the second half.

So, we have NC State versus Purdue in the Final Four - with Alabama versus Connecticut on the other side.  Purdue and NC State have not been to the Final Four since 1980 and 1983 respectively, and Alabama never has played in the Final Four.  Let's hope their fans come correct and show out, because we Connecticut's fans will be in attendance - and boring.

With Tennessee and Duke exiting the tournament, we lost two champions.  Out of the Final Four, we have 4 champions remaining.  Great work collectively, everybody.  That means somebody(ies) is/are going to earn at least 44 points this weekend (16 for a semi-finals win; 28 for the championship), to cement a pool championship.  Our remaining champions are:  Since Illinois lost, another champion is down!  The remaining six-teams all have champions in our pool, so lots of competing interests remain!  Our remaining champions are:  ALABAMA, Auburn, Arizona, Baylor, CONNECTICUT, Creighton, Duke, Florida, Florida Atlantic, Gonzaga, Houston, Illinois, Iowa State, Kansas, Kentucky, Marquette, Michigan State, North Carolina, NORTH CAROLINA STATE, PURDUE and Tennessee.  Cheer to your heart's content for your champion.

Yes, I did say that somebody has North Carolina State as their champion.  You heard me correctly.  Who is that?  Well, check the standings below to see.  I can tell you that a ton of entrants had Purdue, so the Pick of the Day Award goes to those that had the Wolfpack in the Final Four:  Clair Bullock of Columbus, Ohio, Barkley Sosa of Riviera Beach, Florida, and Colleen Giamberini of Boynton Beach, Florida.  Clair had the opportunity of earning five bonus points for the upset by 11-seed North Carolina State over 4-seed Duke, except she forgot to pick a winner in the Elite 8 between Houston and Duke.  I think that if NC State goes as far as she wants them to go, those 5-points may not make a difference.  But, we won't  know unless it happens.

Today's Tournament flashback brings us to the 1980 Final Four, which was the last time Purdue made it to the Holy Grail of college basketball.  NC State last made it in 1983, but that tournament is so iconic - Derek Whittenberg's airball alley-oop to Lorenzo Charles for the win over Phi Slamma Jamma ending with Jim Valvano running around the court like a lunatic lookning for someone to hook - that is shouldn't need mentioning.  So, Purdue it is.

The 1980 NCAA Tournament is widely considered as the first modern tournament.  Although the second year using seedings, it was the first in which the teams were seeded by the committee rather than just using conference champions, it was the first that did not limit the number of teams from any given conference so as to have the "best" teams and not just a cross-section, and the first in which top seeds were chosen to travel to different regions so that all the best teams did not end up in one or two geographic regions.

The Final Four was held in Market Square Arena in Indianapolis, and featured Louisville versus Iowa and UCLA versus the aforementioned Purdue.

Lousiville, the second seed in the Midwest Region, feature Derek Smith, Rodney McCray, Jerry Eaves and the man with one of the best nicknames in basketball history, Dr. Dunkenstein Darrell Giffith.  Iowa was the 5-seed in the East, and advanced to the Final Four with a well-rounded team, including Ronnie Lester, Kenny Arnold, Vince Brookins, and Steve Krafcisin.  The game also featured legendary coaches Denny Crum (Louisville) and Lute Olson (Iowa).  Louisville won the game 80-72, behind Darrell Griffith's 34 points, with 14 and 13 from McCray and Smith respectively.  Iowa's Arnold had 20, as he led 4 players in double-figures but it wasn't enough.

In the next matchup, UCLA coached by the just-as-legendary Larry Brown, came into the Final Four as the 8th seed in the west, yes, 8th, and was paced by future NBA star Kiki Vandeweghe - who I had forgotten played for UCLA.  Purdue, with second-year coach Lee Rose earned the 6th seed in the Mid-East regional, and was led by future NBA overall number 1 pick Joe Barry Carroll, about which I could write an entire post, and assited by Keith Edmonson, Brian Walker, and Drake Morris.  Vandeweghe - showing the NBA his future scoring prowess, scored 24 to lead UCLA and to defeat Purdue had 23 from Edmonson, and 17 points a game high 8 rebounds from Carroll.

Purdue defeated Iowa in the third-place game, which they played back then, 75-58, with Carroll going for 35 and 12 and Edmonson scoring 17.  Iowa was paced by Kenny Arnold's 19.  But htis was just the appetizer.

In the main event, a defensive struggle, Louisville defeated UCLA 59-54 behind Darrell Griffith's 23 points and Rodney McCray's 11 rebounds.  Vendeweghe scored 14 with 7 rebounds for UCLA.  UCLA's appearance was ultimately forfeited after several players were declared ineligible.

Joe Barry Carroll went on the be the first overall pick in the 1980 NBA draft by the Golden State Warriors and played 11 nondescript seasons in the league, and was widely considered the worst number 1 pick in NBA History until Anthony Bennett in 2013.  Kiki Vandeweghe was drafted with the 11th overall pick in the NBA draft by the Dallas Mavericks and became a two-time All-Star and scored over 15,000 points.

 And Darrell Griffith, was named the greatest college dunker of all time; a true, Dr. Dunkenstein.  The first video contains the St. John's dunk.  This one against LSU contains his Around the World.

Griffith was the second overall pick in the 1980 draft by the Utah Jazz, behind Joe Barry Carroll and just ahead of Kevin McHale.  He was named Rookie of the Year in 1981, and scored over 12,300 points in his 11 years with the Jazz, where his number 35 is retired.

Griffith was a helluva player, but we also had some great players yesterday.

Players of the Day

9.  Raegen Beers, Oregon State - 16 points, 8 rebounds

8.  Tess Johnson, South Carolina, 15 points in 20 minutes

7.  Kamilla Cardoso, South Carolina - 12 points/9 rebounds

6.  Jared McCain, Duke - 32 points/6 rebounds

5.  DJ Horne, North Carolina State - 20 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists

4.  Aziaha James, North Carolina State - 27 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists

3.  Dalton Knecth, Tennessee - 37 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist

2.  DJ Burns, North Carolina State - 29 points, 4 rebounds

1.  Zach Edey, Purdue - 40 points, 16 rebounds

Best Players in Each Region

East - Donovan Clingan, Connecticut - AND IT WASN'T EVEN CLOSE

West - Mark Sears, Alabama

Midwest - Zach Edey, Purdue - AND THIS WASN'T EVEN CLOSE, EITHER

South - DJ Burns, North Carolina State

Stats of the Day

2.  Zach Edey has taken over 400 free throw attempts this year, the first college player since Pete Maravich in 1970!

1.  Zach Edey had 19 points/10 rebounds at halftime.  Three times in this tournament has a player had a double/double at halftime.  Those three - Zach Edey, Zach Edey, and Zach Edey.

Social Media Post of the Day

This picture sums up this kid's feelings about Duke.

As for the standings, if you had 1 team correct, you moved up.  If you had none you moved down.  Nobody had 2.  And, WE HAVE A NEW LEADER!  As always, feel free to double check my scoring.  As for the teams after the names, if it is before the "/" that is the champion that remains; if it is after the "/" it is the runner-up that remains.  If no school listed either before or after the "/", that entrant's pick no longer remains.

Pool Standings after Elite 8/Day 2

1.  Ty Hedgpeth - 102 - UCONN/

2.  Miles Jackson - 101 - /UCONN

3.  George Fox 2 - 99 - UCONN/

     Bill Ganoe 3 - 99

     Max Marion 3 - 99 -PURDUE/

6.  Allison Parker - 98

     Javier Rodriguez - 98 - PURDUE/UCONN

     Measha Williams 3 - 98 - PURDUE/UCONN

     Justin Yung - 98 - /PURDUE

10.  Blake Jackson - 96

       Rich Samuels 4 - 96 /UCONN

12.  Lee Pagan - 95 - /PURDUE

13.  Daniel Barsky 1 - 94 - UCONN/PURDUE

       Marcus Jackson - 94 - /ALABAMA

       Measha Williams 1 - 94 - /UCONN

16.  Paul Cummings 2 - 93 - UCONN/PURDUE

       Alvaro Gonzalez - 93 - PURDUE/UCONN

       John Hedgpeth - 3

       Brian McMahon - 3 - UCONN/

       Jeff Plamondon - 93 - UCONN/

       Marcus Spruill - 93 - /PURDUE

       Cheryl Spuhler - 93 - UCONN/

       Amanda Staudt - 93 - /PURDUE

24.  Braeden Helland - 92

       Max Macon 2 - 92 - PURDUE/UCONN

       Si Nichols - 92 - UCONN/PURDUE

27.  Joel Chernoff - 90

       Bill Ganoe 1 - 90

       Chris Simmons - 90 - /UCONN

30.  James Coleman - 89 - UCONN/PURDUE

       Brigadier General Kareem Montague - 89 - UCONN/PURDUE

       Matt O'Kell - 89

       Keith Zdrowak - 89 - PURDUE

34.  Scott Bieterman 1 - 88 - PURDUE/UCONN

       Brittany Sosa - 88 - PURDUE/UCONN

       Logan Spuhler - 88

37.  Bill Ganoe 2 - 87 - UCONN/

       Jane Reynolds - 87 - ALABAMA/

       Cassi Spruill - 87

       Jeremy Spuhler - 87 - UCONN/

41.  Paul Cummings 3 - 86 - UCONN/PURDUE

       Justine Frank - 86 - UCONN/

       Rich Samuels 2 - 86 - PURDUE/UCONN

       Josh Zdrowak - 86

45.  Kevin Dick - 85

       Carolyn Fowler - 85

47.  Mark Holbert - 84

       Matt Hopps - 84 - UCONN/

       William Pujals - 84 - UCONN/

       Rich Samuels 1 - 84 - UCONN/

51.  George Fox 1 - 83 - PURDUE/UCONN

       Kyle Henderson 2 - 83 - /UCONN

       George Walks 3 - 83 - PURDUE/

       Amy Zdrowak - 83 - PURDUE

55.  Barbie Curlett 1 - 82 - /UCONN

       Kyle Henderson 1 - 82 - /UCONN

       Rich Samuels 5 - 82 - UCONN/

       Measha Williams 2 - 82

       Mike Wolff 1 - 82

60.  Jody Cox - 81

       Jenna Finkelstein - 81 - /UCONN

       Dawn Lamb - 81 - UCONN/

       Sean McInerney 2 - 81 - UCONN/

       Dave Piasecki - 81

65.  Jacey Fowler 1 - 80 - /PURDUE

       Shane Jernigan 2 - 80 - /PURDUE

67.  Silas Nichols - 79 - UCONN/

       Ashley Poer - 79

       Pepe Sosa - 79

       Bubba Zdrowak - 79

71.  George Walks 4 - 78 - PURDUE/

72.  Paul Cummings 1 - 77 - PURDUE/

       Katie Zdrowak - 77 - /PURDUE

74.  Skip LaForte - 76

       Max Marion 1 - 76 - /UCONN

       Natalie Moon - 76 - UCONN/PURDUE

       Sasha Moon - 76 - UCONN/

       Rich Samuels 3 - 76 - UCONN/

       Biscuit Zdrowak - 76

80.  Adam Jorgensen 2 - 75 - /UCONN

       Noel Martinez 1 - 75 - PURDUE/UCONN

82.  Daniel Barsky 2 - 74 - PURDUE/

       Tyler Giamberini - 74

       Katie Kollmeyer - 74

       Dan Laishley - 74 - /UCONN

       Sean McInerney 1 - 74

       Jacey Reynolds 2 - 74

       Lily Spuhler - 74

       Jonathan Wasserman - 74

90.  Chris O'Neil - 73 - UCONN/

       Jessica Samuels - 73

       Day Yi - 73 - UCONN/

93.  Arlene Amo Hopps - 72

94  Max Macon 1 - 71 - UCONN/

      Kisha Marzouca 1 - 71

      Keith Wynne - 71 - UCONN/

97.  Michael McNally - 70

       Coco Wynne - 70

99.  Derrick Lowe - 69

       Ryan Rodriguez - 69

       Jamie Toole - 69

102.  Clair Bullock - 68 - NORTH CAROLINA STATE/

         James Garvin - 68 - PURDUE/

         Jason Spuhler - 68 - UCONN/

105.  Brent Bellinger - 67 - /PURDUE

         Adam Jorgensen 1 - 67 - UCONN/

         Nick Kuehl - 67

         Anne-Marie O'Neil - 67 - PERDUE [sic]/

         Barkley Sosa - 67 - UCONN/

110.  Carolyn Fowler & Jane Reynolds - 66

         Melissa Gaynor - 66

         Colleen Giamberini - 66 - CONNECTICUT/NORTH CAROLINA STATE

         Quinn Jackson - 66

         Chris Pettit - 66

115.  Scott Bieterman 2 - 65

         Kingfish Parham - 65

117.  Barbie Curlett 2 - 64 - UCONN/

        Karen Katz - 64 - PURDUE/

        Savannah Grace Pressly - 64

        Cheryl Spuhler - 64

121.  Max Marions 2 - 63

         George Walks 1 - 63

         Shane Jernigan 1 - 63 - UCONN/

124.  George Walks 2 - 62

125.  Max Macon 3 - 61

         Max Macon 4 - 61

127.  Kisha Marzouca 2 - 60

 

128.  Max Marion 4 - 59

129.  Stephanie Henderson - 56 - /UCONN

130.  Dave Marzouca 1 - 55 - /UCONN

         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

NCAA Tournament Pool Elite 8/Day 1

 

We are halfway to deciding the Final Four as the Connecticut Huskies and Alabama Crimson Tide both clinched berths in Glendale/Phoenix/Scottsdale for the Final Four.  What this means is that the NCAA says the Final Four in Phoenix (see above), but it is actaully played in Glendale (about an hour away during game days), but the most fun will be in Scottsdale.  Anyway, these two teams both punched their tickets in way different manners.

Connecticut beat Illinois.  I mean it.  Literally beat them.  Like Old Testament, flood the world, turn whole teams into stone or pillars of salt type of ass-kicking.  Really don't need to say much about the game because it was so horrific.  I will give my apologies to Terrence Shannon of Illinois, who apparently I cursed by calling him one of the best two players in the tournament.  We shall see if the curse affects Zach Edey today.

Alabama defeated Clemson in a close, fun, brutally-tough matchup that featured a lot of up-and-down the court, three-pointers and athleticism - and PHYSICALITY!  This matchup was brutal down low.  But fun.  There was one stretch mid-way through the second half where the teams hit 5 consecutive three-pointers.  This is Alabama's fist trip to the Final Four.  I hope their fans bring their football zeal and anxiety to the Arizona!

Social Media Posts

Thousand upon thousands about Connecticut destroying Illinois.  That is all.

Stats of the Day

There are so many amazing stats from the UConn game, that they dominate this list, so of course I will start with the other game.

8.  Clemson was top 10 in the country in free throw shooting for the season, and the #1 ranked free throw shooting team in the tournament at 78.71%.  So of course, they shot 8-16 from the free throw line.

7.  Illinois leading-scorer Terrence Shannon had 2 points at half-time.

6.  Connecticut and Illinois combined to shoot 31% in the first half.

5.  Connecticut has now won 10 straight NCAA Tournament games by double-digits, and including the Big East Tournament, have won 13 straight elimination games, having last lost in the 2023 Big East Conference semi-finals 70-68 to Marquette.

4.  Illinois's shooting efficiency was 29.9%!

3.  Connecticut held Illinois to 14 total points with Donovan Clingan on the court.

2.  Illinois was 019 on shots at the rim with Donovan Clingan challenging.  He blocked 5 of those shots.

1.  CONNECTICUT WENT ON A 30-0 RUN!  A 30-0 RUN!!!

Since Illinois lost, another champion is down!  The remaining six-teams all have champions in our pool, so lots of competing interests remain!  Our remaining champions are:  ALABAMA, Auburn, Arizona, Baylor, CONNECTICUT, Creighton, DUKE, Florida, Florida Atlantic, Gonzaga, Houston, Illinois, Iowa State, Kansas, Kentucky, Marquette, Michigan State, North Carolina, NORTH CAROLINA STATE, PURDUE and TENNESSEE.  So, out of the 12 remaining teams in the tournament, entries have each of them as their champion, except Clemson.  Best of luck to all those entrants that have a champion remaining - Your Tournament Host does not.

Eight people in our pool did pick Alabama to advance to the Final Four.  And although Marcus Jackson of Reston, Virginia, Braeden Helland of Riviera Beach, Florida, Dave Piasecki of Tacoma, Washington, Coco Wynne of Delray Beach, Florida, and Savannah Grace Pressly of Boca Raton, Florida all deserve mention for their pick, only Jane Reynolds of Greenacres, Dawn Lamb of Delray Beach and Barbie Curlett 1 of Jacksonville, Florida  had both Alabama AND Connecticut.  So Jane, Dawn and Barbie - congratulations on your award for the "Pick of the Day!"

For the history section, I usually just see what memory or anniversary or something the games of any particular day trigger, and if possible, I will write about that.  For today's history lesson, it wasn't anything that occurred on the Court, but rather the fact that I saw one commercial on numerous occasions yesterday that triggered my memory, likely intentionally.  The commercial is Coach Krzyzewski talking about the importance of being in uniform, with a montage of athletes and members of the military while Coach K keeps talking.  The first person shown is current NBA great C.J. McCollum, in what looks to be a facsimile of his college uniform.

This was noticeable because McCollum went to Lehigh, not a basketball powerhouse, but still was a 2-time Patriot League Player of the Year and 2-Time AP Honorable Mention All-American while playing for the Engineers.  He earned both of these awards during the 2012 season, in which Lehigh earned an NCAA Touranment berth, and a 15-2 seed matchup against traditional powerhouse Duke, coached by Krzyzewski.

In that game, Lehigh kept it close at halftime, going into the locker down by 2, 30-28.  The offensive explosion occurred in the second half, as Lehigh scored 47 to defeat Duke 75-70.  McCollum finished the game with 30 points and 6 assists, receiving scoring help from Gabe Knutsen with his 17 points and team-high 8 rebounds.  Duke was paced by Mason Plumlee's 19 points (with 12 rebounds) and Austin Rivers also contributed 19 points.   The downfall for Duke was trying to guard McCollum, who not only scored 30, but also fouled out Duke's starting guards Seth Curry - brother of Steph - and Tyler Thornton.

Lehigh's cinderella-run ended in the second round, as they were beaten by Xavier 70-58, as McCollum couldn't muster the same scoring magic dropping 14 points, but contributing 8 rebounds.

Lehigh, however, remains one of the few 15-seeds to have ever won an NCAA Tournament game over a 2 seed.  That list is:

1991 Richmond over Syracuse

1993 Santa Clara over Arizona

1997 Coppin State over South Carolina

2001 Hampton over Iowa State

2012 Lehigh over Duke

2012 Norfolk State over Missouri

2013 Florida Gulf Coast over Georgetown

2016 Middle Tennessee state over Michigan State

2021 Oral Roberts over Ohio State

2022 St. Peters over Kentucky

2023 Princeton over Arizona

Kentucky behind future first two overall picks Anthony Davis and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist would eventually win the 2012 title over Kansas, led by Thomas Robinson.

As for CJ MCCollum, despite being an Honorable Mention All-American in 2012, decided to come back to Lehigh for his senior season, where he became the Patriot League's all-time leading scorer before succumbing to a broken foot.  He was drafted with the 10th overall pick in the 2013 draft by the Portland Trailblazers, where he played for 10 seasons before being traded to the New Orleans Pelicans, where he still plays.  He has a career average of 19.4 points per game.  As he is playing, McCollum is beginning his transition into his post-NBA career by hosting a popular basketball-themed podcast called Pull Up with C.J. McCollum, and he will be putting his journalism degree to use as he has signed a deal with ESPN to be an analyst for its various platforms.

Kudos to Coach Krzyzewski for recognizing basketball talent and for having McCollum on the commercial given the history between Lehigh and Duke in the NCAA Tournament.  

Players of the Day

We had many good players in this tournament, but none like Luke Goode from Illinois, but he definitely isn't goode enough to make our top 10.

10.  Joseph Girard, Clemson - 19 points on 5-10 shooting from three-point range

9.  Cam Spencer, Connecticut - 11 points, 12 rebounds, 5 assists

8.  Jarin Stevenson, Alabama - 19 points, 3 rebounds, 58-8 from three-point range

7.  Nick Pringle, Alabama - 16 points, 11 rebounds, 8-13 from the free throw line

6.  Mark Sears, Alabama - 23 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 7-14 from three

5.  Paige Bueckers, Connecticut - 24 points

4.  Flau'Jae Johnson, LSU - 24 points, 12 rebounds

3.  Caitlyn Clark, Iowa - 29 points, 15 assists

2.  JuJu Watkins, USC - 30 points, 4 assists

1.  Donovan Clingan, Connecticut - 22 points, 10 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 steals, 5 blocks.

Best Players in Each Region

East - Donovan Clingan, Connecticut - AND IT WASN'T EVEN CLOSE

West - Mark Sears, Alabam

Midwest - TBD

South - TBD

And speaking of TBD, what will we see today?  Will the offensive firepower of Tennessee be able to keep up with the size of Zach Edey and the talent of Purdue?  Will North Carolina State become the 7th double-digit seed to make the Final Four, or will the traditional blue blood of Duke join Connecticut in stabilizing the old regimes power in basketball?  Well, we shall see!

And now, to our Leaderboard, where WE HAVE A NEW LEADER!!!  If you had one game correct yesterday, you moved up some.  If you had no games correct, you moved down a lot.  For the three that had both ... flying up the leaderboard!!!  As always double-check your scores to make sure I am accurate and let me know if you find a discrepancy.

Tournament Standings after Elite 8/Day 1

1.  Bill Ganoe 3 - 99 - North Carolina/Houston

2.  Allison Parker - 98 - North Carolina/DUKE

3.  Blake Jackson - 96 - DUKE/Arizona

4.  Ty Hedgpeth - 94 - CONNECTICUT/Houston

     Marcus Jackson - 94 - Kansas/ALABAMA

6.  Miles Jackson - 93 - Kentucky/CONNECTICUT

     Brian McMahon - 93 - CONNECTICUT/Kentucky

     Jeff Plamondon - 93 - CONNECTICUT/Marquette

9.  Braeden Helland - 92 - Auburn/Creighton

10.  George Fox 2 - 91 - CONNECTICUT/DUKE

       Max Marion 3 - 91 - PURDUE/Baylor

12.  Bill Ganoe 1 - 90 - North Carolina/TENNESSEE

       Javier Rodriguez - 90 - PURDUE/CONNECTICUT

       Chris Simmons - 90 - TENNESSEE/CONNECTICUT

       Measha Williams - 90 - PURDUE/CONNECTICUT

       Justin Yung - 90 - North Carolina/PURDUE

17.  Rich Samuels 4 - 88 - Houston/Arizona

       Lee Pagan - 88 - Arizona/PURDUE

       Jane Reynolds - 88 - ALABAMA/TENNESSEE

       Cassi Spruill - 88 - Houston/Illinois

21.  Jeremy Spuhler - 87 - CONNECTICTU/TENNESSEE

22.  Daniel Barsky 1 - 86 - CONNECTICUT/PURDUE

       Measha Williams 1 - 86 - Houston/CONNECTICUT

       Josh Zdrowak - 86 - Arizona/Kentucky

25.  Paul Cummings 2 - 85 - CONNECTICUT/PURDUE

       Alvaro Gonzalez - 85 - PURDUE/CONNECTICUT

       John Hedgpeth - 85 - DUKE/North Carolina

       Marcus Spruill - 85 - North Carolina/PURDUE

       Cheryl Spuhler - 85 - CONNECTICUT/Marquette

       Amanda Staudt - 85 - Arizona/PURDUE

31.  Carolyn Fowler - 84 - North Carolina/TENNESSEE

       Mark Holbert - 84 - North Carolina/Kentucky

       Matt Hopps - 84 - CONNECTICUT/Houston

       Max Macon 2 - 84 - PURDUE/CONNECTICUT

       Si Nichols - 84 - CONNECTICUT/PURDUE

       William Pujals - 84 - CONNECTICUT/Houston

37.  Joel Chernoff - 83 - North Carolina/Houston

38.  Kyle Henderson 1 - 82 - Creighton/CONNECTICUT

       Rich Samuels 5 - 82 - CONNECTICUT/Houston

40.  James Coleman - 81 - CONNECTICUT/PURDUE

       Jody Cox - 81 - Marquette/Arizona

       Dawn Lamb - 81 - CONNECTICUT/Marquette

       Sean McInerney 2 - 81 - CONNECTICUT/Creighton

       Brigadier General Kareem Montague - 81 - CONNECTICUT/PURDUE

       Matt Okell - 81 - North Carolina/Houston

       Dave Piasecki - 81 - Florida/Auburn

       Keith Zdrowak - 81 - PURDUE/Baylor

48.  Scott Bieterman 1 - 80 - PURDUE/CONNECTICUT

       Brittany Sosa - 80 - PURDUE/CONNECTICUT

       Logan Spuhler - 80 - Arizona/DUKE

51.  Bill Ganoe 2 - 79 - CONNECTICUT/Houston

       Silas Nichols - 79 - CONNECTICUT/Kentucky

       Bubba Zdrowak - 79 - DUKE/Arizona

54.  Paul Cummings 3 - 78 - CONNECTICUT/PURDUE

       Justine Frank - 78 - CONNECTICUT/Marquette

       Rich Samuels 2 - 78 - PURDUE/CONNECTICUT

57.  Kevin Dick - 76 - Kentucky/North Carolina

       Max Marion 1 - 76 - Kentucky/CONNECTICUT

       Sasha Moon - 76 - CONNECTICUT/Houston

       Rich Samuels 1 - 76 - CONNECTICUT/HOUSTON

       Rich Samuels 3 - 76 - CONNECTICUT/Houston

62.  George Fox 1 - 75 - PURDUE/CONNECTICUT

       Kyle Henderson 2 - 75 - Houston/CONNECTICUT

       George Walks 3 - 75 - PURDUE/Baylor

       Amy Zdrowak - 75 - PURDUE/Baylor

66.  Barbie Curlett 1 - 74 - Houston/CONNECTICUT

       Tyler Giamberini - 74 - Arizona/Kansas

       Dan Laishley - 74 - Houston/CONNECTICUT

       Jacey Reynolds 2 - 74 - North Carolina/TENNESSEE

       Lily Spuhler - 74 - Kansas/North Carolina

       Measha Williams 2 - 74 - Houston/Auburn

       Mike Wolff 1 - 74 - DUKE/North Carolina

73.  Jenna Finkelstein - 73 - Florida/CONNECTICUT

       Chris O'Neil - 73 - CONNECTICUT/Houston

       Day Yi - 73 - CONNECTICUT/Houston

76.  Jacey Fowler 1 - 72 - North Carolina/PURDUE

       Shane Jernigan 2 - 72 - Auburn/PURDUE

78.  Max Macon 1 - 71 - CONNECTICUT/TENNESSEE

       Ashley Poer - 71 - Iowa State/Houston

       Pepe Sosa - 71 - Arizona/Kentucky

       Keith Wynne - 71 - CONNECTICUT/Marquette

82.  Michael McNally - 70 - Gonzaga/Baylor

       George Walks 4 - 70 - PURDUE/North Carolina

       Coco Wynne - 70 - Creighton/Illinois

85.  Paul Cummings 1 - 69 - PURDUE/Iowa State

       Derrick Lowe - 69 - Kentucky/North Carolina

       Ryan Rodriguez - 69 - DUKE/Auburn

       Jamie Toole - 69 - Houston/Arizona

       Katie Zdrowak - 69 - Arizona/PURDUE

90.  Skip LaForte - 68 - Michigan State/Houston

       Natalie Moon - 68 - CONNECTICUT/PURDUE

       Biscuit Zdrowak - 68 - Kentucky/Iowa State

93.  Adam Jorgensen 1 - 67 - CONNECTICUT/Creighton

       Adam Jorgensen 2 - 67 - Houston/CONNECTICUT

       Noel Martinez 1 - 67 - PURDUE/CONNECTICUT

96.  Daniel Barsky 1 - 66 - PURDUE/Baylor

       Carolyn Fowler & Jane Reynolds - 66 - TENNESSEE/Arizona

       Melissa Gaynor - 66 - Illinois/South Carolina

       Quinn Jackson - 66 - Iowa State/Gonzaga

       Katie Kollmeyer - 66 - Arizona/Houston

       Sean McInerney 1 - 66 - Marquette/North Carolina

       Chris Pettit - 66 - CONNECTICUT/Houston

       Jonathan Wasserman - 66 - Kentucky/Illinois

104.  Scott Bieterman 2 - 65 - Kentucky/Auburn

         Kingfish Parham - 65 - Auburn/Oregon

         Jessica Samuels - 65 - Florida Atlantic/Houston

107.  Barbie Curlett 2 - 64 - CONNECTICUT/Marquette

         Arlene Amo Hopps - 64 - North Carolina/DUKE

         Savannah Grace Pressly - 64 - Florida Atlantic/Marquette

         Cheryl Spuhler - 64 - Iowa State/Marquette

111.  Max Marion 2 - 63 - North Carolina/Marquette

         Kisha Marzouca 1 - 63 - Arizona/DUKE

         George Walks 1 - 63 - North Carolina/Kentucky

114.  Shane Jernigan 1 - 62  CONNECTICUT/Marquette

         George Walks 2 - 62 - Baylor/Gonzaga

116.  Max Macon 3 - 61 - Florida/North Carolina

         Max Macon 4 - 61 - Houston/North Carolina

118.  Clair Bullock - 60 - NORTH CAROLINA STATE/North Carolina

         James Garvin - 60 - PURDUE/Iowa State

         Kisha Marzouca 2 - 60 - Arizona/Houston

         Jason Spuhler - 60 - CONNECTICUT/Houston

122.  Brent Bellinger - 59 - Illinois/PURDUE

         Nick Kuehl - 59 - Auburn/Marquette

         Max Marion 4 - 59 - Houston/Iowa State

         Anne-Marie O'Neil - 59 - PURDUE/Arizona

         Barkley Sosa - 59 - CONNECTICUT/Gonzaga

127.  Colleen Giamberini - 58 - CONNECTICUT/NORTH CAROLINA STATE

128.  Stephanie Henderson - 56 - Marquette/CONNECTICUT

         Karen Katz - 56 - PURDUE/Auburn

130.  Dave Marzouca 1 - 55 - Wisconsin/CONNECTICUT

131.  Guy Hughes - 51 - Houston/Iowa State

         Mike Wolff 2 - 51 - North Carolina/Florida

133.  Dave Marzouca 2 - 50 - Arizona/DUKE

134.  Noel Martinez 2 - 49 - Auburn/TENNESSEE

         A.J. Ripin - 49 - North Carolina/Houston

136.  Hannah Sosa - 45 - Florida/Arizona

136.  Alyssa Hopps - 35 - North Carolina/Kentucky - CLINCHED LAST PLACE AND RETURN OF ENTRY FEE!!!!  CONGRATULATIONS ALYSSA.