NCAA Tournament Pool - Final Four

 

WOW!!!  That is all I can say.  Jalen Suggs - welcome to the pantheon of NCAA Tournament memorable last second shots, joinging the likes of Kris Jenkins, Lorenzo Charles, Christian Laettner, Bryce Drew, Tate George, Danny Ainge and Ali Faroukmanesh.  

I, and many others, expected one close game and one blowout last night, and that is exactly what we got - in reverse order.  Baylor, for the majority of the year the number 2 ranked team in the country, just annihilated Houston from the get-go, whereas UCLA gave Gonzaga everything they could handle, taking the Bulldogs to overtime, which culminated in the Jalen Suggs banked-in game-winning three- pointer at the buzzer from Damian Lillard territory.

So, we get the game between the teams that have basically been the best 2 teams all year.  Who would have thought it?

 With Houston out of the tournament, only 2 chamions remain in our pool, and, obviously, whether Gonzaga or Baylor wins will determine the winners of the pool.  If Gonzaga wins, then our current leader, William Pujals of Charlotte, North Carolina wins the pool, with Brent Bellinger 1 of Austin, Texas in second and Measha Williams 3 of Houston, Texas in third.  If Baylor wins, Edy Pecan of the Greater West Palm Beach, Florida and Steven Usma 3 of Miami, Florida tie for first, and Brian Hinaman of Parrish, Florida finishes third.  I have not yet done the computation to break the tie, so if Baylor wins, our winners will be surprised too!  Matt Hopps of Quincy, Massachusetts, currently sits tied for second, but has Michigan as the winner.

 While we await tomorrow night's final between Gonzaga and Baylor, Houston joins the rest of our dismissed champions: Alabama, Florida, Florida STate, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Michgan State, Ohio State and Virginia.

Most entrants had at least 1 game correct.  If you had both, you rocketed up the standings.  If you had zero, you fell.

Stats of the Day

 3.  As Juwan Howard was the first person to be a number 1 seed in the NCAA tournament as a player and a coach, I then wanted to see if any players of the year had success as coaches on the college level.  As it turns out, South Carolina women's basketball coach was a Naismith Award winner as player of the year, and has also coached in the Final Four.

2.  Speaking of South Carolina women's basketball, although the Gamecocks lost in the Final Four to Stanford, in the Elite 8 South Carolina held Texas to 0 points for the entire fourth quarter.  ZERO POINTS!!!

1.  This is the fifth time that the NCAA championship game has been played by the teams ranked 1 and 2 in the preseason poll since 1961 (when the preseason poll started).  It is, however, the first time since Duke defeated Arizona in 2001.

Players of the Day

8.  Marcus Sasser, Houston.  Sasser was the only Cougar not overwhelmed by Baylor, scoring 20 points with 4 rebounds and 2 assists.

7.  Cody Riley, UCLA.  Riley had 14 points and 10 rebounds, but 6 important points late in the game to keep UCLA close.

6.  Jalen Suggs, Gonzaga.  The freshman phenom finished with 16 points, 5 rebounds, 6 asissts, 2 steals and 1 block.

5.  Jared Butler, Baylor.  In an ominous sign for Baylor opponents, Butler is starting to find his shot, finishing 4-5 from 3 points range for 17 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals.

4.  Joel Ayayi, Gonzaga.  For long stretches of the game, Ayayi was Gonzaga's best player.  He scored 22 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals.

3.  Drew Timme, Gonzaga.  He finished with 25 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists, but had 6 straignt Gonzaga points to start overtime.

2.  Johnny Juzang, UCLA.  Scored 29 points on 12-18 shooting, and 3-6 from three point range.  Also added 6 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals.  He has been the best player in the tournament.

1.  Jalen Suggs, Gonzaga.  Just for the last buzzer-beating shot that put Gonzaga into the finals and kept UCLA out of the second overtime.

Plays of the Day

3.  Under ordinary circumstances, Andrew Nembhard's three-pointer to send the game into overtime would have been the big shot in a game.  It barely registers last night, which is why I want to mention it.

2.  Under ordinary circumstances, Jalen Suggs' block of Cody Riley's dunk with the game tied 77-77 and 2:01 left, and then his subsequent half-court pass to a streakng Drew Timme would be a player's most memorable play of their college career.  Click through to watch this amazing play.  But then ...

1.  Jalen Suggs calls GAME!!!

Jalen Suggs' shot was preceded by Johnny Juzang's missed shot, offensive rebound putback to tie the game at 90.  Not only did Suggs win the game and rip the heart out of UCLA fans everywhere, he deprived Juzang of his place in tournament history.  Which reminds me ..

The 2016 Final Four took place in Houston, at NRG Stadium about 4,286 miles outside of town.  (OK, slight exaggeration, but it is about as far out of town as a stadium can get and still be listed as being in the same city.  At least State Farm Stadium says it is in Glendale, Arizona and not Phoenix.)  This was a rather boring Final Four as Villanova just dumptrucked Oklahoma 95-51, whil Syracuse kept is semi-final game relatively close, losing to North Carolina 83-66.   But, then we get to the Finals between Villanova and North Carolina.  That game happened on April 4, 2016, exactly 5 years ago.  Villanova won 77-74 behind Phil Booth's 20 points off the bench, whereas North Carolina was led by Marcus Paige's 21 and Joel Berry II's 20 points.  But, this ending was very similar to last night's game.

North Carolina led by 5 at halftime, before Villanova gradually caught up and then took the lead late.  North Carolina then eventually completed their comeback from being down 6 with 1:52 left in the game.  The Tar Heels comeback culminated in a Marcus Paige double-clutch off-balance three-pointer to tie the game with 4.7 seconds left.  Paige was all set to be remembered by history.  Then, Kris Jenkins happened.  To quote Villanova coach Jay Wright when Jenkins put up the shot, Bang!  And yes, he said it before the ball had even went through the hoop.  BANG indeed!

And yes, your Tournament Host was there.  Here is the court immediately after the shot, from behind the Villanova basket.

I would also be remiss if I did not mention a bit about the immediate past history of the Baylor Bears men's basketball team.  While the Bears' women's team has had a ton of recent success, being champions in 2005, 2012, and 2019, and adding another Final Four in 2010, and Elite 8s in 2011, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2021, Baylor's men's team has not been in a Final Four since 1950, and the Final game since 1948, where they lost to the Kentucky Wildcats.  (See, I made a Kentucky reference without menting the Johnny Juzang transfer.)

Scott Drew took over the program in 2003, and has been the head coach for 18 years.  But what was the state of Baylor men's basketball in 2003 when Drew arrived?  In about as awful a place as any team could be.  See, in the summer of 2003, June 12 to be exact, Baylor player Patrick Dennehy was murdered by Carlton Dotson, his teammate on the Bears.  Dennehy and Dotson were concerned about their safety earlier in the summer, so they each purchased two pistols and a rifle, and practiced shooting outside of Waco, Texas.  Dennehy spoke to one of his friends and mentioned that some threats were made to Dotson, but that they would be going out to a party the next night, but neither arrived at the party.  Over the next few days, Dennehy didn't call his partents of Father's Day, his roomate came home and found his dogs not fed, and nobody had seen Dennehy in over a week.  A missing person's report was filed, and on June 25, Dennehy's Tahoe was found in a shopping mall in Virginia Beach, Virginia, with its license plate removed.  Ultimately, the police were led to Dotson, who spoke with the FBI, and on July 25, Dennehy's body was found in a gravel pit outside of Waco, Texas.  Dotson ultimately pled guilty in 2005, and was sentenced to 35 years in prison.  He is eligible for parole later this year.

For more information on this story, Showtime produced a documentary about it called Disgraced.

Not many coaches would have wanted to walk into a situation like that, except Scott Drew did, and now he is in the National Championship game.

Now, on to the standings.  As always, feel free to let me know if you think your score is incorrect, and I will be happy to double-check it.

 1.  William Pujals - 119 - Gonzaga

2.  Brent Bellinger 1 - 118 - Gonzaga

     Matt Hopps - 118 - Michigan

4.  Measha Williams 3 - 116 - Gonzaga

5.  Edy Pecan - 114 - Baylor

     Steven Usma - 114 - Baylor

7.  Brian Hinaman - 113 - Baylor

8.  Ty Leatherman - 110 - Baylor

      Day Yi 1 - 110 - Gonzaga

10.  Jeff Plamondon - 109 - Gonzaga

       Measha Williams 2 - 109 - Gonzaga

12.  James Garvin - 108 - Gonzaga

       Colleen Hamilton 2 - 108 - Gonzaga

14.  Braeden Helland 4 - 106 - Gonzaga

       Emily Lawson 2 - 106 - Baylor

16.  Silas Nichols 1 - 105 - Gonzaga

       Measha Williams 1 - 105 - Gonzaga

18.  Guy Hughes - 103 - Gonzaga

       Chris Igtiben 1 - 103 - Illinois

20.  Skip LaForte - 101 - Michigan State

       Silas Nichols 2 - 101 - Illinois

22.  Emily Lawson 1 - 100 - Gonzaga

       Javier Rodriguez - 100 - Gonzaga

       Steven Usma 1 - 100 - Gonzaga

25.  Justin Hallack - 98 - Baylor

       Ashley Poer 2 - 98 - Houston

27.  Rich Samuels 1 - 97 - Hosuton

28.  Kingfish Parham - 96 - Gonzaga

       Pepe Sosa - 96 - Gonzaga

30.  Jacey Fowler-Reynolds 2 - 95 - Alabama

       Max Macon 1 - 95 - Gonzaga

32.  Braeden Helland 3 - 94 - Gonzaga

       Measha Williams 4 - 94 - Gonzaga

34.  Dave Marzouca 1 - 93 - Baylor

35.  Kyle Henderson 2 - 92 - Baylor

       Amy Zdrowak - 92 - Gonzaga

37.  Martha Kroesen - 91 - Illinois

       Brittany Sosa - 91 - Illinois

39.  Rachel Bornn - 90 - Illinois

       Alvaro Gonzalez - 90 - Gonzaga

       Jeremy Spuhler - 90 - Gonzaga

       Steven Usma 4 - Baylor

43.  Jacey Fowler-Reynolds 1 - 89 - Gonzaga

       Larry Green - 89  Gonzaga

       Carey Taylor - 89 - Gonzaga

46.  Jenna Finkelstein - 88 - Kansas

       Colleen Hamilton 3 - 88 - Ohio State

       Adan Jorgensen 1 - 88 - Illinois

       Jason Spuhler - 88 - Gonzaga

50.  Adam Jorgensen 3 - 87 - Gonzaga

       Max Macon 4 - 87 - Baylor

       Joshua Ward - 87 - Baylor

53.  Paul Cummings - 86 - Gonzaga

       Justin Yung - 86 - Alabama

55.  Dan Barsky 1 - 85 - Gonzaga

       Ashley Poer 1 - 85 - Gonzaga

       Ashley Poer 3 - 85 - Baylor

       Cheryl Spuhler - 85 - Baylor

59.  Kisha Marzouca 2 - 84 - Baylor

       Colonel Kareem Montague - 84 - Gonzaga

61.  Colleen Hamilton 4 - 83 - Ohio State

       Biscuit Zdrowak - 83 - Baylor

       Katie Zdrowak - 83 - Iowa

64.  Liz Carew - 81 - Gonzaga

       Kyle Henderson 1 - 81 - Gonzaga

66.  Sasha Moon - 80 - Gonzaga

67.  Keith Zdrowak - 79 - Ohio State

68.  Scott Bieterman - 78 - Illinois

       Rich Samuels 3 - 78 - Gonzaga

       George Walks 3 - 78 - Illinois

71.  Stephanie Henderson - 77 - Baylor

       Mac Kroesen - 77 - Gonzaga

       George Walks 4 - 77 - Houston

74.  Dan Laishley - 76 - Baylor

75.  Braeden Helland 1 - 75 - Illinois

       Quinn Jackson - 75 - Illinois

       Jessica Samuels - 75 - Gonzaga

       Ken Ward - 75 - Virginia

79.  Luis Briones - 74 - Ohio State

80.  Brent Bellinger - 73 - Illinois

       Carolyn Fowler & Jane Reynolds - 73 - Illinois

       Marcus Jackson - 73 - Gonzaga

       Shane Dogmillionaire Jernigan - 73 - Illinois

       Michael McNally - 73 - Illinois

       George Walks 1 - 73 - Gonzaga

86.  Shane Dogmillionaire Jernigan - 72 - Gonzaga

87.  Dan Barsky 2 - 71 - Illinois

       Nancy McInerney - 71 - Alabama

       Steven Usma 2 - 71 - Illinois

90.  Jonathan Wasserman - 70 - Michigan

91.  Joshua Zdrowak - 69 - Baylor

92.  Jane Reynolds - 68 - Alabama

       Rich Samuels 2 - 68 - Baylor

94.  Chris Igtiben 2 - 67 - Michigan

       Chris LaForte - 67 - Michigan

       Wes Wiggins - 67 - Gonzaga

97.  Max Macon 2- 65 - Michigan

98.  Eric Inge - 64 - Illinois

       Max Macon 3 - 64 - FSU

100.  Adam Jorgensen 2 - 63 - Iowa

         Brian McMahon - 63 - Gonzaga

102.  Colleen Hamilton - 60 - FSU

         Greg Lieberman - 60 - Michigan

         Kisha Marzouca 1 - 60 - Illinois

         Hannah Sosa - 60 - Florida

106.  George Walks 3 - 59 - Michigan

107.  Carolyn Fowler - 58 - Illinois

         Brandon Satterwhite - 58 - Alabama

         Amanda Staudt - 58 - Illinois

110.  Arlene Amo Hopps - 56 - Villanova

         Miles Jackson - 56 - Illinois

112.  Karen Katz - 55 - Illinois

         Katie Kollmeyer - 55 - Michigan

114.  Blake Jackson - 52 - Alabama

115.  Day Yi 2 - 51 - Michigan

116.  Dave Marzouca 2 - 45 - Ohio State

         Barkley Sosa - 45 - Florida

118.  Bubba Zdrowak - 43 - Alabama

119.  Braeden Helland 2 - 41 - Iowa

120.  Sean McInerney - 39 - Ohio State

NCAA Tournament Pool - Elite 8/Day 2

 

Gonzaga and UCLA join Baylor and Houston so that we now have a complete Final Four.  Gonzaga absolutely annihilated USC, and UCLA defeated Michigan in a competitive, if sloppy struggle of a game.  Most people in our pool selected Gonzaga, so if you didn't, you dropped in the standings.  Although nobody selected UCLA, a large number of entries had Michigan in the Final Four, and a good amount had them in the finals and even winning.  So the UCLA victory did affect our pool greatly in terms of who has a chance to win going forward.

William Pujals of Charlotte, North Carolina, remains at the top of our pool, as not much changed in terms of the standings.  Again, nobody earned points in the UCLA-Michigan game, but that game's effects will be felt in the Final Four.

Losing Michigan, we now only have 3 remaining champions, Baylor, Gonzaga, and Houston.  Those champions that have been eliminated are:  Alabama, Florida, Florida State, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Michigan STate, Ohio State, and Virginia.  

The opposite of champion is last place, and the race to last place is O-V-E-R.  Sean McInerney of Atlantic Beach, Florida earns that dubious distinction, as he is in last place and has no possibility of earning points this weekend.  He receives his money back, because, well, we shouldn't take money from people that do that bad.  Your payment is forthcoming.

And, this reminds me, there are about 12 brackets that have yet to pay.  If I don't receive payment by the next update, YOU WILL BE CALLED OUT PUBLICLY BY NAME.  It's only $5, and you can mail me a check, Venmo me, PayPal me, Zelle me.  Even Cash App.  The information is on the instructions/rules, but contact me if you need the information again.

Stats of the Day

3.  I was thinking I could use this one once Michigan qualified for the Final Four, but alas, I am using it anyway.  Michigan's coach Juwan Howard is the only person to have been a player on a number 1 seed, as well as the coach of a number 1 seed.

2.  UCLA missed 15 shots in a row in the first half, and still went on the defeat Michigan.  In fact, the Bruins led at the half 27-23, despite that atrocious offense.

1.  Gonzaga has won 26 games in a row BY DOUBLE DIGITS!!!

Players of the Day

4.  Jalen Suggs, Gonzaga.  Suggs had 18 points, 10 rebounds and 8 assists and Gonzaga coasted past USC.

3.  Drew Timme, Gonzaga.  Timme finished as the leading scorer in the Gonzaga-USC game scoring 23 points, grabbed 5 rebounds, dished out 4 assists, and had 3 steals.

2.  Unknow Witch Doctor, UCLA.  Somebody put a voodoo hex on Michigan's Franz Wagner, who finished the game with 4 points on 1-10 shooting from the field, and 0-4 from three-point range, including a horrible airball three down the stretch.

1.  Johnny Juzang, UCLA.  The Kentucky transfer (stop me if you have heard that before), literally carried the entire offense of the game, scoring 28 points in 38 minutes, on 11-19 shooting, including 2-5 from three.  Juzang has easily been the best player in the tournament so far, with Drew Timme not far behind.

Social Media Posts of the Day

Nothing truly interesting, as both games were relatively boring. Yes, the late game was close, but it was still somewhat boring.

What was not boring was the 2006 Final Four, also in Indianapolis.  UCLA also made that Final Four.  Although the Bruins also made the Final Four in 2008 - the last time they made it that far - 2008 was not memorable for UCLA.  2006 was.  UCLA, the two seed in the west, advanced to the Final Four where they defeated LSU on the Semi-Final Saturday.  This pit them in the championship against the 3 seed Florida Gators.  Your Tournament Host was present at that Final Four along with Silas Nichols of Washington, D.C.  As no games are played on the Sunday of the Final Four, we decided to explore the NCAA Hall of Fame, which is astounding.  They have a basketball court inside where you can put up shots.  The floor has labels on it in the location from where famous Final Four shots were made.  Knowing Silas is from Syracuse, I proceeded to hit a shot from the Keith Smart location.  Knowing I am a Kentucky fan, Silas reciprocated from hitting a shot from the Christian Laettner spot.  God do we hate each other sometimes.

The Hall of Fame also had a computer and screen where you can play every single One Shining Moment from the Tournament, arranged by year.  I say "had", because apparently a fire in the building destroyed it, and they have no recreated it yet.  We were supposed to be there this year to check on whether or not that was rebuilt, but alas, Covid-19.

The lobby also has the flag of every current NCAA champion, from every division, from every sport, overhead.  Pretty awesome.

So, after our tour of the Hall of Fame and museum, we sauntered over to TGI Friday's.  Why on earth would you go to TGI Friday's would you ask?  Well, the Hall of Fame is a bit of a walk from downtown, and TGI Friday's is the closest place to get a drink on the way back into downtown.  And, it was the UCLA host bar.  So we saunter in, and this place is empty.  Of course, it is like 11:00.  We sit at the bar and proceed to order when the UCLA cheerleaders arrive.  So, it is us, the UCLA cheerleaders, the employees, and nobody else.  The cheerleaders come up to the bar, start chatting with us about basketball, Silas undercuts me by telling them I am from Florida, but I tell them that I cannot root for the Gators because Joakin Noah is too ugly.  This conversation lasts for the next couple of hours.

Fast forward to the championship game on Monday, and the University of Florida Gators just annihilate UCLA 73-57.  Jordan Farmar had 18 points for UCLA, Aaron Afflalo had 10, Ryan Hollins had 10 points and 10 rebounds and Luc Richard M'bah a Moute also grabbed 10 rebounds.  And yes, I just wanted to type "Luc Richard M'bah a Moute".  Florida had very balanced scoring with Corey Brewer scoring 11, Al Horford 14, Lee Humphrey 15, and the Final Four Most Outstanding Player - the aforementioned Joakim Noah - scored 16 points and grabbed 9 rebounds.

But, Noah is remembered more for his winking and blowing kisses and the UCLA cheerleaders at the end of the game.  When asked why he did that in a post-game interview, Noah stated that it was because the cheerleaders were calling him ugly the entire game.  I wonder where they got that idea?

Now, onto the standings.  Please double check my work, and contact me if you have any questions.  Once again I will list the final two picks for each entrant, so you can see what possible combinations of points are available for everyone, if at all.

1.  William Pujals 103 - Gonzaga/Houston

2.  Matt Hopps - 102 - Michigan/Baylor

3.  Edy Pecan - 98 - Baylor/Alabama

4.  Day Yi 1 - 94 - Gonaga/Houston

5.  Jeff Plamondon - 93 - Gonzaga/Houston

     Measha Williams 2 - 93 - Gonzaga/Houston

7.  Silas Nichols 1 - 89 - Gonzaga/Illinois

8.  Chris Igtiben #1 - 87 - Illinois/Gonzaga

9.  Brent Bellinger 1 - 86 - Gonzaga/Baylor

     Justin Yung - 86 - Alabama/Houston

11.  Skip LaForte - 85 - Michigan State/Baylor

       Silas Nichols 2 - 85 - Illinois/Gonzaga

13.  Javier Rodriguez - 84 - Gonzaga/Illinois

       Steven Usma 4 - Gonzaga/Illinois

       Measha Williams 3 - 84 - Gonzaga/Baylor

16.  Colleen Hamilton 4 - 83 - Ohio State/Texas

        Katie Zdrowak - 83 - Iowa/Houston

18.  Ashley Poer 2 - 82 - Houston/Gonzaga

       Steven Usma 3 - 82 - Baylor/Gonzaga

 

20.  Brian Hinaman - 81 - Baylor/Gonzaga

       Rich Samuels 1 - 81 - Houston/Gonzaga

22.  Kingfish Parham - 80 - Gonzaga/Arkansas

       Pepe Sosa - 80 - Gonzaga/Illinois

24.  Jacey Fowler-Reynolds 2 - 79 - Alabama/Baylor

25.  Braeden Helland 3 - 78 - Gonzaga/Houston

       Ty Leatherman - 78 - Gonzaga/Baylor

       George Walks 2 - 78 - Illinois/Kansas

       Measha WIlliams 4 - 78 - Gonzaga/Illinois

29.  Dave Marzouca 1 - 77 - Baylor/Kansas

       George Walks 4 - 77 - Houston/Alabama

31.   James Garvin - 76 - Gonzaga/Baylor

        Colleen Hamilton 2 - 76 - Gonzaga/Baylor

        Amy Zdrowak - 76 - Gonzaga/Illinois

34.  Martha Kroesen - 75 - Illinois/Gonzaga

       Brittany Sosa - 75 - Illinois/Gonzaga

36.  Rachel Bornn - 74 - Illinois/Gonzaga

       Braeden Helland 4 - 74 - Gonzaga/Baylor

       Emily Lawson 2 - 74 - Baylor/Gonzaga

       Jeremy Spuhler - 74 - Gonzaga/Illinois

       Steven Usma 4 - 74 - Baylor/LSU

41.  Brent Bellinger 2 - 73 - Illinois/Iowa

       Jacey Fowler-Reynolds 1 - 73 - Gonzaga/Illinois

       Larry Green - 73 - Gonzaga/Illinois

       Carey Taylor - 73 - Gonzaga/Illinois

       Measha Williams 1 - 76 - Gonzaga/Baylor

46.  Jenna Finkelstein - 72 - Kansas/Baylor

       Colleen Hamilton 3 - 72 - Ohio State/Gonzaga

       Adam Jorgensen 1 - 72 - Illinois/Gonzaga

       Jason Spuhler - 72 - Gonzaga/Illinois

50.  Guy Hughes - 71 - Gonzaga/Baylor

       Adam Jorgensen 3 - 71 - Gonzaga/Illinois

       Max Macon 4 - 71 - Baylor/Michigan

       Nancy McInerney - 71 - Alabama/Syracuse

       Steven Usma 2 - 71 - Illinois/Michigan

       Joshua Ward - 71 - Baylor/Michigan

56.  Paul Cummings - 70 - Gonzaga/Illinois

       Jonathan Wasserman - 70 - Michigan/West Virginia

58.  Dan Barsky 1 - 69 - Gonzaga/Illinois

       Ashley Poer 1 - 69 - Gonzaga/Villanova

       Ashley Poer 3 - 69 - Baylor/FSU

       Cheryl Spuhler - 69 - Baylor/Alabama

62.  Emily Lawson 1 - 68 - Gonzaga/Baylor

       Kisha Marzouca 2 - 68  Baylor/Michigan

       Colonel Kareem Montague - 68 - Gonzaga/Illinois

       Jane Reynolds - 68 - Alabama/Illinois

66.  Chris Igtiben 2 - 67 - Michigan/Ohio State

       Chris LaForte - 67 - Michigan/Houston

       Biscuit Zdrowak - 67 - Baylor/Iowa

69.  Justin Hallack - 66 - Baylor/Gonzaga

70.  Liz Carew - 65 - Gonzaga/Illinois

       Kyle Henderson 1 - 65 - Gonzaga/Oklahoma State

       Max Macon 2 - 65 - Michigan/West Virginia

73.  Eric Inge - 64 - Illinois/Gonzaga

       Max Macon 3 - 64 - FSU/Arkansas

       Sasha Moon - 64 - Gonzaga/Illinois

76.  Adam Jorgensen 2 - 63 - Iowa/Illinois

       Max Macon 1 - 63 - Gonzaga/Baylor

       Keith Zdrowak - 63 - Ohio State/Gonzaga

79.  Scott Bieterman - 62 - Illinois/Gonzaga

       Rich Samuels 3 - 62 - Gonzaga/Illinois

81.  Stephanie Henderson - 61 - Baylor/Iowa

       Mac Kroesen - 61 - Gonzaga/Illinois

83.  Colleen Hamilton 1 - 60 - FSU/Arkansas

       Kyle Henderson 2 - 60 - Baylor/Gonzaga

       Dan Laishley - 60 - Baylor/FSU

       Greg Lieberman - 60 - Michigan/Ohio State

       Kisha Marzouca 1 - 60 - Illinois/Michigan

       Hannah Sosa - 60 - Florida/Michigan

89.  Braeden Helland 1 - 59 - Illinois/Gonzaga

       Quinn Jackson - 59 - Illinois/Gonzaga

       Jessica Samuels - 59 - Gonzaga/West Virginia

       George Walks 3 - 59 - Michigan/Illinois

       Ken Ward - 59 - Virginia/Baylor

94.  Luis Briones - 58 - Ohio State/Gonzaga

       Carolyn Fowler - 58 - Illinois/Alabama

       Alvaro Gonzalez - 58 - Gonzaga/Baylor

       Brandon Satterwhite - 58 - Alabama/Ohio State

       Amanda Staudt - 58 - Illinois/Michigan

99.  Carolyn Fowler & Jane Reynolds - 57 - Illinois/Gonzaga

       Marcus Jackson - 57 - Gonzaga/Illinois

       Shane Dogmillionaire Jernigan 1 - 57 - Illinois/Gonzaga

       Michael McNally - 57 - Illinois/Gonzaga

       George Walks 1 - 57 - Gonzaga/Illinois

104.  Arlene Amo Hopps - 56 - Villanova/Kansas

         Miles Jackson - 56 - Illinois/Alabama

         Shane Dogmillionaire Jernigan - 56 - Gonzaga/Illinois

107.  Dan Barsky 2 - 55 - Illinois/Gonzaga

         Karen Katz - 55 - Illinois/Iowa

         Katie Kollmeyer - 55 - Michigan/Illinois

110.  Joshua Zdrowak - 53 - Baylor/Michigan

111.  Blake Jackson - 52 - Alabama/Ohio State

         Rich Samuels 2 - 52 - Baylor/Iowa

113.  Wes Wiggins - 51 - Gonzaga/Ohio State

         Day Yi 2 - 51 - Michigan/Illinois

115.  Brian McMahon - 47 - Gonzaga/Ohio State

116.  Dave Marzouca 2 - 45 - Ohio State/Kansas

         Barkley Sosa - 45 - Florida/Virginia

118.  Bubba Zdrowak - 43 - Alabama/Oklahoma State

119.  Braeden Helland 2 - 41 - Iowa/Ohio State

120. - Sean McInerney - 39 - Ohio State/Iowa

NCAA Tournament Pool - Elite 8/Day 1

So two teams have booked their flights to - and hotel rooms in - Indianapolis.  Oh wait, they were already there.  Anyway, two teams have made their reservations in the Final Four.  In the early game, Houston held off a furious late-game/second half rally by the Oregon State Beavers to earn the school's 6th berth in the Final Four.  In the late game, Arkansas gamely kept coming back, and coming back, but Baylor's physicalness was just too much, earning the Bears their spot in next weekend's championships.  And, Baylor is doing this with their All-American Jared Butler playing sub=par basketball as he went 4-11 last night, although perhaps a glimmer of hope for him as he went 2-3 from three.  If he gets hot - look out!

Since Baylor, a 1 seed and number 2 overall tournament seed, and Houston, a 2 seed, both won, no bonus points for everyone, and most entrants won 1 or the other of the games.  And, since a significant portion of us had both games, no "Pick of the Day" award today.

But, we do have a new/old leader.  William Pujals, of Charlotte, North Carolina has jumped back into the possession he held after day 1 of round 1.  And, he is in sole possession of first place, thanks to his selection of both Baylor and Houston into the Final Four.  For those that want to go back and try to figure how someone that wasn't in first place yesterday jumped someone who was in first and got both games right yesterday, it was a calculation error on my part, having short-changed William 2 points.  Those have been added.  He and Matt Hopps of Quincy, Massachusetts have different champions anyway, so that mistake will sort itself out.

Today's games are also worth 8 points apiece, so some serious change in the standings could be had, especially if the two California teams (or even one of them), can make a splash today.  The Gonzaga/USC tilt is also important because, as outlined yesterday, the winner of that game will determine the last place finisher in our pool.  As a refresher, if Gonzaga wins, Sean McInerney of Atlantic Beach, Florida will finish last and earn his money back.  IF USC wins, Bubba Zdrowak of Orlando, Florida has that dubious distinction.  Bubba, it should be noted, is an alligator.

With the twin victories from the two Texas schools, the remaining champions in our pool stay intact:  Baylor, Gonzaga, Houston, and Michigan.  Those that have fallen are Alabama, Florida, Florida State, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan State, Ohio State and Virginia.  And, as a reminder, somebody selected Michigan State even though they did not make it to the main bracket!

Players of the Day

5.  Davion Mitchell, Baylor.  Dude only had 12 points, but he did have 6 assists, with 1 rebound and 1 steal.  But, this man controlled the game.  As fast as anyone with the ball, and a sick change of speeds.  If we want to see pure athleticism and skill and knowledge of the game from our points guards, we will get Michigan and Mike Smith, UCLA and Tyger Campbell, joining Mitchell in the Final Four.  Mitchell did go 0-3 from the free throw line in what Baylor is hoping is not foreboding foreshadowing.

4.  Quinten Grimes, Houston.  Solid performance from Grimes, who had 18 points, 2 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals.

3.  Marcus Sasser, Houston.  Sasser led the Cougars in scoring with 30, and added 4 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals.

2.  MaCio Teague, Baylor.  The transfer from UNC-Asheville scored 22 points with 5 rebounds, to lead Baylor in scoring in its win over Arkansas.

1.  Charlie Melton, Director of Athletics Performance, Baylor.  In essence Melton is the team's Strength and Conditioning Coach (with better pay and title).  Seriously, did you see those guys.  To quote 2 separate entrants from our pool last night, "Baylor is a team of MEN" (emphasis supplied.)  OK, those 2 entrants were Silas Nichols 1 and Silas Nichols 2, both of Washington, DC, but that does not make the point less valid.  Look at that team and tell me which other team is going to out-physical them.  Maybe the Baltimore Ravens.

Stats of the Day

6.  Not basketball related, but astronomical anyway.  University of Texas Swimming & Diving coach Eddie Reese retiring after the Longhorns just captured their 15th national championship under Reese, to go with 12 second-place finishes.  But, the stat of the day is that Texas this year just won their 42nd consecutive conference championship.  42!!!

5.  Only 1 team east of the Mississippi made it to the Elite 8 (Michgan).  Not so much a stat as an observance.

4.  Arkansas won their first 3 games after being down double digits in each.  This stat would have been higher had they been able to convert it to 4, having trailed Baylor by as many as 18.

3.  Oregon State had 2 turnovers in the second half, and the second one came down 6 with 20 or so seconds remaining.  This is how you stage a comeback.

2.  Baylor is shooting 40.8% from three-point range ON THE SEASON!!!  They went 8-15 last night.

1.  Houston grabbed 19 OFFENSIVE rebounds.  Just offensive.  That is ridiculous.

Social Media Post of the Day

1.  On Twitter from Nneka Ogwumike:  "It's women's basketball for me #marchmadness".  So Connecticut and Baylor battled against each other in an awesome Elite 8 game in San Antonio, which featured four separate swings of 10 points or more, and culminating in this Baylor shot, with the Bears down 1 to Connecticut at the end of the game, by DiJonai Carrington, which apparently wasn't a foul.

Seriously though, basketball twitter was ablaze as every player, former player, coach, former coach, family member, former family member, acquantaince, former acquaintance and stranger (no, I will not type "former stranger") was commenting on this game, and in particular on this play.

Today's history lesson was difficult for me to decide about what to write.  Baylor returns to the final four for the first time since 1950, but that tournament was not very memorable, and neither were any of the standout players.   Plus, the CCNY point-shaving scandal didn't hit until the next year, so that didn't work.  Had Arkansas won and returned to the Final Four for the first time since 1995, I could have written about that awesome 1995 team with Big Nasty Corliss Williamson, Scotty Thurman, Clint McDaniel, and Corey Beck.  But alas, that doesn't work here.  I had already mentioned Oregon State's 1983 squad, and they lost anyway.  The obvious answer is to write about Houston, who made the Final Four for the first time since their 1982-1984 run of three straight, but earlier this year I highlighted former Cougars coach Guy Lewis.  So, as I decide my topic I will add this story about Houston's recruitment of Hakeem Olajuwon.

Olajuwon never played basketball until he was 15, having previously been a soccer goalie in Nigeria.  After he started playing basketball, he received a few looks and tryouts, and eventually earned the eye of 3 schools, Providence, Louisville, and Houston.  Olajuwon had tickets to all 3 cities, and upon his arrival at the airport in New York, he had to decide which plane ticket to take.  He walked outside the airport, and it was ridiculously cold.  Olajuwon spotted a man working the cab line or as a porter and either by his facial structure or name knew he was Nigerian.  Olajuwon walked up the man, showed him all 3 tickets and asked, "Which place has weather that is closest to Lagos?"  The man handed him the ticket to Houston.  And that is how Hakeem Olajuwon came to play for Guy Lewis and the Houston Cougars.  For a great history of the 1982-1984 era of Houston basketball, please watch the ESPN 30 for 30 documentary Phi Slama Jama.

And guess what, that is tournament History!

Now, onto the standings.  Remember kids, let me know if you think you see an error in my scoring.  I will double check.

1.  William Pujals - 95 - Gonzaga/Houston

2.  Matt Hopps - 94 - Michigan/Baylor

3.  Edy Pecan - 90 - Baylor/Alabama

4.  Day Yi 1 - 86 - Gonzaga/Houston

5.  Jeff Plamondon - 85 - Gonzaga/Houston

     Measha WIlliams 2 - 85 - Gonzaga/Houston

7.  Colleen Hamilton 4 - 85 - Ohio State/Texas

8.  Katie Zdrowak - 83 - Iowa/Houston

9.  Silas Nichols 1 - 81 - Gonzaga/Illinois

10.  Chris Igtiben 1 - 79 - Illinois/Gonzaga

11.  Brent Bellinger 1 - 78 - Gonzaga/Baylor

       George Walks 2 - 78 - Illinois/Kansas

       Justin Yung - 78 - Alabama/Houston

14.  Skip LaForte - 77 - Michigan State/Baylor

       Dave Mazourca 1 - 77 - Baylor/Kansas

       Silas Nichols 2 - 77 - Illinois/Gonzaga

17.  Javier Rodriguez - 76 - Gonzaga/Illinois

       Steven Usma 1 - 76 - Gonzaga/Illinois

       Measha Williams 3 - 76 - Gonzaga/Baylor

20.  Ashley Poer 2 - 74 - Houston/Gonzaga

       Steven Usma 3 - 74 - Baylor/Gonzaga

       Steven Usma 4 - 74 - Baylor/LSU

23.  Brent Bellinger 2 - 73 - Illinois/Iowa

       Brian Hinaman - 73 - Baylor/Gonzaga

25.  Jenna Finkelstein - 72 - Kansas/Baylor

       Kingfish Parham - 72 - Gonzaga/Arkansas

       Pepe Sosa - 72 -Gonzaga/Illinois

28.  Jacey Fowler-Reynolds 2 - 71 - Alabama/Baylor

       Max Macon 4 - 71 - Baylor/Michigan

       Nancy McInerney - 71 - Alabama/Syracuse

31.  Braeden Helland - 70 - Gonzaga/Houston

       Ty Leatherman - 70 - Baylor/Gonzaga

       Measha Williams 4 - 70 - Gonzaga/Illinois

34.  Ashley Poer 3 - 69 - Baylor/FSU

       Rich Samuels 1 - 69 - Houston/Gonzaga

       George Walks 4 - 69 - Houston/Alabama

37.  James Garvin - 68 - Gonzaga/Baylor

       Colleen Hamilton 2 - 68 - Gonzaga/Baylor

       Kisha Marzouca 2 - 68 - Baylor/Michigan

       Amy Zdrowak - 68 - Gonzaga/Illinois

41.  Chris Igtiben 2 - 68 - Michigan/OSU

42.  Martha Kroesen - 67 - Illinois/Gonzaga

       Brittany Sosa - 67 - Illinois/Gonzaga

       Biscuit Zdrowak - 67 - Baylor/Iowa

45.  Rachel Bornn - 66 - Illinois/Gonzaga

       Braeden Helland - 66 - Gonzaga/Baylor

       Emily Lawson 2 - 66 - Baylor/Gonzaga

       Jeremy Spuhler - 66 - Gonzaga/Illinois

49.  Jacey Fowler-Reynolds 1 - 65 - Gonzaga/Illinois

       Larry Green - 65 - Gonzaga/Illinois

       Carey Taylor - 65 - Gonzaga/Illinois

       Measha Williams 1 - 65 - Gonzaga/Baylor

53.  Colleen Hamilton 3 - 64 - Ohio State/Gonzaga

       Adam Jorgensen 1 - 64 - Illinois/Gonzaga

       Jason Spuhler - 64 - 64 - Gonzaga/Illinois

L

56.  Guy Hughes - 63 - Gonzaga/Baylor

       Adam Jorgensen 2 - 63 - Iowa/Illinois

       Adam Jorgensen 3 - 63 - Gonzaga/Illinois

       Steven Usma 2 - 63 - Illinois/Michigan

       Joshua Ward - 63 - Baylor/Michigan

61.  Paul Cummings 62 - Gonzaga/Illinois

       Jonathan Wasserman - 62 - Michigan/West Virginia

63.  Dan Barsky 1- 61 - Gonzaga/Illinois

       Stephanie Henderson - 61 - Baylor/Iowa

       Ashley Poer 1 - 61 - Gonzaga/Villanova

       Cheryl Spuhler - 61 - Baylor/Alabama

67.  Dan Laishley - 60 - Baylor/FSU

       Emily Lawson 1 - 60 - Gonzaga/Baylor

       Colonel Kareem Montague - 60 - Gonzaga/Illinois

       Jane Reynolds - 60 - Alabama/Illinois

71.  Chis LaForte - 59 - Michigan/Houston

       George Walks 3 - 59 - Michigan/Illinois

       Ken Ward - 59 - Virginia/Baylor

74.  Justin Hallack - 58 - Baylor/Gonzaga

       Brandon Satterwhite - 58 - Alabama/Ohio State

76.  Liz Carew - 57 - Gonzaga/Illinois

       Kyle Henderson 1 - 57 - Gonzaga/Oklahoma State

       Max Macon 2 - 57 - Michigan/West Virginia

79.  Arlene Amo Hopps - 56 - Villanova/Kansas

       Eric Inge - 56 - Illinois/Gonzaga

       Miles Jackson - 56 - Illinois/Alabama

       Max Macon 3 - 56 - FSU/Arkansas

       Sasha Moon - 56 - Gonzaga/Illinois

84.  Karen Katz - 55 - Illinois/Iowa

       Katie Kollmeyer - 55 - Michigan/Illinois

       Max Macon 1 - 55 - Gonzaga/Baylor

       Keith Zdrowak - 55 - Ohio State/Gonzaga

88.  Scott Bieterman - 54 - Illinois/Gonzaga

       Rich Samuels 3 - 54 - Gonzaga/Illinois

90.  Mac Kroesen - 53 - Gonzaga/Illinois

       Joshua Zdrowak - 53 - Baylor/Michigan

92.  Colleen Hamilton 1 - 52 - FSU/Arkansas

       Kyle Henderson 2 - 52 - Baylor/Gonzaga

       Greg Lieberman - 52 - Michigan/Ohio State

       Kisha Marzouca 1 - 52 - Illinois/Michigan

       Rich Samuels 2 - 52 - Baylor/Iowa

       Hannah Sosa - 52 - Florida/Michigan

98.  Braeden Helland 1 - 51 - Illinois/Gonzaga

       Quinn Jackson - 51 - Illinois/Gonzaga

       Jessica Samuels - 51 - Gonzaga/West Virginia

       Day Yi 2 - 51 - Michigan/Illinois

102.  Luis Briones - 50 - Ohio State/Gonzaga

         Carolyn Fowler - 50 - Illinois/Alabama

         Alvaro Gonzalez - 50 - Gonzaga/Baylor

         Amanda Staudt - 50 - Illinois/Michigan

106.  Carolyn Fowler & Janey Reynolds - 49 - Illinois/Gonzaga

         Marcus Jackson - 49 - Gonzaga/Illinois

         Shane Dogmillionaire Jernigan 1 - 49 - Illinois/Gonzaga

         Michael McNally - 49 - Illinois/Gonzaga

         George Walks 1 - 49 - Gonzaga/Illinois

111.  Shane Dogmillionaire Jernigan 2 - 48 - Gonzaga/Illinois

112.  Dan Barsky 2 - 47 - Illinois/Gonzaga

113.  Dave Marzouca 2 - 45 - Ohio State/Kansas

         Barkley Sosa - 45 - Florida/Virginia

115.  Blake Jackson - 44 - Alabama/Ohio State

116.  Wes Wiggins - 43 - Gonzaga/Oklahoma State

117.  Braeden Helland 2 - 41 - Iowa/Ohio State

118.  Sean McInerney - 39 - Ohio State/Iowa

         Brian McMahon - 39 - Gonzaga/Ohio State

120.  Bubba Zdrowak - 35 - Alabama/Oklahoma State

NCAA Tournament Pool - Round 1/Day 1

 Welcome Tournament Players to the Road to Indianapolis 2021.  It feels weird saying "road" to Indianapolis, since all of the players are already in Indianapolis and some of the coaches and CBS staff are probably already at St. Elmo Steakhouse, the bastards.  (Yes, I am jealous).  I know for a fact that Jim Nantz has his own whiskey shelf behind the host stand.

Some of the referees apparently went out to eat and it cost 6 of them their tournament officiating jobs as they were sent home.  When they arrived at their hotel on Monday to check-in (with a mandatory 48 hour quarantine period like everyone else associated with the tournament), there room was not ready and not food was available to eat. So, like any hungry person would do, the ventured out for some dinner.  Turns out, the next day one of the officials tested positive for Covid-19, meaning all 6 of them were sent home.  Weird times.

But also good times.  And by good, I mean GOD DO I MISS THIS TOURNAMENT.  They canceled one year and it feels like an enternity since I was in Minneapolis in 2019.  Can you believe that technically Virginia is still the defending tournament champions.  Unless you cound the fact that UCF claims last year's title because, well, that is what UCF does.  Virginia is also seriosly affected by Covid, having had to withdraw from the ACC Tournament last week due to positive tests within the program.  They self-quarantined in Charlottesville becasuse they are some very fine people, arriving in Indianapolis just yesterday.  Everyone has to pass 2 pcr tests to play, 1 yesterday and 1 today  And yes, I hope this is the last Covid reference of the tournament.  Unless, of course, a team has to withdraw.  Fingers crossed THAT doesn't happen.

We have 120 entries in the pool, from near and far.  And, a large number of you failed to follow directions.  Most notably Wes Wiggins of Tucson, Arizona and Colleen Hamilton I, II, III, and IV, of West Palm Beach, Florida (or at least nearby), all forgot to put their names on their entries.  Thankfully it only took a minute or two for me to figure out the culprits.

I do want to give credit to Arlene Amo Hopps of Quincy, Massachusetts for having the best penmanship.  I note this because some of you should seiously work on your writing.  On one entry I could just barely determine that the person picked Winthrop over Villanova.  

Although mostly 2-legged entrants, we do have a handful of 4-legged entrants, including our first ever gator, Bubba Zdrowak from Orlando, Florida.  Interestingly, he did not pick the actual Florida Gators.

But 2 entrants did (both in my household - good grief!)  Florida is one of 13 championship picks in our bracket.  The overwhelming favorites are Gonzaga and Illinois, which makes since as the 1 and 3 overall seeds.  The list of the champions selected are (teams remaining in bold):  Alabama, Baylor, Florida, Florida State, Gonzaga, Houston, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, and Virginia.

Yes, that means a number of participants have already lost their champion.  On DAY 1!  Particularly hurt by Ohio State are Luis Briones of Foxborough, Massachusetts, Collen Hamilton 3, and 4 of West Palm Beach-ish, Florida, and Dave Marzouca 2 of Boynton Beach, Florida.  But that all pales in comparison to Skip Laforte of Greenacres, Florida (it's the place to be), who selected Michigan State as his champion, and thus was out of the tournament before it officially started yesterday.

And speaking of Ohio State, that game knocked out a number 2 seed, as the Buckeyes just couldn't put away Oral Roberts.  And yes, we had one person select Oral Roberts, and that was Steven Usma 4 of Miami, Florida.  For being the only person to select Oral Roberts, Steven wins the "Pick of the Day" award, with all due apologies to Stephanie Henderson of (if I had to guess north/northeast Texas), and Kingfish Parham of Atlanta Georgia, who both not only selected North Texas, but also guaranteed North Texas!  Great work.

Oral Roberts and North Texas were not the only two upsets of the day as 5 double digit seeds advanced.  Rutgers, a 10-seed, doesn't count as bonus points under our definition, so that means that 4 upsets worth bonus points were available.  And nobody took advantage of the bonus points more than William Pujals of Charlotte, North Carolina, who not only selected 3 of the 4 upsets correctly (North Texas, Oregon State, and Syracus), but he also guaranteed Syracuse.  He received more in bonus points (20) than most people received points.  Lots of entries selected Syracuse, and even guaranteed Syracuse (one of the 2 most popular upset selections, along with Georgetown), so no special mention to those players, but congrats and take your bonus points.

Which brings us to today's history lesson.  I try to come up with my history lesson based upon a memory that is triggered by the day's play, and two things came to mind that led to one tournament memory specifically:  (1) Oral Roberts winning as a 15-seed over a 2-seed; and (2) Syracuse upsetting San Diego State.  What single memory could these two results bring together?

We have to go way back, well before any of us had even heard of University of Maryland-Baltimore City, back to mid-March 1991, when even a 15 seed had never defeated a 2 seed.  Interestingly, that 1991 Final Four was also held in Indianapolis.  But before the Final Four, an important first round game was held in Cole Field House in College Park, Maryland, between the number 2 seed Syracuse Orangemen (now Orange) and the 15 seed Richmond Spiders.  The game featured legendary coaches Jim Boeheim of Syracuse and Dick Tarrant of Richmond, and Richmond won 73-69 to become the first 15 seed to ever win a tournament game.  Richmond jumped out early scoring 44 points in the first half, and held on for their four point margin.  Richmond was led in scoring by Curtis Blair's 18 points, while Kenny Wood also had 12, with Terry Connolly adding 14 off the bench.  They defeated a loaded Syracuse team that included Billy Owens - who would become the 3rd overall pick in the NBA draft by the Sacremento Kings - LeRon Ellis, and Adrian Autry.  Richmond's advantage was its bench, paced by Connolly's 14 points and 30 minutes, and had 3 players play 13 minutes or more, 13 being the minutes played by Syracuse's sixth man Conrad McCrae.

Since then, 8 other 15-seeds have been victorious, including Santa Clara (1993), Coppin State (1997), Hampton (2001), Lehigh (2002), Norfolk State (2012), Florida Gulf Coast (2013), Middle Tennessee (2016) and Oral Roberts (yesterday).  Oral Roberts has a big hurdle this next round, as only Florida Gulf Coast in 2013 won their second round game.

And, there is nothing like a historical upset over the Orange to keep Syracuse alumni Silas Nichols of Washington, D.C., and Javier Rodriguez of Coral Gables, Florida from celebrating last night's Syracuse win too much.

Back to yesterday's action, we had some great performances from players yesterday, including Justin Smith from Arkansas who scored 29 points, had 13 rebounds, 5 steals and 2 blocks in 20 minutes, Brad Davison from Wisconsin who scored 29 on 5-7 shooting from 3-point range, Javion Hamley who had 24/11 for North Texas, and Max Abumas who had 29 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals for Oral Roberts.  But, the leading performances yesterday were Kevin Obanor from Oral Roberts who scored 30 points and had 11 rebounds, Miles McBride of West Virginia who scored 30 points (with 6 rebounds, 6 assists and 3 steals) on 11-17 shoorting, and Buddy (maybe I am not JUST) the coache's son Boeheim who scored 30 points while going 7-10 from 3-point range.

Stats of the Day:

4.  Houston had 6 players score in double figures.  Now that is some balanced scoring.

3.  Oregon State secured their first NCAA Tournament win since 1982.  That was so long ago the Beavers in 1982 were led by Sophomore Charlie Sitton and Freshman A.C. Green.  Yes, THAT A.C. Green.

2.  Oral Roberts had only 6 turnovers against Ohio State.  That is the way to upset a higher seed.  Take care of the ball.

1.  The average age of the starting lineup of the Wisconsin Badgers is older than the starting lineup of the Chicago Bulls.  You read that correctly.

Best Social Media Posts

3.  From PFTCommenter on Twitter:  Oral ironically just absolutely refuses to go down

2.  From RossTuckerNFL on Twitter:  Oral Roberts has more wins over Ohio State than Jim Harbaugh.

1.  From Tim Reynolds on Twitter:  Breaking:  Terry Porter just called a foul on Oral Roberts and awarded Ohio State six free throws.  (For those that don't know, Terry Porter is the official that threw the [extremely] late pass interference flag against Miami and in favor of Ohio State in the 2002 Fiesta Bowl.)

The only two unanimous selections from yesterday were both number 1 seeds:  Baylor and Illinois.

So, enough chit-chat.  Here are the standings.  If you think there is a discrepancy between your listed score and the score you believe you earned, just send me an e-mail and I will be more than happy to re-visit and re-score your sheet. I do make mistakes and I will be happy to correct them.  Just know that if in re-scoring your sheet I find an error, no matter which direction, I will use the appropriate score - so there is the possibility of moving backward.  On to the standings (ties listed alphabetically):

1.  William Pujals - 32

2.  Katie Kollmeyer - 27

     Silas Nichols 1 - 27

     Jeff Plamondon - 27

5.  Silas Nichols 2 - 26

     Ashley Poer 1 - 26

     George Walks 2 - 26

8.  Kingfish Parham - 25

9.  Justin Yung - 24

10.  Eric Inge - 23

       George Walks 3 - 23

12.  Matt Hopps - 22

       Chris Igtiben - 22

       Sasha Moon - 22

       Amanda Staudt - 22

       Steven Usma 2 - 22 

       Keith Zdrowak - 22

18.  Jacey Fowler Reynolds 1 - 21

       Colleen Hamilton - 21

       Braeden Helland 1 - 21

       Stephanie Henderson - 21

       Colonel Kareem Montague - 21

       Edy Pecan - 21

       Steven Usma 4 - 21

       Amy Zdrowak - 21

26.  Arlene Amo Hopps - 20

       Rich Samuels 1 - 20

       Cheryl Spuhler - 20

       Measha Williams 2 - 20

       Measha WIlliams 4 - 20

31.  Nancy McInerney - 19

32.  Brent Bellinger 2 - 18

33.  Jenna Finkelstein - 17

       Braeden Helland 2 - 17

       Martha Kroesen - 17

       Rich Samuels 2 - 17

       Brandon Satterwhite - 17

       Joshua Ward - 17

       Day Yi 2 - 17

40.  Liz Carew - 16

       Carolyn Fowler - 16

       Colleen Hamilton 2 - 16

       Braeden Helland 3 - 16

       Adam Jorgensen 1 - 16

       Adam Jorgensen 2 - 16

       Adam Jorgensen 3 - 16

       Dan Laishley - 16

       Ty Leatherman - 16

       Max Macon 4 - 16

       Steven Usma 1 - 16

51.  Brent Bellinger 1 - 15

       Rachel Bornn - 15

       Paul Cummings - 15

       Dave Marzouca 1 - 15

       Dave Marzouca 2 - 15

       Kisha Marzouca 1 - 15

       Javier Rodriguez - 15

       Brittany Sosa - 15

       Hannah Sosa - 15

       Jason Spuhler - 15

       George Walks 1 - 15

       Measha WIlliams 3 - 15

63.  Guy Hughes - 14

       Michael McNally - 14

       Jane Reynolds - 14

       Rich Samuels - 14

       Jeremy Spuhler - 14

       Jonathan Wasserman - 14

       Katie Zdrowak - 14

70.  Colleen Hamilton 3 - 13

       Emily Lawson 2 - 13

       Ashley Poer 3 - 13

       George Walks 4 - 13

       Day Yi - 13

75.  Scott Bieterman - 12

       Larry Green - 12

       Ken Ward - 12

78.  Shane Dogmillionaire Jernigan 2 - 11

       Karen Katz - 11

       Mac Kroesen - 11

       Skip Laforte - 11

       Ashley Poer 2 - 11

       Pepe Sosa - 11

       Joshua Zdrowak - 11

85.  Carolyn Fowler and Jane Reynolds - 10

       James Garvin - 10

       Alvaro Gonzalez - 10

       Braeden Helland 4 - 10

       Kyle Henderson 2 - 10

       Chris Igtiben 2 - 10

       Quinn Jackson - 10

       Shane Dogmillionaire Jernigan 1 - 10

       Max Macon 3 - 10

       Kisha Marzouca 2 - 10

       Sean McInerney - 10

       Carey Taylor - 10

       Steven Usma 3 - 10

       Wes Wiggins - 10

99.  Dan Barsky 1 - 9

       Luis Briones - 9

       Colleen Hamilton - 9

       Kyle Henderson 1 - 9

       Brian Hinaman - 9

       Blake Jackson - 9

       Miles Jackson - 9

       Greg Lieberman - 9

       Max Macon 2 - 9

       Brian McMahon - 9

       Barkley Sosa - 9

       Measha Williams - 9

       Bubba Zdrowak - 9

112.  Jessica Samuels - 8

         Dan Barsky 2 - 8

         Jacey Fowler-Reynolds 2 - 8

         Marcus Jackson - 8

         Emily Lawson 1 - 8

         Max Macon 1 - 8

118.  Justin Hallack - 7

         Chris Laforte - 7

         Biscuit Zdrowak - 7