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The NCAA Tourney 2001: Amateur booking at its finest...
Ok, y'all love those little Dookies so much that many of you moved up in the
standings.
To help you celebrate your favorite team, here are a few news articles
you may have missed:
Battier to Press: "I'm staying
at Duke"
Duke #1: Battier and Coach K Reflect
on this season
Without further ado, here are the final, confirmed standings in the pool:
1st Place: Tiffany (Payout: $45)
2nd Place: Louis (Payout: $18)
3rd Place: Ryan (Payout: $12)
• Final Standings
The tournament is, not unlike an NCAA pool, a cruel existence. In both
contests, bright and talented individuals compete with their heart and
souls to be number one. Tonight, our emotions will run in parallel as
one team cuts down the nets, and another is heartbroken (The bright side
is that many of the NCAA athletes on the losing team may be betting on
the other guys. Ouch!) Don't forget to also stay tuned for 'One Shining
Moment' following the game.
But on to more important news... how does the shakedown affect YOU? Here
are the possible scenarios:
Duke Wins:
1st Place: Tiffany
2nd Place: Louis
3rd Place: Ryan
(and Javaun goes berserk) |
Arizona Wins:
1st Place: Carlyle
2nd Place: Brian F.
3rd Place: Javaun
(and all is right in the world) |
Sympathy for the Devil
Sorry, I have none to offer. For the sixth straight year, Duke has ruined
my bracket. Whether I bet for or against them, they singlehandledly spoil
my annual foray into sportsbetting. To my mind, the only thing sweeter
than Battier being trampled by Clydesdales on his way to the Metrodome
would be for him to lose his last game in a Duke Jersey.
• Standings after Round 5 (Final
Fours)
The Final Four picture is clear, and so are the possible winners in the
NCAA pool. We'll post everyone's picks for Final Four, Finals, and NCAA
Champion a little later this week so we can all start working on the scenarios.
Swish!
Louis leaps into first place by correctly picking all four Final Four
teams. Tiffany is nipping at his heels in second place, and Carlyle and
Michele both cracked the top three.
• Standings after Round 4
• Standings after Round 3
Overheard
Should the Tar Heels prevail by 19 or greater points, then Mr. Lettes
will be required to wear Carolina blue on Monday.
-- Carlyle, recounting a bet between Hashi and Louis,
prior to UNC's 70-48 shellacking of an overmatched Princeton squad.
I Feel Your Pain
Louis, being the sport he is, will likely hang his head in somber shame
and utter humiliation as he walks the hallowed halls of the Homestore
ACG clad in Carolina Blue. But don't play your violin for Louis just yet.
After Hashi's alma mater was bumped yesterday, Louis became one of only
a handful of individuals with all 4 Final Four picks still intact.
One
The number of people who picked Penn State to go to the Sweet 16. Again,
CJ was rewarded for going out on a limb.
• Pool Standings Through Round
2
• Tournament
Bracket, courtesy of Joey Sirmons.
Round 1 In Perspective
This is what's supposed to happen. The Thursday
and Friday games in the NCAA Tournament usually get rid of the teams that
aren't mentally tough enough to get through six games.
-- Andy Katz, ESPN
On Friday night ESPN reported that, of the more than 750,000 entries
in their online tournament pool, not a single one was still perfect.
That sums it up for our pool as well; those of us who didn't take it
in the shorts after Thursday's East/West region games weren't so lucky
on Friday. Though the top seeds finished strong in the Midwest region,
a fury of bracket-trashing upsets in the South spoiled many a pool sheet.
• Round 1 point totals
Friday's Highlights:
Midwest picks panned out for most people. John Mims called all
8 games in that region to notch the first (and perhaps the only) perfect
round. Six other individuals, including two of the random entries, also
had 7 of 8 correct picks in the Midwest.
Southern Hospitality
The spoilers reigned in the South and left the charred remains of our
brackets in their wake. Those few that survived the South boosted
their standings: Doug C vaulted into the number one spot by calling
7 of 8, while Margaret and Tom Rusling each advanced with
6 correct picks.
Thursday: Big Upset in the West
Four people picked Hampton to deal Iowa State a prime-time beatdown.
Clairvoyant?
Doug C and CJ actually picked Hampton in this colossal upset.
The dice don't lie
Ben Johnson and Brian Fletcher also had Hampton in their
randomly generated brackets. Brian has the naysayers eating their words
as his random picks left him with 11 of 16 possible points and only 2
future losses after Thursday's game. But say a prayer for Brian. He has
Hampton going all the way to the big game -- only to lose to Gonzaga in
the finals.
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