EL SEGUNDO, CA (smt)-  When we expanded the top prizes to a fourth place spot in 1998, that meant that 4 of 28 entries could win money (14.3%).  Last year, it was 4 of 98 entries (4.1%).  Despite this low percentage, only 13 of 98 entries were eliminated after two rounds, keeping most people in the game.  But now, the pool administrators have decided that as the pool expands, an extra money spot should be rewarded, provided we have 100 or more entries.  We barely made it with 101.  We, however, cannot create money (only the government banks or that sly friend who's the Monopoly banker), therefore by adding the 5th place prize, the 1st through 4th place prizes will have be lowered a little (percentage-wise).  So, despite growing from 98 to 101 entries, the 1st place prize will be $10 less than last year's record prize of $450.  Still, a nice chunk of change.  The complete prize breakdown is shown at the end of this update.

As it has been the past five years, the Conference Wins is the Bonus Prize (as detailed below) (aka, Bonus1).  However, if no one wins it, the Bonus2 takes effect and the entry who is closest to the Total Points in Final tiebreaker gets the Bonus Prize.  This is the sixth year we have used this Bonus to give hope to those who get eliminated early as only those who do not finish in the top 5 will be eligible to win.  Rules follow below...

Bonus1 - Winningest Conference

When you completed your online entry and saw your picks (to print out), some of you might have been wondering what the heck "Winningest Conference(s): ?? | Wins: #" meant. And thus, subliminally, you were also picking which conference would get the most wins in the tournament and how many wins that conference would get via your direct picks. Neat, eh? So that output, which in my case (THE FABONE 14), says "Winningest Conference(s): Pac 10 | Wins: 14", means that by the way I picked my bracket (and don't laugh), the Pac 10 conference will get the most wins with 14.

The rules of how to win this Bonus Prize is as follows:

1. The top 5 finishers not eligible (so no double-dipping)
2. Ties broken by championship final score total
3. If there is *still* a tie, money is split
4. If 2 (or more) conferences tie for the most wins, both (or all) conferences must have been picked correctly
5. If entry has 2 or more conferences tied for most wins, only one must be correct to win (e.g. entry picks Pac 10 and Big 12 with 11 wins a piece. Big 12 ends up winning the most games with 11, then contestant wins)

And, the Bonus Prize is worth $40, which is four years worth of losing brackets. Last year, the SEC was the winningest conference again with 11 wins (picked correctly by Wendy B's BUCKEYE23).  But if no one correctly picks the winningest conference and wins, then the Bonus2 takes effect.

Bonus2 - Total Points in Final

If no one wins the Bonus1, then a second Bonus opportunity takes effect.  The entry closest to the "Total points in final" tiebreaker wins the $40.  In order to reward better play, the tiebreaker is the higher placement in the final pool standings.

The rules of how to win this Bonus Prize is as follows:

1. The top 5 finishers not eligible (so no double-dipping)
2. "Closest" can be above or below actual total (if actual is 144, 143 & 145 are both 1 point away)
3. Ties broken by highest placement in final pool standings
4. If there is *still* a tie, money is split

Prize Breakdown

With everyone pretty much confirmed, we are officially at 101 entries ($1,010).  So, here is the official prize breakdown:  

	1st Place   = $440.00
	2nd Place   = $220.00
	3rd Place   = $150.00
	4th Place   = $100.00
	5th Place   = $ 60.00
	Bonus Prize = $ 40.00 

Bonus Prize Analysis

What this means is that of the 13 entries that were eliminated from the top 5 prizes, 11 are back into play! This also means that MARCCHARLES and FLYING ELVI's picks were so horrible that they have been eliminated from both prizes.  So 99 entries still have a chance for money.

If you don't have your bracket, then go to the "For the Record" page and pick your nickname from the drop down box. Right now, of the 9 conferences represented in the Sweet 16, only 4 conferences have a chance to get the most number of wins:

         	Teams   Curr   Max Poss
 Conf.   	Left    Wins    Wins
 ------  	----    ----   --------
 BigEast  	 3      10       19
 Big12	  	 2       7       14
 Pac10    	 3       6       15
 Big10	  	 2       5       12
x-SEC	  	 1       4        8
x-ACC	  	 1       4        8
x-Atlantic10	 1       2        6
x-Southern 	 1       2        6
x-SunBelt 	 1       2        6
x-ConfUSA 	 1       2        6
    x-Eliminated

Forty-four entries have the Big East (3 teams left) as their (or one of their) winningest conference.  Forty-two have the Pac 10, which also has three teams left.  All in all, only 18 entries (mostly those who had the ACC as the winningest conference) were eliminated from the Bonus1 prize.  So root for teams from the conference you picked.

Below are the teams in the conferences that matter for the Bonus1.

Conf.    Teams Left (1st Rnd W-L, 2nd Rnd W-L)
-----    ----------
Pac10    UCLA, WASH ST, STANFORD (3-3, 3-0)
Big10    MICH ST, WISCONSIN (3-1, 2-1)
BigEast  LOUISVILLE, WVU, VILLANOVA (7-1, 3-4)
Big12    KANSAS, TEXAS (5-1, 2-3)

It's much too much to go through all the possibilities with four rounds remaining. But, if you do have a chance, this will guide you to which team to root for based on the conference the team is in.

Here is the link to what everyone picked. If your nickname is in red, that means you're eliminated from the top 5 prizes; if your conference is in red, you're eliminated from the Bonus1.  The eligibility for the Bonus2 won't be discussed unless needed.

Notes / отмечает:  Last year was the first year where we had the Bonus2 option in case no one won the Bonus1, which happened in 2005 & 2006... 133 was the most often picked for total points in final (five times)... the $440 top prize is 43.6% of the total pot, the lowest its been (thanks to the addition of the 5th place prize); the highest was our first year at 58.3% and hasn't been above 50% since 1998... we have had exactly 800 entries in 14 years which means we will have doled out $8,000 to at least 35 people... the 800 entries have been submitted by 212 people... had we only had four money spots, only THE FABONE 14 would have been eliminated (making it 14 eliminated entries), not much of a difference... BTW, I figured out what I need to win 5th, my one chance:  UNC, Tenn, Kansas, Davidson, Michigan St., Texas, UCLA, and West Virginia in the Elite 8; UNC, Kansas, Texas, and UCLA in the Final Four; and UCLA beating UNC in the final.  Now get this - all this (15 consecutive correct wins) just to TIE for 5th place.  I'd still need to win the total points in final tiebreaker (144 or more pts) to take 5th!  What a cruel world I live in...