2010 HWCI NCAA Pool

A Change for the Better, or a Plan for the Worst

Turner Broadcasting is just pulling the rug out from everyone.  First it was the surprise deal that Coco had not signed with Fox, but with TBS.  Now, the NCAA is on the verge of opting out of their TV contract and signing with CBS and not ESPN, but TBS/TNT/TruTV.  And the more surprising part?  Instead of 96 teams, it looks like it will be 68 teams, which is manageable for us March Madness bracket folks.

It looks like, for the time being, that even though they are only going to just 68 teams, the number of live broadcasts that could be shown in their entirety will go from around 27 to all 67 games.  If you had four TVs, you could watch all 4 simultaneous games on that first day (okay, technically, second, but who counts the Play-In Games as a real day?) without having to pay extra (i.e., DirecTV).  Overkill?  I think it’ll enhance interest because you have a choice of watching which game instead of CBS telling you you have to watch the Duke game and then just show the last 10 seconds of a great game.

But, starting in 2016, TNT will get the Final Four every other week.  I like the major events on a free broadcast network.  Who watches the NBA All-Star game now that it’s on TNT?  Who watches hockey now that it’s on Versus (or VS. or whatever)?  Except for Monday Night Football, ratings and availability seem to go down when moving from broadcast to cable.  But that’s reality.  On the flip side, it may be even easier to catch games on planes with TVs since they usually have TNT/TBS (but probably not TruTV) whereas they don’t have local CBS stations.

The other unknown is what will happen with teams 66-68.  It seems the simplest would be to have four Opening Round games (whether it be 61 v 68 etc. or 61 v 62 etc.) and the winners play the #1 seed in each Region.  But in recent years, they have made it a point to have the Tuesday Opening Round winner play the next game on Friday (which is why the #1 overall seed doesn’t always play the Opening Round winner).  So are we going to have games on Monday & Tuesday now?  Going this route also further diminishes the lower rung conferences by relegating them to these not-really-a-part-of-the-tournament Opening Round games.  Meaning four teams, some who may have made their first NCAA tournament, will not see the 1st Round where the fun really starts.  It seems like the extra 3 teams will be at-large bids but maybe the NCAA will give these out to some mid-major or lower conference regular season winners who didn’t win their tournament… nah.

What I’m worried about, like with Health Care Reform, this is just a baby step just to get a foot in the door, and the horrible aspects will come out later.  Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim even hints at this in that he hopes this leads to further expansion (e.g., 96) of the bracket.

What does this mean to our pool?  If the four opening round games are playing #1 seeds, they we just have four “PLAY-IN” winners instead of one.  Everything else remains the same.  But until the deal is finalized, we aren’t sure yet.  We should know soon!

Issue # 18.6.3 “Post-Mortem: Show Me The Money!”

2010 HWCI NCAA Pool Update.  Very rare additional issue after my recap issue.  Only posted and not emailed out.  Talking about 96 teams, the buzzer shot that may not have counted, and one-and-dones.

Issue # 17.6.2 “It Pays to Be a Blue Devil Fan”

2010 HWCI NCAA Pool Update.  The last update!  Thanks to all for playing and I hope you had fun, win or lose (mostly lose).  Don’t forget the HWCI World Cup pool will soon be upon us!

This Would Be an Upset…

…if UConn women’s team wins by less than 10 points tonight, which they haven’t done in 77 games. Or possibly even lose? Couldn’t find the line for the game, but I suspect it’s less than double digits. I will still be at work, but I’ll definitely try to follow this game just in case the miracle happens.

UPDATE: At the half, Stanford 20-12. Can’t wait for the pundits to call this the greatest game ever! OK, they are shooting a horribly combined 21.7% from the field and have committed 13 turnovers. Sounds ugly to me.

Issue # 16.6.1 “Hoosiers 2 Will Have to Wait”

2010 HWCI NCAA Pool Update.  Congrats to the winners!  Hope you all had fun.  One last update later this week and then checks will be mailed!

Duke University Wins!

I never thought I’d write this, and you may need to note this, but for once, I was not sick of the pro-Duke telecast… I was sick of the pro-Butler telecast.  Butler played a great game?  They once again had an embarrassing field goal drought late in the game, every shot seemed to be blocked, and they couldn’t hit free throws.  But they did make a good story. And boy, that last second shot almost banked in.

Executive decision! There is now a 6th place prize. Okay, just kidding. I guess there’s nothing wrong with 6th place. Congrats to the winners:

2010 HWCI NCAA Final Report           04/05/10
 # Correct --by Round-- Final
Rank            Name   1 2 3 4 5 6 Score   Prize  Tie Dif
--- ---------------------- -- -- - - - - -----  -------- --- ---
 1 Blue Devil Blues       24 10 4 2 1 1   126    500.00 169  49
 2 You're My Boy Blue     26 10 5 1 1 0   116    255.00 137  17
 3 Eros                   23  9 4 1 1 1   115    175.00 129   9
 4 Hummeless              26 10 3 2 1 0   114    120.00 145  25
 5 FOMI                   18  9 4 2 1 1   111     80.00 140  20

And the $40 Bonus Winner:  Has No Idea (Van P) who was the only one who got the total points of 120 exactly.

Points in Tiebreaker – Halftime

Well, why does Vegas do so well?  For those still in the hunt for the Bonus (or needing a tiebreaker), the total points at the half is 65, which projected to the end of the game is 130.  What was the Vegas line when I checked yesterday?  130.

Issue # 15.5.2 “Our Pool Reaches Maturity”

2010 HWCI NCAA Pool Update.  If you ever wanted to know anything about the past 16 years of our pool, this is the issue.  BTW, of the 21 who entered more than one entry, only one has a slim chance to win on the 2nd or 3rd entry, and only two have a slim chance to win any money.

Issue # 14.5.1 “Ugly Wins Count, Too”

2010 HWCI NCAA Pool Update.  47-48 can still win the Bonus!  3 guaranteed money leaving 6 vying for the remaining 2 spots! Also, 8 of the 9 left in the running have played in our pool at least 7 years!

Three Are In, Three To Go

Well, no internet at the in-laws and we were eating at a Chinese-Vietnamese fusion restaurant (so no bar) during the Duke-West Virginia game, but I did have a backup just in case it was a close game, thanks to getting good reception in the car for the CBS HD feed on my laptop.

Congrats to Joe D (You’re My Boy Blue, 1st or 2nd), Kevin J (Hummeless, 2nd-4th), and Kim B (Blue Devil Blues, 1st-3rd) for being guaranteed money, and all for the first time!  Six are vying for the remaining two money spots and 47-48 are vying for the $40 Bonus.

Mid-Major Break-In

Well, this game didn’t matter in the standings or bonus, just who you thought would be a better team to either beat Duke/WV or lose to Duke/WV. After watching the second half, blech. Butler went almost 11 minutes (until 1:35 left in the game) without a field goal and in that span committed four turnovers, missed ten field goals, and missed three free throws (including a front end of a one-and-one), and still WON the game. This is the mid-major we should aspire to?  But even playing in their home city, that huge arena didn’t seem to feel like a home game.

It’s Like That Big Male Center is Jumping Right Onto Your Lap!

Well, maybe 3-D might not be that interesting. But you can watch, in select cities and theaters, the Final Four in 3-D. I think this has gotten mixed reviews before. Let me know if anyone is putting up the ~$25 to watch this with 3-D glasses.

Issue # 13.4.3 “Our Nicknames Grow Up”

2010 HWCI NCAA Pool Update.  My annual nickname issue is here!  I don’t have any prizes for the quiz included, but feel free to email me your answers.  Maybe I can dig out something.

And we wait…

A few more days until the Final Four starts so hopefully everyone has gotten a good break from games. Don’t forget, 44-48 entries now have a chance to win the $40 bonus, so all hope is not lost. In the meantime, congrats to UNC for making the NIT final, which means they actually cared to play. And sorry for Oregon St. for not defending their CBI title.

Bonus2 in Effect!

Since no one can win Bonus1 (best conference wins), Bonus2 is now in effect (total pts in final). Anywhere from 44-48 entries now have a chance to win the $40. The scenarios are now online depending on what happens next weekend.

Issue # 12.4.2 “The Big Boys Are Back”

2010 HWCI NCAA Pool Update.  A day late, but hey, sleep is supposed to be good for you.  Good luck to the remaining 13!  Also, the Bonus possibilities (no one can win the Bonus1, so Bonus2 is in effect!) will be put up later this week.

Reluctantly Duke

Never cared for Duke.  But I’ll need them to win it all and score a lot of points to try and take 5th place.  One person who’s happy for Duke’s win is You’re My Boy Blue who has guaranteed himself at least 3rd place ($170) so he can start spending the money now.   The other 12 will have to wait and see what happens next week.  Here are the Final Four Possibilities:

If MICHIGAN ST/BUTLER beats  W VIRGINIA in the final, then the possible winners are...
 The Pride Of Troy! Score:118 (place 1 winner)
 Max Approved Score:114 (place 2 winner)
 You're My Boy Blue Score:108 (place 3 winner)
 Another Two-Peat Score:107 (place 4 winner)
 Larzby Score:106 (tiebreak=137)
 The Mighty Mobelfakta Score:106 (tiebreak=142)
 Hummeless Score:106 (tiebreak=145)
 Blue Devil Blues Score:106 (tiebreak=169)

If  W VIRGINIA beats MICHIGAN ST/BUTLER in the final, then the possible winners are...
 The Pride Of Troy! Score:118 (place 1 winner)
 Max Approved Score:114 (place 2 winner)
 You're My Boy Blue Score:108 (place 3 winner)
 Another Two-Peat Score:107 (tiebreak=128)
 Punani59 Score:107 (tiebreak=131)

If MICHIGAN ST/BUTLER beats        DUKE in the final, then the possible winners are...
 You're My Boy Blue Score:116 (place 1 winner)
 Hummeless Score:114 (tiebreak=145)
 Blue Devil Blues Score:114 (tiebreak=169)
 The Pride Of Troy! Score:110 (place 4 winner)
 Another Two-Peat Score:107 (tiebreak=128)
 Jinx Score:107 (tiebreak=160)

If        DUKE beats MICHIGAN ST/BUTLER in the final, then the possible winners are...
 Blue Devil Blues Score:126 (place 1 winner)
 You're My Boy Blue Score:116 (place 2 winner)
 Eros Score:115 (place 3 winner)
 Hummeless Score:114 (place 4 winner)
 FOMI Score:111 (tiebreak=140)
 Deemed to Win Score:111 (tiebreak=144)

Good or Bad Calls?

Was watching but unable to listen to the game but there seemed to be some questionable calls (including allowing just 0.2 seconds to run off the clock on the intentionally missed free throw).  Will have to see what happened there.

But congrats to Michigan St. (again) for making the Final Four.  They always seem to sneak in, especially in broken brackets.  No one picked them but it did eliminate Another Two-Peat (who was the only one to pick Tenn) from winning first.  The next game is crucial in terms of standings.  If Baylor wins, only 9 can win the money spots with 4 still having a chance for 1st.  It’ll also give The Pride of Troy! at least 4th place and Marinomac at least a tie or 5th place (could lose the tiebreaker).  If Duke wins, 13 will still be alive but only 3 could win 1st (You’re My Boy Blue, The Pride of Troy!, and Blue Devil Blues) with You’re My Boy Blue guaranteed at least 3rd place.

Issue # 11.4.1 “Three of Free; Butler Heads Home”

2010 HWCI NCAA Pool Update.  Wow, what a crazy tourney.  Can Duke be the lone #1 in the Final Four?  Only 17 remain…

Bonus Possibility

With the Big 12 down to just one team, this is the scenario for the Bonus.  If Baylor loses in the Final to Butler or Tennessee, then my mom Besst will win the $40 Bonus Prize.  Anything else and no one wins Bonus1 and we go to Bonus2.  This will open the Bonus back up to everyone who won’t finish in the top 5.  The winner will be the closest to the total points in final and if entries are tied, then the most points in the pool.

Congrats, Cal Poly Pomona!

Cal Poly Pomona wins Division II championship – ESPN.  One of my alma maters won the Div II basketball championships!  Congrats!  Way to go Broncos!

I Don’t Know What to Think

WVU goes 0 for its first 17 16 from 2-point range; Kentucky goes 0 for its first 20 from 3-point range.  West Virginia misses 8 free throws after taking a 61-45 lead with 4:25 left.  Somehow, WVU is going to the Final Four for the first since 1959.  Duke is now the last #1 seed.  29 picked WVU.  Larzby is still in first and has a 12.5% chance for first but can’t pick up any more points.  The overwhelming favorite is The Pride of Troy! who has a 87.5% chance for money and a 50% chance for 1st.  He is also trying to get his 3rd year in the money (the previous were 4th place finishes).  Six have a 12.5% chance for 1st.  Just 17 can win money.

Three or Free Only

2 pointers:  0/17!  3 pointers:  8/14!  WV’s first 24 points off 3’s (last 4 off FTs).   WV can’t possibly keep this up… they’re up by 2 at the half.

Butler Heads Home!

Well, they would’ve either way, but now they get to go home (Indianapolis) as the West Regional Champs as the #5 seed.  This guarantees that at best, a #5 seed will reach the NCAA Final.  Butler’s 19 turnovers kept Kansas St. in the game but a bizarre, almost 43-second possession by Kansas St in the last minute sealed their fate.  Two actually picked Butler (they should also play the Lottery now), but it only benefited Larzby who retakes the lead.  Cnollfan was the other.  Larzby now has a 4-point lead but it’s Another Two-Peat who is almost guaranteed money at 81.3%.  Ten brackets were eliminated (leaving 23) and only 8 can win first, including a possible 2-time champion for Ken B (25.0%) or Lawrence M (15.6%) (only Robinson C has ever won our pool twice).

Issue # 10.3.2 “It is a Team Game”

2010 HWCI NCAA Pool Update.  Hard to believe there are only 7 games left!  Good luck to the 33 who are still alive!  If you want to know which of the 128 possible outcomes you can win money on, post it on our discussion board (you don’t have to register).

Cinderella Run Over

Michigan St. and Duke pulled away late to advance to the Elite 8.  It was fun watching Northern Iowa while we could.  2 of the 3 Big 10 teams lost today.  No changes due to Michigan St’s win but 2 more were eliminated with Duke’s win, leaving 33 vying for money.  Only 12 can win 1st.  Suznana was the only one to pick Michigan St., but she was already eliminated.

If you want to know which of the 128 remaining possible outcomes winning money, post a comment here or on the discussion board.  For example, GoTerps possible winning outcomes are already posted there.

Midwest in Shambles

Live from the Home Depot Center in Carson!  Tennessee made its first Elite 8 in defeating Ohio St.  In the Midwest, a #5, #6, or #9 team will make the Final Four.  The Vols win eliminated 10 brackets and 8 from winning 1st.  Baylor dominated St. Mary’s, sparked by an early 30-7 run, and will face either Duke or Purdue.  Baylor knocked Larzby from 1st and now You’re My Boy Blue is in first followed by Another Two-Peat.  Just 35 now can win money and only 13 can win 1st.

Issue # 9.3.1 “Round the Rim, Off the Top Backboard, Nothing But Net”

2010 HWCI NCAA Pool Update.  After tomorrow’s games, there are 128 possible outcomes of the tournament.  If you would like to know which of these 128 (if you’re still alive) will get you money, please post a comment on any of these posts or post your request on the discussion forum.

It’s Over?

Well, for me, at least.  Eliminated once again on the first day of the Sweet 16.  But the Kansas St.-Xavier game finally ended after 2 OTs.  Larzby, the defending champ, is in first, going 4-0. 

I traded half-price Todai’s for missing possibly the best game of the tourney, but considering the team I wanted (Xavier) lost and the Kentucky-Cornell was a rout, I’m happy with the dozens of sushi I ate.

The Butler Did It (C’mon, you knew that was coming)

Butler started with a very long 3 which started an 11-0 run to make the Elite 8 over #1 Syracuse.  Is it because Syracuse had the furthest to travel as a #1 seed?  By not getting the 3rd #1 seed, they went to Salt Lake City instead of Houston.  So the Orange (what was wrong with Orangemen?) are the 2nd #1 seed to fall.  How will Kentucky and Duke do?   Five entries, believe it or not, picked Bulter into the Elite 8.  This propelled Larzby into a tie for first with SilverSurfer (84 pts).  ChasCroix5 went from 100th to 76th and still has a chance for 1st.  14 entries were eliminated (leaving 61) and 10 were eliminated from winning (leaving 32).

Update:  In the second game, it was a turnover-fest but West Virginia easily held off Washington even without Darryl “Truck” Bryant (broken foot).  88 picked WVU and three more were eliminated (leaving 58) and only 30 can win 1st.  Can’t wait for the big game and hope it’s not a blowout, between Kentucky & Cornell.

FOMI, IlliNI.T, and MB Camel Jockies all still have their Final Four intact.  Marty the Greek joined previously Sisyphus as the only ones who will go 0-for-the-Final-Four.

Issue # 8.2.4 “A Healthy Dose of Cinderellas”

2010 HWCI NCAA Pool Update.  Our annual Sweet 16 Thoughts issue.  Enjoy!

Issue # 7.2.3 “Bonus Only Puts 2 Entries Back in Play”

2010 HWCI NCAA Pool Update.  Just 9 entries are in the running for the Bonus Prize (unless no one wins it, then everyone could be back in).  Top prize is $500.  (Note:  Corrected nicknames for Cobi’s Crusanders and TechnicalFowl).

Issue # 6.2.2 “Buzzer Beater and Near Buzzer Beaters”

2010 HWCI NCAA Pool Update.  75 can still win money and 42 can still win 1st!  Possibilities here.

Offline for a while…

Got to get some actual work done, but David has put up the standings.

Edit: The update page has the possibilities and if you are clever (hint: how many picked Kansas to win it all?), somewhere on that page you can click to find the money prize breakdown – or you can wait til tomorrow night.

‘Cuse I Said So

Marinomac was the only entry to pick Gonzaga so he falls from 7th to 28th.  The other interesting thing is that of the six who still have their Final Four intact, ChasCrois5 is the only who hasn’t gotten any of them yet… they (Ohio St., Duke, Pitt, West Virginia) all play later today.

Issue # 5.2.1 “Now It Gets Interesting”

2010 HWCI NCAA Pool Update.  Don’t throw away your brackets yet!  We will know officially who’s out of the money Sunday night.  And we will reveal the prize breakdown and Bonus Prize details on Monday.

There’s Always Tomorrow

Well, a lot of brackets were trashed today, but don’t throw them away yet.  After tomorrow’s games, we will be able to see which entries still have a chance to win money and you might be surprised.  A quick look at standings here.

How Bad Was Your Day?

So we now have 2 double-digit seeds in the Sweet 16.  Two games to go.  How’s this for adding insult to injury or pouring salt on a wound.  Sisyphus, who was already last at the end of Round 1, today lost Villanova, New Mexico, AND Kansas in his Final Four.  Only Pitt remains and that’s because they don’t play until tomorrow.  The order on top:  SilverSurfer, SlackJaw (who were submitted by the same person, Jon J.), and my mom (Besst).  Just 4 still have their Final 4 intact.

Jonna Rocks!

Wow.  Wow.  Wow.  The first #1 seed falls and who would’ve expected it to be Kansas?  Well, Jonna Rocks did.  She rocketed up 35 spots from a tie for 77th to a tie for 42nd.  How heavy a favorite was Kansas?  64 picked them to win, 83 had them in the Final, and 96 had them in the Final Four.  Wow.  Wow.  Wow.

The Big LEast

Another Big East team fell, this time our first “big” team to go, Villanova who lost to St. Mary’s (Ca.).  That’s the fifth Big East team to fall (of 8).  Boy, if we had 96 teams we could’ve gotten two more Big East teams!  AndyParsons2 and Max Approved were the only ones to pick the Gaels.  Butler was picked by 50 (boy, great defense on the last play, not even giving Murray St. a shot at the basket).  And 17 picked Tennessee.  SilverSurfer is alone in first but he has Villanova as his champion.  Three others lost Villanova as their champ and 45 others had them in their Final Four.  So 1 of the 3 double-digit teams have survived with 5 more to go.

Issue # 4.1.2 “Normalized”

2010 HWCI NCAA Pool Update.  We should have the money breakdown and also the Bonus Prize details on Monday.

Settled Down

After a wild Thursday, Friday took more to form with 13 top seeds winning.  Suznana and SilverSurfer are on top getting 27 correct (54 pts).  Sisyphus is last with 34 pts.  Random is the only person who could win all 16 games in the next two days.  And the Pac-10 win both games (Cal exploding to a large early lead) and maybe, might get a little respect.

Tyus Edney Saved Our Pool

15 years ago today (March 19th), Tyus Edney went coast-to-coast in 4.8 seconds to help UCLA beat Mizzou and possibly saved the HWCI NCAA Pool.  This pool was created because UCLA was the favorite to win it all by our UCLA alumni in a Westwood apartment.  Of course, UCLA went on to win it all and the pool has continued ever since.  But had UCLA lost, who knows, we may have deleted all files and closed down shop.

Here is the recap, then done by Andy way back in 1995, the first year of our pool.

Sort of close…

Some good games but nothing really going down to the wire with the closest margin being four points.  Suznana and EMAW are alone in first, going 20-4 (40 pts).  There are two struggling at .500 (12-12, 24).  Eight games left!  Popular upset pick Siena (46 entries, the team picked the most ranked #11 or higher) failed to come through like they did two years ago (beating Vandy, also as a #13 seed).

Hangover…

After a great first day, this second started out bleh with no close games and trendy pick #12 Cornell the only upset.  But we’re only three games in.   Everyone got WV but after Xavier won, Suznana and You’re My Boy Blue joined EastCoastBias on top.  After Cornell’s win (picked by just 35), SilverSurfer, The Other White Meat, and EMAW joined the trio to now form a 6-way tie for first.  Four are lagging behind with just 8 wins in 19 games.

Issue # 3.1.1 “Oh My Gravy”

2010 HWCI NCAA Pool Update.  Standings, who’s who, team distribution, choice distribution all updated.  For who’s who, feel free to post your comments on which nicknames you like/dislike or to explain why you chose that nickname (for some of the obscure ones).

Edit: Link fixed!

Sneak…

EastCoastBias is all alone in first.  Sneak peak here.  Note we are unofficial until Sunday.

Craziness…

Wow.  Six upsets in the first 12 games.  That’s more than we had in all of 2007 (5 in 32 games).  No one picked Ohio U. to beat down #3MW-Georgetown, meaning Sexual Napalm’s win streak ended at 10.  He then didn’t pick Washington (Go Pac-10!) which now puts him in a 5-way tie for first and a 2-game losing streak .  Just 40 picked Washington while 67 picked Northern Iowa.  83 have more than 6 wins, so pat yourselves on the back.

Jonna Rocks and Droppin’ Dimes (which he has now lost 2 of his Final Four (Notre Dame)) lost their champ, the Hoyas, while three more lost them in their Final Four.  And curiously, #1 had UTEP in his Final Four.. whoops.

Three (Random, David’s Lighter, and EastCoastBias) still have their Sweet 16 intact so they avoided the Hoya hype.

Quick Start…

Three (EMAW, You’re My Boy Blue, Sexual Napalm) have jumped to an early lead, winning all 7 early games thus far.  11 are tied for last with just 3 wins (Villanova (barely), Kansas St., and Baylor).  I heard the buzzer beater by Murray St. but wished I could’ve seen it live, as buzzer beaters have been a rarity the past few years.

Another Two-Peat played his heart and lost his champ Florida.  27 picked Old Dom, 25 picked Murray St., and 55 picked St. Mary’s upset (though a favorite to do so).

Overtime!

Well, Florida and Robert Morris ran out of gas but put up valiant efforts.  #15 Robert Morris had the lead for most of the game, but when it reached overtime, fatigue and foul trouble (though the ‘Cats tried to help them late in OT with poor free throw shooting).  Will this help or hurt Villanova?

Below is the portion of the unofficial team distribution list:

I’m surprised so many people picked Kansas… thought we would have more variation.

Surprises to Start

Wow, they were right about ND playing themselves up to a 6 seed which is probably too high… unfortunately, both of my brckets had ND .   And OT for Florida-BYU!

Unofficially, we have 118 entries, which tops last year.  Still working out final details and hope to have some info up later today.

Deemed to Win

Okay, I gave my son a cookie (it has fruit in it ) to give me a little time here to submit my second entry, Deemed to Win, courtesy of Pelosi & Reid.  So even if my bracket doesn’t actually win, since I deemed it so, it’s like it did win.  Right?  This one is more loopy with Duke winning it all as the cookie didn’t last as long as I thought and was distracted while entering towards the end.

With about 10 minutes left til the deadline, it looks like we’ve hit the magical 115th entry.  I’ll be taking my son to school soon so I may not be able to update the right side of this blog til later this morning.

Good Morning!

Just got up.  Okay, my son woke me up.  Well, about 40 minutes left til 9 am and a  quick check shows 109 entries!  Thanks for pushing us over 100.  There seems to be at least another four in process so there is a chance we could meet or top last year’s record 114.

I guess the first game is BYU-Florida so we are starting off with a possible split vote now.  Usually, it seems the first game is a 13, 14, or 15 seed and not very interesting.

Neurotic Updator’s Picks…

Okay, finally made my picks, boring as heck.  All four #1 seeds.  Too tired to think.  You can view my pick, Sweet Fabone, here.  I’ll see if I want to donate another $10 to the winner by creating a second entry after some sleep.

Issue # 2.0.2 “Kansas, Kentucky, Krzyzewski”

2010 HWCI NCAA Pool Update.  Deadline is 9 am!

Eight Hours Left

Eight hours remain til the 9 am PDT deadline.  Note:  We will accept brackets til tipoff, which is 9:20 am, but the entry form will be disabled just past 9 am, so if you get to the java bracket, you can still enter your picks but make sure you submit it before 9:20 (we have a timestamp on the file you submit).  If you think you may not make it, scan and email your pencil-written bracket or fax it to me.

Currently, we have 89 entries including 53 that came in Wednesday.  That is short of our record 62 we got last year so topping 114 doesn’t look good, but there is still time.  Best of luck to everyone!

Esteemed Founder’s Picks

David F. (The Mighty Mobelfakta) has submitted his bracket.  We will post both his and my bracket (when I get a chance to fill it out) before 9 am tomorrow so you can laugh at us (and also for verification purposes).  You can view his bracket here.  (Hint: Once viewing David’s, you can then view your bracket in case you lost your printout).

Mid-day Update

As of 4 pm, we are at 53 entries which 7 more than we had at this time last year.  But last year’s pace went at a torrid rate as the evening rolled on and into the morning, so although we are likely to top 100 entries (and therefore, a 5th place prize), it’ll be hard to top the 114 entries we had last year.  A lot of regulars are now starting to enter with 10 of the past 17 entries having been with us for at least EIGHT years.

PayPal is Deemed Evil (So I’m not calling them that, just deeming them to be so)

PayPal apparently now charges fees for receiving money of any type if you click their button.  They even take fees for donations!  Apparently the charitable giving is to PayPal, not the recipient.  Don’t know how long this has been going (I checked last year’s payments and they didn’t do this then) but I found out by accident because PayPal doesn’t SHOW you they took fees, just what the “gross” amount is.  So when I’m seeing $10 across the board, everything looks fine.  Click on details, and presto, halfway down the page, -59 cents for fees.  I’ve contacted those who aleady paid and asked them to volunatarily make up the difference (purely optional on their part, their entries still count and I’ll absorb the fees).

The website should be updated, but if you just want to send just $10.00 (no credit card payments), you have to do it the old fashioned way and log in to PayPal, click Send Money to “hwci@hotmail.com“, choose a PERSONAL reason (not a PURCHASE reason) such as Gift, and send.

If you don’t mind paying $10.61 (regardless if it’s PayPal funds, eCheck, Credit Card or personal bank account), click the PayPal button on your web bracket confirmation page.

Despite all this, PayPal is still the easiest and most convenient solution out there and it allows us to accept credit card payments.  Just wish they weren’t all Pelosi-Reid about this.

Record Tuesday!

First off, congrats to Arkansas-Pine Bluff for making the REAL part of the bracket.  Have fun losing to Duke.

We got a record 23 entries for a  Tuesday (topping 2006’s 21 entries) for a total of 32 thus far (in 2008 we had 39 at this point).  Our mainstays are slowly coming in.  We have nine new entries (from six people).  Three have entered twice and one trying their luck with the max 3.  Though history shows us that since 2005, you have higher percentage of winning one of the top prizes with one entry than with 2 or 3 (5.1% vs. 2.8%).  However, one person has won something the past 3 years so maybe you feel lucky?  Also, of the 91 times people have submitted multiple entries, just 3 of the 11 who have won something did so on their 2nd or 3rd bracket (meaning if the other 8 just entered one bracket, they would have won anyway).  But it does pump up our entry count, so thank you!

Opening Round Game…. in Audio

I can’t believe the NCAA March Madness on Demand (MMOD) only has audio for this game. Yet another reason that this game is not really part of the NCAA tournament and why expanding past 65 teams will just make those teams also not part of it.

I’m interested because it would be cool if Ark-Pine Bluff makes it.  Winthrop played in the first-ever Opening Round (i.e., Play-In) game in 2001 and lost but has been to the real part of the tournament seven other times.

Tricklin’ in…

Our first entry was from Brian S. (Flying Elvi) who was going to be on vacation during this time in the Far East so he chose all the favorites for the first few rounds and then ordered his top eight teams (looking at only last week’s rankings).  Luckily, he had Purdue a very low #7 or else he may have regretted it when he came back (Duke was his 5th choice, so they will take out Purdue in the Sweet 16).  Although I picked my teams before Selection Sunday as well last year, we didn’t get the bracket up and running til Monday morning, so the Flying Elvi is the first entry submitted on Sunday since 2005.

Eight more came in on Monday which seems low but this seems to be a harder bracket to crack.  Of course last year, we had just 11 by Tuesday and ended up with a record 114.  Currently, we have 17 which is the same as last year at this time.  Interestingly, 8 of the 17 are online entries (people who somehow trust us with their money and found us through the magic of bing (okay, google).  Last year we had 13 online entries and in 2008 we had a record 15.  Of course, the best part of the online entries is that they always pay up immediately   The fact 15 of the 17 have paid up is nice (and I have beats on the other two).

For those who have played in the pool for ages, the “Referred by:” box is typically ignored but it does allow people to express their wittiness (if not in their chosen nickname).  Some gems:  “Mom“, “Gosh, I don’t know…been doing it for years...”, “walrus+sledgehammer=orgy“, “History/Picked by 4yr daughter“, “Mrs. Wonderful“, “The voices in my head“, “Ghosts“, “A little bird told me“, and “GOD“.  I bring this up because no one sees this but David F. and myself .  So, the Los Angeles Galaxy (now without Becks but the Galaxy should be used to that) have a mascot, okay, he’s sometimes a starting forward named Alan Gordon.  When the Galaxy missed the playoffs for three straight years, he was a source of entertainment (infamously known for tying his shoelaces while on a break, and thus, the nice cross into the box went to where he would’ve been had he not been tying his shoe).  So last year, Sam N. put down in the referred box “Alan Gordon” – I laughed out loud.  This year, David A. also put down “Alan Gordon” which I thought was classic until I remembered Sammy did it last year.  So if someone calls you an “Alan Gordon”, it’s not a compliment.

Issue # 1.0.1 “The HWCI Health Care Plan”

2010 HWCI NCAA Pool Update.  The kickoff issue! (Forgot I had to post this…)

Online entry now live!

You may now enter online using the “Web Entry” tab above or going directly to: http://www.hwci.com/wordpress/?page_id=85.  Please let us know if you have any problems.  Apparently, with newer computers, java may not be automatically installed.  You can install it here.

Brackets in an hour!

Now when we’ll be able to get them up on our site, that’s another issue. Not sure if we’re doing any tweaks to the bracket form or not.  Hopefully, we will have the web entry ready by late tonight  though the past few years we’ve had external issues.

2006: Our local web host crashed and brackets weren’t up til 1 pm Monday.

2007: I was on travel to Merced and David was on travel in Houston, resulting in brackets being delayed until around 1 am Monday.

2008: We switched to a commercial server and had to re-upload all the files.  Even through all that admin stuff, we still managed to get the brackets up just before midnight.

2009: David updated the web look and had to work through Wordpress quirks.  After several trials, we managed to get the brackets up 12:15 am Monday.

We have a SoCal team now…

For us Southern California folk, the San Diego St. Aztecs and UC Santa Barbara Gauchos clinched spots in the tourney so we have at least a couple of local teams to root for.  Also, Houston makes its return for the first time since 1992.

Looks like Arkansas-Pine Bluff (who started the season 0-11!) just qualified for either the 64th or 65th seeded team.  Poor SWAC.

I also watched my first college basketball this season (yesterday), well for about 20 minutes or so, watching New Mexico get upset so now we won’t have to worry about them getting too high a seed.  In between, watching Cal streak past UCLA.  Also realized that I don’t get enough sports channels, as I was flipping around CBS College Sports and ESPNU, at least two channels I don’t have.

Can Lehigh Make Top 63?

Congrats to Lehigh for winning the Patriot League.  Now would the NCAA Selection Committee be cruel and put the Mountain Hawks into the Opening Round game again?  They lost in 2004 and have not made the proper 64 bracket since 1988.  I also hope Wofford can be one of the top 63 teams since it’s their first time at the dance and they should experience it at a Region site, not Dayton, Ohio.  The poor Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) and Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) have combined to lose 7 of the past 8 Opening Round games… the one they didn’t lose, yup, Lehigh of the Patriot League (Florida A&M of the MEAC beat them).

This is why I don’t like the Opening Round game.  The loser is forgotten… it’s like an extra conference tourney game.  In fact, I don’t even count the loser as part of the teams that made our “pool” that year.  It’s just awkward.  Tuesday in Dayton?  Definitely not as good as Tuesdays with Morrie.

West coast bias?

Where are all the west coast teams, especially the southwest? Maybe San Diego St. Maybe Arizona St. Maybe Santa Barbara. Maybe UNLV. St. Mary’s, Oakland, and Cal are in but they’re in northern California. For the first time since 2004, no USC or UCLA. How will that affect the number entries in our pool with no local team in it?

Edit: This Oakland’s in Michigan…

At least Oakland is above .500 this time

Congrats to Oakland for making their 2nd tourney appearance after winning the The Summit League’s tournament. But this time, they were the #1 seed and have a 26-8 record. The last time, they were 12-18 after somehow winning the then Mid-Continent Conference tourney and actually won the play-in game. So 14 teams are in, 51 to go.

A week away…

Well, next Thursday at 9 am PDT will be the deadline for entries in possibly, the last 65-team bracket.  Selection Sunday is four days away.  If Arizona doesn’t win the Pac-10 tournament, that will leave only Kansas as the lone team to be in every one of our brackets since we started in 1995.  We also may have as few as one newcomer to our bracket (Wofford) which would be the fewest since just four new (since 1995)  teams made it in 2007.  Let’s go Quinnipiac and Lehigh (which lost a play-in game in 2004 and thus didn’t make our bracket — see we treat the play-in game as not the REAL tournament)!

EDIT:  Damn, Quinnipiac.  Go Lehigh! Actually, if Wofford plays in the play-in game and loses, we could have no new teams!

It’ll soon begin…

Cornell becomes the first to make the field of 65.  Northern Iowa, Winthrop, ETSU, and Murray St. soon followed (all relatively recent participants).  Stony Brook missed out (I presented a tutorial there a couple years ago).  Things are shaping up… Brackets come out Sunday night!