Monthly Archives: April 2018

Issue # 15.6.1 “Nova Nation” (4/2)

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2018 NCAA Champions
Villanova U. Wildcats#1-East
Boston, MA
Hosted by Boston College (ACC)
TD Garden
 Villanova University Wildcats
(36-4)
3rd Title: ’85, ’16
2018 Winningest Conference
The Big 12 Conference
(12-7)
4th Time: ’03, ’08, ’10

SLOW START BUT VILLANOVA HEATS UP TO WIN 2ND TITLE IN 3 YEARS
 Billiam, BamaG 2, and ChasCroix-1 join four winners who clinched Saturday

Nova NationGOODLAND HOTEL IN GOLETA, CA (smt)- Nine minutes into Monday’s game, #3W-Michigan actually had more three-pointers than #1E-Villanova (2 to 1) and built a 21-14 lead but then couldn’t hit a shot.  Villanova found their rhythm, hitting 3 of their next 4 three-point attempts and went on a 23-7 run to close the half en route to another double-digit win, 79-62.  After allowing Michigan to get a quick basket after the break, Villanova scored the next 7 points and never looked back.  The Wolverines tried to get back, cutting the lead to 12 but consecutive threes by Donte DiVencenzo (who had a record 31 points off the bench which was 24 more than Michigan’s whole bench) had the Wildcats back up by 18 with 7:55 left.  In the end, Villanova won their 3rd title and second in three years, hitting 10 more threes to extend their record of 28 threes in the Final Four and 76 in the tournament.

Villanova’s rout moved Billy T (Billiam), Greg J (BamaG 2), and Chuck D (ChasCroix-1) into the 4th, 5th, and 6th money spots.  The garbage time scoring in the end pushed the total points to 141 which gave Greg J 5th place over Chuck D.  Last year, Continue reading »

Michigan-Villanova Live!

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Getting done with work here in Goleta and stopping somewhere to eat to hopefully watch the first half.  Philly Eagles Again (Champ), Slamjam51-3, and SacKings4Ever have already clinched money spots.  For pride, 42 have picked #1E-Villanova to win and two have picked Michigan.  Those two are STORMY Fever-Catch It! and We Fam!, coincidentally, both with explanation marks at the end of their nickname.  Both need the Wolverines to win to finish in the money.  Larzby also needs Michigan to win to hold on to a money spot.  Billiam, ChasCroix-1, and BamaG 2 need the Wildcats to win to finish in the money.  Either way, there is a tie for 5th and the total points in final tiebreaker will come into play.  Bonus already won by SamerTime.  So here we go…

1st, 15:30: Michigan coach “Weave 2 Poppy”?  MI 9-6.  Watching on the iPad from the Outpost restaurant. Hotel doesn’t have TBS so watching Michigan TeamCast on TNT.

11:00: MI 21-14. Mich has more 3s than Vil (2-1).

6:00: Vil hits 2nd three (both teams now 2/10), takes lead 23-21. Vil kept in game with 4 offensive rebounds (0 for MI).

Half: Vil ends half on 23-7 run, hitting 3 of their last 4 threes. Estimated total points is 130.

2nd 18:03: Vil on 7-0 run after spotting Michigan early basket. 44-30.

14:00: VIL another three, up 51-33. Estimated 129 pts.

11:58: Michigan battling, down 53-38. Estimated 130 pts. ChasCroix-1 would win 5th place tiebreaker and VIL win.

7:55: VIL nails another three, pushing lead back to 15 (59-44).  And another three, up by 18 (62-44). Both by Donte DiVincenzo. Estimate 133 pts. ChasCroix-1 would finish 6th (and BamaG 2 5th) if total points is 135+ 136+.

6:52: Michigan TeamCast complaining about Donte’s carrying-over and not getting called on it.  Donte human missing 2 free throws but makes 2 now.

5:37: Billiam, ChasCroix-1, and BamaG 2 are starting to count the money.  19 point lead (69-50).

4:23: Now Michigan TeamCast complaining about soft fouls on Wagner.  On the last one, Wagner didn’t even touch the guy and got his 4th foul.  71-52.

3:48: Another 3, Villanova up by 22 (74-52). Scoring up, now estimate 139 which would give BamaG 2 5th place.

2:00: Total points hit 137 (79-58), gives BamaG 2 5th place.  ChasCroix-1 will finish 6th.

10.7 sec: Benches empty.  Villanova 79-62.

FINAL: Villanova 79, Michigan 62 (141 total points). VIL hit 10/27 3s (9/18 after starting 1/9).  VIL 12-5 offensive rebounds.  All 6 wins by double-figures.  Slamjam51-3 finishes 2nd, SacKings4Ever 3rd, and Billiam 4th.  Congrats to all 7 winners!

Issue # 14.5.2 “24 Ticking Down” (4/1) (History of the Pool)

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Our HWCI World Cup Pool begins in May...

2018 NCAA FINAL FOUR @ San Antonio, Texas
The Final at the Alamodome
#3-West
Los Angeles, CA
Hosted by Pepperdine U. (WCC)
Staples Center		 vs. #1-East
Boston, MA
Hosted by Boston College (ACC)
TD Garden
U. of Michigan Wolverines Villanova U. Wildcats
University of Michigan Wolverines (33-7) Villanova University Wildcats (35-4)
Big Ten Conference – Champs (Reg – 4th)
Ann Arbor, Michigan
7th Final (’65, ’76, ’89, ’92, ’93, ’13)
1-time champion
def #14 Montana 61-47
#6 Houston 64-63
#7 Texas A&M 99-72
#9 Florida St 58-54
#11S Loyola-Chicago 69-57		 Big East Conference – Champs (Reg – 2nd)
Villanova, Pennsylvania
4th Final (’71, ’85, ‘16)
2-time champions
def #16b Radford 87-61
#9 Alabama 81-58
#5 West Virginia 90-78
#3 Texas Tech 71-59
#1MW Kansas 95-79

Sunday, April 1, 2018  *** HAPPY EASTER *** or ***APRIL FOOLS! ***

TWO CONFERENCE CHAMPS BUT VILLANOVA HEAVILY FAVORED
Six battling for final 3 money spots as 3 have clinched and Bonus has been won

CERRITOS, CA (smt)- If #1E-Villanova can hit 13+ three-pointers like they have been doing, it will be a very long night for #3W-Michigan.  But if the Wildcats shoot like they did against Texas Tech, hitting just 4 of 24, a quality team like Michigan can easily take advantage.  So which Villanova team will show up?  Michigan has alternated between double-digit wins and close games while Villanova has won all by at least 12 points.  Michigan faced a #14 and then started facing worse and worse seeds, going from 6 to 7 to 9 to 11.  Villanova has been facing and dominating better competition, going from a 16 seed to 9 to 5 to 3 to 1.  As such, Villanova is favored by 7 points which for a single-elimination game, is pretty high.  The over/under is 145 points which will matter for the tie-breaker for 5th place (regardless who wins).

In our 24th year, for the fourth time we have our pool champion before the final and the first since 2013.  Bob G (Philly Eagles Again), after finishing as the bridesmaid in 2008 and 2012, will finally finish on top.  With the first place prize, he is now our top earner with $1,020 in 20 years.  That puts him ahead of Darryn B (Big Luther), one of only two 2-time pool champions, who has won $920.  Ron E (Slamjam51-3) will win money for the first time in his 11 years playing the pool (either 2nd or 3rd) and Janette H (SacKings4Ever) will win money in her first pool (either 3rd, 5th, or 6th).  Sam S (SamerTime) will win the $40 Bonus and be his second prize in 10 years.  The other three spots will either go to repeat wealthy winners Sam N (STORMY Fever-Catch It) (3 wins, $350), Jeff H (We Fam!) (3 wins, $340) and Lawrence M (Larzby) (2 wins, $605) or low earners Billy T (Billiam)(1st time in pool), Chuck D (ChasCroix-1) (just 6th ($85) in 2017), and Greg J (BamaG 2) (only has won $40 Bonus in 2013).  Ron E wins on his 3rd entry and Greg J would win on his 2nd entry, once again showing multiple entries usually do not have good showings in the pool.  Although Bob G was close, we still haven’t had a person place two entries in the money (including the Bonus).

If Michigan wins… If Villanova wins…
Place Amount Entry (Name) (Yrs in Pool-Won) Entry (Name) (Yrs in Pool-Won)
1st $620 Philly Eagles Again (Bob G) (20-2 (2nd ’08, 2nd ’12)) Philly Eagles Again
2nd $320 STORMY Fever-Catch It (Sam N) (21-3 (1st ’00, 5th ’10, 5th ’12)) Slamjam51-3
3rd $220 Slamjam51-3 (Ron E) (11) SacKings4Ever
4th $165 We Fam! (Jeff H) (15-3 (2nd ’02, 4th ’04, 5th ’08)) Billiam (Billy T) (1)
5th (or 6th) $120 SacKings4Ever (Janette H) (1) -or- ChasCroix-1 (Chuck D) (10-1 (6th ’17)) -or-
6th (or 5th) $ 75 Larzby (Lawrence M) (15-2 (1st ’09, 5th ’16)) BamaG 2 (Greg J) (13-1 (Bns ’13))
Bonus $ 40 SamerTime (Sam S) (10-1 (3rd ’11)) SamerTime

A little history on our Zlatan-ic pool… Continue reading »

Issue # 13.5.1 “Barrage of Threes” (3/31)

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MICHIGAN RALLIES WHILE VILLANOVA DRILLS THE THREES
Philly Eagles Again clinches the 24th pool title and SamerTime clinches the Bonus

ZLATANLAND IN CARSON, CA (smt)- #3W-Michigan was behind by 10 with 14 minutes left but went on a 30-10 run aided by four 3-pointers (#11S-Loyola-Chicago only hit one the whole game) ending the Ramblers’ run, 69-57 in the first semifinal.  The Big Ten champs have not lost since Feb 6th (14 straight wins).  In the second semifinal, #1E-Villanova led 6-4 before… oh wait, they had 6 three-pointers to #1MW-Kansas’ four total points, building a 22-4 lead in out-gunning the Jayhawks, 95-79.  The Wildcats tied a Final Four record with 13 three-pointers made after just 17 minutes en route to shattering the record with 18.

For the first time since 2013 and just fourth time ever, we have our pool champion before the final.  Philly Eagles Again (125 pts) is ahead just enough to blunt a Michigan title challenge by STORMY Fever-Catch It (5th, 111).  Slamjam51-3 (2nd, 121) will get 2nd or 3rd, and SacKings4Ever (3rd-Tied, 115) will get either 3rd, 5th, or 6th.  We Fam! (12th, 105) and Larzby (3rd-T) need a Wolverine win and Billiam (6th-T, 110), ChasCroix-1 (8th-T, 107), and BamaG 2 (8th-T) need a Wildcat win.  While Bob G will win the pool he did lose a chance to become the first person to place two entries in the prize money (Bob’s Best Bets (35th-T, 98) missing out thanks to Kansas’s loss).  iWillLose (152nd, 62) got Villanova right and finally left last place, leaving Balls Dropped! and Paint Crew there instead (60).

Here are the final two scenarios:

If MICHIGAN beats VILLANOVA in the final, then the possible winners are...
             Philly Eagles Again Score:125 (place 1 winner)
           STORMY Fever-Catch It Score:123 (place 2 winner)
                     Slamjam51-3 Score:121 (place 3 winner)
                         We Fam! Score:117 (place 4 winner)
                   SacKings4Ever Score:115 (tiebreak=101 | 5th if <=122 | 6th if >=123)
                          Larzby Score:115 (tiebreak=144 | 6th if <=122 | 5th if >=123)
If VILLANOVA beats MICHIGAN in the final, then the possible winners are...
             Philly Eagles Again Score:137 (place 1 winner)
                     Slamjam51-3 Score:133 (place 2 winner)
                   SacKings4Ever Score:127 (place 3 winner)
                         Billiam Score:122 (place 4 winner)
                     ChasCroix-1 Score:119 (tiebreak=128 | 5th if <=135 | 6th if >=136)
                         BamaG 2 Score:119 (tiebreak=143 | 6th if <=135 | 5th if >=136)

For the $40 Bonus, Kansas’s loss means the Continue reading »