SANTA BARBARA, CA — Just made the $124 donation thanks to our generous folks to the COVID-19 Response Fund at the Center for Disaster Philanthropy. I’ll fill out the form to get this doubled by my company. The total of $248 will mean that myself and others have donated $1,731.08 to 11 charities in the past 11 years. Thank you!
If you have ideas for charities or funds next year, let me know.
I must have short-term memory because I did not realize that with the busy schedules, the 2014, 2016, and 2017 archive pages were essentially blank due to lots of travel and work commitments. So I re-created them based on my updates. Also, I am in the process of putting in all the blog posts links from 2008-2019 (currently on 2009) into the archive page to capture all the historical documentation of each year’s pool. Was fun going through the history of the past pools and still a surprise to see Butler made back-to-back finals. And to re-live twice being in the money but losing the tiebreaker to fall out of money in the Final.
| 2021 NCAA Champions | |
 | #1- South Regional Champions Baylor University Bears (28-2) 1st Title |
| 2021 Winningest Conference | |
 | The Pac 12 Conference (13-5) 1st Time |
BAYLOR OUT-MUSCLES ZAGS FOR FIRST TITLE
MizzouTgr11 2 wins pool in his 6th year, Wuk#3 wins 3-way tie for 7th
EL SEGUNDO/CYPRESS, CA (smt) – #1S-Baylor jumped out to a 9-0 and 29-10 lead en route to a 86-70 drubbing of previously unbeaten #1W-Gonzaga for their first national title. The Zags still did what they do in the first half, shooting 54.5%, but the Bears had 16 more shots thanks to 9 offensive rebounds and forcing 8 turnovers in taking a 10-point lead into the half. There was no 2nd half momentum as Baylor poured it on again and when the deficit got cut to 9, Baylor ran off 7 straight points. Baylor dominated in the tournament, only trailing once (by 2) in the 2nd half of all six games. The Bulldogs’ hangover from their dramatic overtime win did them in, as the 19-point early deficit was too much to overcome. At one point, Baylor made 10 threes to Gonzaga’s one. At one point when they were threatening, Gonzaga missed four of five free throws (including the front end of a 1-and-1, a loss of 5 crucial points).
To me, the MVP was Baylor’s Mark Vital, who had 8 offensive rebounds (3 more the whole Zags team), 2 steals, 6 pts, and a great “bear” hug of his coach. How nice one of the mascots “Joy” gets etched into the championship logo. Gonzaga finishes 31-1 and their lowest point total of the season. More impressively, all the sacrifices of the players, coaches, and staff to live in the Indy bubble gave us a great tournament (except poor VCU) with all the highs and lows we missed last year and maybe, just maybe, the Pac 12 will be respected (UCLA #1?) once again.
Continue reading1:00 pm – I’ll be taking my son to Boy Scouts tonight so we’ll see how the WordPress app works with updating. Pac Attack wins the pool if the Zags win, MizzouTgr11 2 wins if the Bears win (see Final Possibilities). Total points in Final tiebreaker will come into play (note over/under is now 159, down a point) if Gonzaga wins with Hawkeye 3 getting 5th if total pts <=147 and Gonzagafinallywinsit gets 5th if total pts >=148. If Baylor wins, with The Fabone Marathon wins 4th if <=144 and Mr Wizard wins 4th if >=145.
If Baylor wins, 7th is a 3-way tie meaning at least one will go home empty handed.
For the $40 Bonus, 51 are tied if Gonzaga wins and 49 are tied if Baylor wins. If total points is <=103, then Thai Spice wins and if total points is >=169 then Bigtenfan wins. The rest are in the middle (see Bonus possibilities).
3:50 pm – Ok, done with short trip to El Segundo. Now dealing with an hour of traffic. Oh, UNC has a coach now.
15:30 – 11-1 Baylor. In the car on way to Cypress Boys & Gils Club.
11:42 – 23-8 Baylor. Zags in trouble.
10:00 – 29-10. (Projected total – 156)
7:50 – 31-14. Baylor has twice as many shot attempts (24-12).
Half – Zags score last 5 to cut deficit to 10 (47-37). Projected total points 168 (Bonus projected for Mauihammy&Jay Bilas regardless who wins). Down by as many as 19, Zags still shot 54.5% (12/22). 8 turnovers and allowing 9 offensive rebounds allowed Baylor to shoot 16 more times (19/38). After missing first free throw, Zags made last 12. Baylor just 2 free throws (2/2).
15:51 – 56-45. Driving home now.
11:45 – 67-53. Zags had it down to 9 but Baylor’s 3s are killing them. Projected 168.
10:20: 20 pts! 73-53
8:27 – 2 missed free throws. Nothing going right. 75-59. Still 168 projected.
5:00 – Baylor 80-63, projected 163. Zags missed 4 of last 5 free throws including front end of a 1-and-1. Two more points will give Mr Wizard 4th. Wuk#3 already clinched 7th. 163 would give Dr Fun Bonus (missing out on 4th since Zags will lose).
3:15 – Baylor 82-65, projected 160 (would give Bonus to ZarinC).
End – Baylor ran out the clock and thus, 86-70 win produced 156 points. That gives ATI3.0 the Bonus! Perfect season ruined as Zags 35-game win streak comes to an end. Sheesh, Zags still shot 51% but just 5/17 on threes. Baylor 18 more shots with 16 offensive rebounds and forcing 14 turnovers. Baylor was 10/23 on threes and made 16/18 free throws.
THE GAME WE WAITED FOR SINCE DECEMBER
Long droughts and deja vu as 10 battle for final four spots
HAPPY EASTER & HAPPY 81st BIRTHDAY DAD, CA (smt) – Both #1W-Gonzaga and #1S-Baylor are making just their second final and seeking their first NCAA title. Baylor has not trailed in the second half except for a brief 2-point deficit midway through the 2nd half vs #5S-Villanova and demolished #2MW-Houston while, until the Final Four, Gonzaga had not trailed since early in the first half vs #8W-Oklahoma. But, oh, that game vs #11E-UCLA. The Zags, having had won 27 straight by double-digits, could have choked or played tentative when it was close late but persevered against a well-coached Bruin team (for once) and needed a denial of an easy UCLA dunk, a gutsy charge call, and buzzer beater bank shot to prevail in overtime. Despite the close call, Gonzaga is still favored by five with a very high over/under of 160.
While Baylor slipped to #3 after a loss in the Big 12 tournament, the past two years and this tournament has shown these have been consistently the best two teams in the country (both were #1-2 in the NET rankings though). The highly anticipated Dec 5th matchup was cancelled due to COVID so now we get to finally see these teams play each other. However, people still picked Illinois more than Baylor (29 vs 19, 72 vs 49 to make final) as Baylor did have a tougher region to start. The only times the top 2 teams were picked to make the Final were in ’07 (42 Ohio St, 36 Florida), ’05 (45 Illinois, 36 UNC), and ’99 (32 Duke, 15 UConn).
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TOP TWO TEAMS WIN; ONE EASILY AND ONE IN OT
Pac Attack or MizzouTgr11 2 will win the pool; 10 fighting for last 4 spots
FAMILY PICNIC, CA (smt) – Having just played double-digit seeds, #2MW-Houston ran into a buzz saw in #1S-Baylor and saw their 8-6 lead quickly disappear as the Bears had 10-0 and 11-0 runs in the first half. Baylor ended the half up 45-20 and never let the Cougars get closer than 16 in a 78-59 rout for their first final appearance in 73 yeas (’48).
In the nightcap, #11E-UCLA played nearly flawless but #1W-Gonzaga pulled out the victory on a long buzzer beater bank three in overtime, winning their 35th straight game, 93-90. In the instant classic, UCLA shot 57.6% and Gonzaga 58.7% and committed just 10 turnovers each in the 183 point epic battle that essentially was a one score game the whole second half and overtime (Zags briefly by 7 in 2nd half and 5 in OT) and featured 15 ties and 19 lead changes. UCLA played out the end of the 2nd half (no timeout) and got a whistle with one second left but it was a charge, not a block… it would’ve been more unlucky had the basket went in (nullifying a buzzer beater) or had it been UCLA’s 7th foul (it was their 6th) that would’ve sent the Zags to the line for the win. So to overtime, UCLA’s third of the tourney. If there was one thing to fault UCLA for, it was missing the front end of a one-and-one down by 4 two minutes into OT. Ouch. UCLA once again played out the end and this time Johnny Juzang (29 pts) put in his own miss with 3.3 seconds left to tie it at 90 after being down by 5. Taking UCLA’s playbook, the Bulldogs also played out (no timeout) and saw three dribbles and a 42-foot running jump shot by Jalen Suggs magically banked in at the buzzer.
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| 2021 NCAA FINAL FOUR @ Indianapolis, Indiana 8th Final Four (’80 (Market Square Arena); ’91, ’97, ’00, ’06 (RCA Dome); ’10, ’15 (Lucas Oil Stadium)) Hosted by Indiana U.-Purdue U. Indianapolis (IUPUI) (Horizon League) Lucas Oil Stadium – Unity & Equality Floor | |||
| First Semifinal | Second Semifinal | ||
| #1-South Hinkle Fieldhouse Bankers Fieldhouse Lucas Oil Sta (South) | #2-Midwest Bankers Fieldhouse Hinkle Fieldhouse Lucas Oil Sta (North) | #1-West Hinkle Fieldhouse Bankers Fieldhouse Lucas Oil Sta (North) | #11-East Bankers Fieldhouse Hinkle Fieldhouse Lucas Oil Sta (South) |
 |  |  |  |
| Baylor University Bears (26-2) | University of Houston Cougars (28-3) | Gonzaga University Bulldogs (30-0) | University of California, Los Angeles Bruins (22-9) |
| Big 12 Conference – Regular Season Champs Waco, Texas 3rd Final Four (’48, ’50) def #16 Hartford 79-55 #9 Wisconsin 76-63 #5 Villanova 62-51 #3 Arkansas 81-72 | American Athletic Conference (2nd Place) – Tourney Champs Houston, Texas 6th Final Four (’67, ’68, ’82, ’83, ’84) def #15 Cleveland St 87-56 #10 Rutgers 63-60 #11 Syracuse 62-46 #12 Oregon St 67-61 | West Coast Conference – Regular Season and Tourney Champs Spokane, Washington 2nd Final Four (’17) def #16a Norfolk St 98-55 #8 Oklahoma 87-71 #5 Creighton 83-65 #6 USC 85-66 | Pac 12 (4th Place) Los Angeles, California 19th Final Four (’62, ’64, ’65, ’67, ’68, ’69, ’70, ’71, ’72, ’73, ’74, ’75, ’76, ’80, ’95, ’06, ’07, ’08) def #11a Michigan St 86-80 (OT) #6 BYU 73-62 #14 Abilene Christian 67-47 #2 Alabama 88-78 (OT) #1 Michigan 51-49 |
11-TIME CHAMP WITH 3 SEEKING THEIR FIRST TITLE
At least $248 will be donated to CDP; over $1,731 donated over 11 years
DIGNITY HEALTH SPORTS PARK, CARSON, CA (smt) – If you saw the largest bracket on the JW Marriott in downtown Indy, you would not see a lot of familiar names. The tournament didn’t feature Blue Bloods such as Duke, Kentucky, and Indiana with UNC making it as an #8 seed and Kansas joining after having to quit their Big 12 tournament due to COVID-19 after struggling the first half of the year. UNC lost in the first round and Kansas in the second. That left UCLA. The 11-time national champions lost their last four games and squeaked into the First Four game against a wanna-be Blue Blood, Michigan St. The Bruins rallied from five down with 90 seconds left to force overtime to beat the Spartans, allowed a 3-pointer with less than a second left to Alabama and then routing them in overtime 23-13, and then survived three open three attempts by another Michigan team to hold on to defeat the Wolverines in the Elite 8.
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ZAGS RUN OVER USC; UCLA SURVIVES AGAIN
Pac Attack still leads and is guaranteed 5th; record 27 still alive to win money
FREE KRISPY KREME, GARDENA, CA (smt) – #1W-Gonzaga somehow got 10 more shots than #6W-USC eight minutes into the game (5 Trojan turnovers in the first 6 minutes) en route to a 25-8 lead and never let USC get closer than 13 the rest of the way en route to a 85-66 rout. It was the Bulldogs’ second Final Four (’17) and their 34th straight victory, the last 27 by double digits.
In the second game, #11E-UCLA used an 18-8 run to end the first half and then blew a 9-point lead before holding on for dear life three times in a 51-49 victory over #1E-Michigan. One thing with UCLA, if you’re the opponent, you’ll get good looks for threes late – Alabama hit a game-tying three with less than a second left in the last game and Michigan had three good looks in the final seconds. Trailing by just one and having the last possession, Michigan still decided to shoot a three which was air-balled with 12 seconds left. Then trailing by just two thanks to a missed free throw, Michigan missed another wide open three with a few seconds left (the Bruins player kept running leaving the open three). Then, thanks to a review that put 0.5 seconds back on the clock, a great drawn up play set up Michigan for another open three that just banked and missed at the buzzer.
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HOUSTON SURVIVES RALLY, BAYLOR WINS SHOOTOUT
Pac Attack is now in the lead; just 7 can win the pool
CYPRESS BOY SCOUTS, CA (smt) – #2MW-Houston blew a 17-point lead but then held #12MW-Oregon St. without a field goal until the final seconds to reach their first Final Four since ’84, 67-61. Houston led 34-17 at the half despite shooting 29% thanks to their defense and offensive rebounding. They held the Beavers without a field goal (or a point) in the last 4:49 of the first half as well as no field goals for more than 3 minutes after the Beavers incredibly tied it at 55. Houston missed 42 shots (Oregon St only took 47 shots) but got 19 offensive rebounds and made 11 threes.
Whereas the first match were clanks everywhere in the first half, the second match was beauty. The score was already 38-25 just 13 minutes into the game (projected 194 total at end of game) with both teams shooting better than 59%. Unfortunately, #3S-Arkansas lost their shooting touch late, going more than 8:10 without a field goal (0/12) to allow #1S-Baylor take a 62-58 lead to 74-64 with 1:20 left. The Bears made their first Final Four since 1950 with the 81-72 victory.
In the pool, 22 got both teams correct sending Pac Attack to the lead with 105 pts. Suznana (101), Mr. & Mrs. Dreamboat (100), The Fabone Marathon (99), and Matsuz (98) take up spots 3-6. License to ILL fell a spot to 2nd (102) but can’t finish higher than 5th. 53 went 0-2 sending Big Luther and Flamingo22 into a tie for last (58).
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UCLA ROUTS (IN OVERTIME), USC BEATS OREGON
License to ILL holds on to 3-pt lead while only 12 can win pool
RELAXING AT HOME, CA (smt) – The Pac 12 continues to roll on as #11E-UCLA, without its leading scorer who fouled out with 2:27 left in regulation, upset #2E-Alabama in overtime, thanks to the Tide missing 14 of 25 free throws including two with 6 seconds left. UCLA scored 23 points in overtime after scoring just 25 in the 2nd half. Alabama trailed 40-29 at the half and made adjustments to roar back to tie it at 40 but then regressed back to long threes and individual efforts again for some reason. After taking a 58-56 lead, Alabama missed four of their next six free throws, any one make and Bama’s Alex Reese’s near long 3-point buzzer beater (0.4 seconds left) would have been to win instead of a tie. Or with tighter and shorter shorts. A big call reversal with 1:54 left that gave the ball back to UCLA after a dribble went off the foot of UCLA but grazed the long shorts of Alabama. The Bruins will be joined by their cross-town rivals as #6W-USC (10/17 from three-point range) easily won the first battle of Pac 12 teams in the tournament, defeating #7W-Oregon 82-68.
Meanwhile, #1W-Gonzaga shot 60.7% in the first half to torch #5W-Creigthon and #1E-Michigan stifled #4E-Florida St. The Pac 12’s three teams (at seeds #6, #11, and #12) ties their record in ’01 (USC, Stanford, Arizona). The ACC has no teams in the Elite 8 for the first time since ’14. With the extended break (5 days vs 3-4) plus staying in the same city the whole time (vs flying back home), teams came out sluggish and forced the top seeds to pick it up in the second half.
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LOYOLA CHICAGO CHOKES; ARKANSAS SURVIVES AGAIN
License to ILL regains lead while Mrs Meghan&Mr Meghan goes 4-0
HOME EASTER EGG HUNT, CA (smt) – #12MW-Oregon St didn’t pay well but used an 11-0 run to end the first half to put away the hapless darlings of #8MW-Loyola Chicago, who did not know how to play as a favorite, rather than the lovable underdog. There were no adjustments in the second half as the Ramblers just continued to struggle against the zone and shot just 33.3% and missed 7 free throws, seemingly missing a key one every time they had some momentum. Other favorites had sluggish first halves as well, with #1S-Baylor scoring just 23 points in the first half but used a 14-2 run in the second half to hold off #5S-Villanova and #3S-Arkansas trailing by 12 in the second half to #15S-Oral Roberts before going ahead with 3.1 seconds left and surviving their second straight buzzer-beater attempt.
#2MW-Houston broke the zone and a 20-20 tie by scoring the last 10 points of the half and outscored #11MW-Syracuse 21-9 to end the game to advance to the Elite 8, winning by 16. Houston’s three wins were against double-digit seeds (#15MW-Cleveland St, #10MW-Rutgers) and now will face yet another double-digit seed in #12MW-Oregon St, who wouldn’t be in the tourney if they didn’t win the Pac 12 tournament.
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JUST 2ND TIME 7TH PLACE OFFERED
For Bonus, all but two entries could guess conference wins correct
NOT IN EL SEGUNDO,CA (smt) – While the last tournament (’19) saw a record low seed total in the Sweet 16 (four #1, four #2, four #3, two #4, #5, #12) of 49, this year saw a record high seed total of 94 (three #1, two #2, #3, #4, two #5, #6, #7, #8, two #11, #12, #15) (was 89 in ’86). The four double-digit seeds are not a record (6) but it is nice that we have at least one #1-#8 seed (large-large-large-large straight) in the Sweet 16. While #1MW-Illinois bit the dust the other three #1 seeds are still chugging along, with #1W-Gonzaga getting #5W-Creighton, and if past that, Pac 12 winner between #6W-USC and #7W-Oregon. While there were four overtime games in the first 16 games of the tourney (including First Four), there have been none since. 9 of the past 10 have been double-digit wins. The Big Ten (9 teams before First Four) saw its first three teams bow out in overtime (including #2S-Ohio St to #15S-Oral Roberts, who are in the Sweet 16) and then 5 of 6 lose in the 2nd round. The Big 12 (7 teams) won its first 5 games and then lost 6 of the next 7. But the SEC, ACC, and Big East managed to two teams in the Sweet 16.
While you are taking an extended break (next game isn’t until Saturday!), take a listen to “Fall of the American Dream” (no, it’s not dire like that) from one of the unsigned bands Paul T (Poolraider (121st-T, 58 pts) helps promote (always his 3rd entry, Rebel Kicks (142nd-T, 55)), an alt-rock band from NYC). Though I prefer the acoustic version. Our 26th year saw a second-best 165 entries from 101 people. Of the 101, 20 entered twice and a record 22 entered three times. But thanks to all, we hit the magic number of 165 entries (I had to look at my own history links page to find out what I had set it to years back) which means we will have a 7th place prize (only other time was in ’17 when we got 178 entries). We will have eight money spots (top 7 plus Bonus) and we have $1,650 to divvy out. The top prize will be $640, $5 less than last year to accommodate the 7th place prize. The prize distribution is listed below and as always, all fee money goes into prizes. What’s the Bonus? Read on…
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THREE TRADITIONAL PAC 12 TEAMS CRUSH OPPONENT
BamaG jumps to 1st but 6 others have better chance to win the pool
EL SEGUNDO,CA (smt) – Traditional Pac 10 teams #7W-Oregon, #11E-UCLA, and #6W-USC ran all over their opponents while added Pac 12 team (along with Utah) #5E-Colorado got beat handily by #4E-Florida St. The Pac 12 got four of its 5 teams in the Sweet 16 while the mighty Big Ten (9 teams before First Four) is just left with #1E-Michigan, who had to turn a 5-point second half deficit into a comfortable victory. Oregon (finally playing after winning the first round by forfeit) broke a 46-46 tie by scoring the last 10 points of the half and never let up against #2W-Iowa, UCLA scored 18 straight points and led by as many as 26 in their win over #14-Abilene Christian, and in a game you had to see to believe, USC scored the last 11 points of the first half and then built as much as a 35-point lead over Oral Rob…, oh wait, over Norfolk St, oh wait, it was #3W-Kansas. Kansas who had never lost a tournament game by more than 18, got routed by 34. It was such a shock, the timekeeper left and didn’t even run down the last 3.8 seconds, leaving it to the refs to call mercy and end the game.
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3 DOUBLE DIGIT SEEDS + RAMBLERS MAKE SWEET 16
License to ILL remains in 1st but lost champ Illinois
DREAMING THROUGH AN UPSET, CA (smt)- So this was the morning I was going to sleep in, after working most weekends the past month, to get some good REM sleep. I mean, #1MW-Illinois was the first game. So if my phone was buzzing, I didn’t hear it. Woke up and saw #1MW-Illinois was upset by fellow Illinois-team #8MW-Loyola Chicago. And not really close at all, never letting the Illini get closer than 7 in the second half. Sister Jean apparently gave a pre-game speech and magic happened. The Ramblers were a top 10 team by statistics, which no one believed, and thus made an 8 seed. They now get #12MW-Oregon St who withheld several rallies by #4MW-Oklahoma St to keep the Pac 12 perfect (6-0, 7-0 including First Four). Elite 8? We’ll see.
Two other double-digits seeds advanced with #11MW-Syracuse nearly blowing a late 9 point lead to beat #3MW-West Virginia (battle of the 900 win coaches) and #15S-Oral Roberts overcoming an 11-point deficit with under 10 minutes left to stun #7S-Florida. Oral Roberts becomes just the second #15 seed in the Sweet 16 (Florida Gulf Coast ’13). #10MW-Rutgers nearly joined them but blew a 9-point lead with under 5 minutes left as #2MW-Houston scored the last 7 points of the game (making just one shot, 5 points on free throws) in losing by 3. Rutgers did the “prevent defense” which took them out of their rhythm, trying to hold the ball before the shot clock ran out, scoring just two points in the final 4:55.
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DIFFERENT OHIO PREVAILS, FIRST UNCONTESTED
License to ILL is 1 of 3 to go 14-2 to lead pool with 52 points
TORRANCE TAX TIME, CA (smt)- With huge pressure in the final seconds, #13W-Ohio not only hit the front end of the one-and-one, but both free throws twice as those four points were the margin in a 62-58 upset over defending champion #4W-Virginia. The Cavs, who only flew into Indianapolis yesterday (just in time to take the two COVID-19 tests) led by 7 but were then outscored 14-2. #14E-Abilene Christian, who was only was eligible for the tourney in ’18 and made it in ’19, forced 23 #3E-Texas turnovers and hit two free throws with two seconds left to prevail 53-52. Texas was the first Big 12 team to lose (Big 12 went 6-1) had an early second-half 9 point lead but then were outscored 18-4. While the Big 12 had a blemish, the Pac 12 ended the 1st Round a perfect 5-0 (6-0 if you include the First Four). #11E-UCLA led wire-to-wire to upset #6E-BYU (I guess the NCAA won’t have to switch Sat/Sun games now), and of course, their 73 points had to be one higher than their cross-town rival #6W-USC, who won easily as well.
The big news though was that #10W-VCU had to withdraw from the tourney due to multiple positive tests and gave #7W-Oregon a free pass to the 2nd Round. It gave 128 entries who picked the Ducks a stress-free evening. Along with the disappointment, VCU does not know how early they can send the players back home to their families yet.
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