Pre-Tourney Thoughts

First, Wow! what a great set of games that all tipped off at 1 PM on Sunday. The Bonnies beat Xavier, the ‘Noles upset UNC, and a great win by Vandy against seemingly unbeatable Kentucky. I was switching channels so rapidly the remote nearly flamed out. Only afterwards did I remember I have picture-in-picture. Anyways, a great final day of championship week, including a fantastic back-and-forth between OSU and MSU in the Big Ten Tourney Final.

Following the Big Ten Tourney game, my top 12 seeds were as follows:

1 Seeds: Kentucky, Syracuse, UNC, Missouri

2 Seeds: MSU, Kansas, Duke, OSU

3 Seeds: Baylor, Florida State, Michigan, Marquette

Apparently the committee valued the Big Ten over the Big 12 as far as top seeds, but did not feel Michigan was above Georgetown. Whatever, I was close.

Some quick thoughts about the brackets and teams included:

Iowa State’s had a bit of a resurgence with the “Mayor” Fred Hoiberg as coach. It’s a new level of ‘oldness’ when you remember (quite clearly) watching these guys play in the tournament that they’re now coaching in. One of those tournament memories that still sticks with me 11 years (!) later is the two-seeded Cyclones under the leadership of beer-drinking, co-ed kissing, coach Larry Eustachy fall to 15 seed Hampton. Needless to say, the Hampton coach was happy…

In a delightful turn of fate, Eustachy is back in the tourney after his fall from grace in 2003 for these photos (he was married at the time – full story here). 

Eustachy leads Southern Miss to the tourney. If the Golden Eagles, the nine seed, advance to face Syracuse in the second round, it will be interesting to see how Coach Larry chooses to celebrate said victory. Take it easy on the Natty Ice their coach.

Speaking of coaches who I watched play, Steve Alford’s Lobos, once again showed some spunk in conference play, and in defeating Mountain West top-dog SDSU in the conference championship. Still, it’s the MWC, and I don’t see New Mexico making it beyond the Sweet 16. Speaking of kissing coaches, Rick Pitino has been known to get a bit of action on the side, and Saturday night it was his team that ended up “on top” in the Big East Tournament (yes, incredibly sophomoric). Frankly I think Memphis has a better chance of getting past Sparty than the Cardinals. Although another NCAA Tourney superstar coach – Rick Majerus who made Utah a regular in the March festivities in the 1990s (including a trip to the Championship game in 1998) is now back with the Billikens of St. Louis University. The Memphis-St. Louis first rounder looks to be a great matchup, although it’s sad that one of these teams will not make it into the second round. By the way, this is what a Billiken looks like. No clue.

As I mentioned, it was wonderful to see Vandy and the Bonnies win in dramatic fashion and join the tournament ranks. I’ve been a big Vandy fan for some time for three main reasons: One, Coach Kevin Stallings is a former Purdue player (he was on the last Purdue team to make the Final Four in 1980) and assistant coach there for 6 years. Two, Vandy Assistant Coach Dan Muller attended my high school (starred on the team, and went on to play for Coach Stallings at Illinois State) while I was enrolled. Third, Vandy is one of only three schools to sport the “Old Gold and Black.” My alma maters Purdue and Wake Forest are the only other two. Why did I get my Ph.D. at Northeastern? Vandy, I believe, has a chance of making things interesting for Syracuse. The Bonnies, on the other hand, are running into the Buzz saw that is Florida State. Maybe the Franciscan friars of St. Bonaventure can conjure up some religious magic (Itinerarium mentis in deum).

Did you see this rant by Lamar coach Pat Knight a month back? 

Would you be surprised to learn that since that loss to Stephen F. Austin (that’s a college not just the first Secretary of State of the Republic of Texas) the Cardinals won their last six games including a revenge win against said Lumberjacks and then a 21 point win in the Conference Championship game against perennial conference giant McNeese St? Is that just some weirdly successful motivation trick or is he really just an ahole? Oh, and here’s his dad:

Suffice to say I’m pulling for the Catamounts.

Finally, the internet is abuzz about the t-shirts that St. Mary’s University wore after winning the WCC (click on the pic for story).

I’m just wondering what t-shirts they should wear after the Boilermakers usher them out of the tourney Friday night. Or maybe those shirts should just end up around their necks.

Your thoughts?

The 15th Annual Online Tournament Pool!

Why Hello,

That time of year has arrived, when we all travel to a magic place. Where the moon doth rise with a dragon’s face. When a man is a man, and the children dance to the pipes of pan. The Online Tournament Pool is upon us! And you my friends, won’t you take my hand? Let us all visit, this mystic land. Where the dewdrops cry, and the cats meow.  Excited to get started? Let me show you how.

With much thanks to Spinal Tap, I invite you all to join in the annual fun of picking the winners in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament with me, your friend George. For the uninitiated, this is the traditional invite I send out to all prospective and former OTP participants, in which I wax poetic, describe the OTP and its rules, and attempt a string of witticisms which normally fail but at least offer me some amusement, so what the hell. If you care to give my endeavor at humor a try, read on! If you have long since tired of my weary quips or have quickly gotten tired of them after only a few paragraphs, simply point your browsers to the URL below where you can get all the info you need in a much more straightforward (if a tad boring) manner.

Still with me? Excellent. This year I’m relying on Sam Halpern and his life lessons to help me introduce the OTP. Sam is the Dad featured in the book, “Sh*t My Dad Says.”

SH on Kindergarten: “You thought it was hard? If kindergarten is busting your ass, I got some bad news for you about the rest of life.”

Even IF kindergarten is/was hard for you, entering the OTP is super easy. Just visit the web site (http://docgeorge.net/OTP), click on the “Brackets” icon, randomly or studiously pick the winners of all 64 games (play-in games are not included) of the Men’s Tournament, and click submit. Then use PayPal or the US Mail to send your $5 entry fee to me and you are done! Simple right? If this does still seem too challenging, Emily Reklaitis, an actual kindergartner, can come over and show you how. (She’ll even demonstrate how to watch the games on her iPod.)

SH on Poverty: “When I had an earache, my mom would p**s in my ear to kill the pain,” my dad once told me in an effort to illustrate the depths of his family’s poverty. “That just seems weird, Dad. Not something poor people do.” “Yeah, maybe that was a bad example,” he said after thinking about it for a moment.

No need to plead poverty, the OTP entry fee is just a scant $5 which is not due with your entry, but needs to reach me by March 21. Once again you can pay electronically with PayPal by clicking on the icon on the OTP home page. After dismantling my former OTP web site, and convincing PayPal that I was no longer using their services for “illicit activities” they reinstated my account. So, until they get wise again, we’re using PayPal again! In the hopes of circumventing any interference from the Soviet-style Secret Police over at PayPal, your five dollar entrance fee will be submitted as a contribution to Bob’s Fun Run. I’m only doing this to make it easier for you to pay, but all of the monies collected will be sent to the champion promptly on April 3 (last year’s champ won $275!). However, you’re still welcome to pay the old fashioned way: via mail. Please use the following address:

141 Lexington Circle, Matawan, NJ 07747

SH on Parenting: “Why would you throw a ball in someone’s face?…Huh. That’s a pretty good reason. Well, I can’t do much about your teacher being mad, but me and you are good.”

There is NO good reason for you to be late with your submission, as the brackets will be available to you starting Sunday evening (3/11). You will have until Thursday (3/15) at noon to submit your picks. Do so on time and you and I will be good.

SH on Anxiety: “You worry too much. Eat some bacon…. What? No, I got no idea if it’ll make you feel better, I just made too much bacon.”

Anxious that you don’t know enough about college basketball? Concerned that the diehard bball fans who join the OTP will have a leg up on you…?

SH on Bee Stings: “Okay, okay, calm down. Does your throat feel like it’s closing up?…Do you have to take a crap?…No, that don’t have anything to do with bee stings, it’s just you’re pacing back and forth, I thought maybe you had to go.”

You really should stay calm, as if there’s one thing 15 years of OTP’ing has shown us, is that basketball knowledge has no impact on success in the OTP. Even the so called “experts” who seed the teams based on which are the best and thus possess the best chance to win have, more often than not, been wrong. Consider this, since the tournament began in 1939, only once, in 2008, did the four top teams (the four #1 seeds) all make it to the Final Four. And on only six occasions, have the final two competitors been #1 seeds. In fact, on three occasions, no top teams made the semifinals. So the NCAA tourney, and then tangentially, the OTP, are crap shoots. So come on, roll the dice with us. There’s even a “QuickPick” option that allows you to have all the favorites picked for you. Still nervous? Have some bacon.

SH on Hangovers: “Coming down with something? Please. You reek of booze and BS. Don’t lie to a Kentuckian about drinking or horses, son.”

And SH on Lying: "The worst thing you can be is a liar. . . . Okay, fine, yes, the worst thing you can be is a Nazi, but then number two is liar. Nazi one, liar two."

These two are to convince you that this is all on the up and up. No lying here. While my scoring system does differ than most (it’s based on total points missed not total points gained), I’m no Nazi and no liar either. Need assurances? How about two. First, our scoring system was designed by an actuary, how about that? ‘What’s an actuary?’ you ask? Why people who design complicated scoring systems of course. Second, C.T. Wood, a Kentuckian himself, has been an OTP participant from day one. So this competition has had Kentucky’s unofficial seal of approval for 15 years now. Convinced…? Thought so.

SH on Nice People: “Listen up, if someone is being nice to you, and you don’t know them, run away. No one is nice to you just to be nice to you, and if they are, well, they can go take their pleasant ass somewhere else.”

'Why do you do this?' You might ask warily. 'What do you get out of it? Maybe you should just take your pleasant OTP ass somewhere else.' Though we may have never met, I am committed to being nice to you by inviting you to the OTP 'cus darn it, it's fun! For 15 years this has been my favorite time of year and I want you to join along! Furthermore, I'm offering my insight and analysis of the tournament’s action following everyday’s games, and also providing you a forum to do the same. As an OTP competitor you are not only welcome to submit the picks but join the Tourney fun too. How’s that for being nice? My ass is staying right here.

SH on Nudity: “It’s my house. I’ll wear clothes when I want to wear clothes, and I’ll be naked when I want to be naked. The fact that your friends are coming over shortly is inconsequential to that—aka I don’t give a crap.”

And, you never have to leave the comfort of your own home to enjoy the OTP. The OTP web site (docgeorge.net/OTP) offers you everything you need right at your computer: updated scores, witty analysis, and the chance to view your picks and those of your competitors. So you wanna be naked? Go right ahead.

SH on LEGOS: “Listen, I don’t want to stifle your creativity, but that thing you built there, it looks like a pile of crap.”

Not so with our lovely OTP, she’s a real beauty. Take a look for yourself. You made it this far, here’s what you should do next.

1. Brackets will be available online (http://docgeorge.net/OTP) by Sunday night (3/11/12).
1. Last year’s bracket is available for your perusal and practice, although you currently cannot submit anything.
2. You MUST submit your brackets by Thursday (3/15) noon: 12 PM.
3. Only one entry per person please.
4. Your $5 entry fee is due the following Wednesday (3/21).

And finally, a few last parting thoughts courtesy of Mr. Halpern:

On Bloody Noses:

“What happened? Did somebody punch you in the face?!…The what? The air is dry? Do me a favor and tell people you got punched in the face.”

On Water Parks:

“You go on ahead. I’d rather not be shot out of a tube into a pool filled with a bunch of nine-year-olds’ urine.

On Toilet Training:

“You are four years old. You have to crap in the toilet. This is not one of those negotiations where we’ll go back and forth and find a middle ground. This ends with you crapping in a toilet.”

On Packing Lunch:

“You have to pack a sandwich. It can’t just be cookies and bullshit…. No, I said if you packed it yourself, you could pack it how you want it, not pack it like a moron.

On Sharing:

“I’m sorry, but if your brother doesn’t want you to play with his crap, then you can’t play with it. It’s his crap. If he wants to be an a**h**e and not share, then that’s his right. You always have the right to be an a**h**e—you just shouldn’t use that right very often.”

Welcome to the Online Tournament Pool, 2011!

Hello All,

Welcome to the 13th Annual, Online Tournament Pool.

It was Charles Dickens who wrote of March, "... when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold: when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade; when the sneaker's squeak on hardened wood, and empty brackets gleam of promise and anticipation."

It certainly is a keen time for us March Madness enthusiasts. We wait with bated breath to fill in our virginal bracket as Greg Gumbel reveals

the tournament field with agonizing theatricality on Selection Sunday. We sit for hours staring blankly at the matchups, our minds growing numb as we try to decide which 12 seed must(!) advance. We struggle desperately to come up with that perfect Final Four: a sexy combination of #1 seeds, a #2 or #3 seed, and that "out of the blue" #6 seed that will surely put your bracket over the top. We watch every second of action possible, at the expense of our work and family lives. We root gamely for every underdog, and thrill at every last minute finish. We collapse into cheerless anguish when our beloved alma mater inevitably crumbles.

Or you might fall into one of the following categories of Tourney Watchers:

1. You pick only the top seeds to advance, you spend the entirety of the tourney only rooting for the teams you picked to win, and after the Semi-Final games are played on Saturday, you look around, puzzled, and ask "Wait, so the Final Four's over right? So who won it all?Oh there's still another game? Monday?"
2. You make all your picks in 30 seconds, sending a double digit seed to the Final Four, and always pick Duke as your champ. When Duke does in fact win the Championship you automatically assume you won the whole pool.
3. You spend hours online reading the columns of sports writers and bloggers who analyze every matchup and make long winded predictions, and dutifully make notes about how Winthrop's ability to move the ball on the wings will help them neutralize Syracuse's zone trap. You fill out six different brackets and carry them around with you for the entire duration of the tournament along with a set of multi-colored highlighters. You love to smile proudly at people as you boast about having picked that #10 seed over the #7, and are certain that you're the only one who has Michigan State going to the Final Four this year.
4. You (pictured at right) steadfastly refuse to fill out a bracket, sniffing that it "Takes away from the beauty of the Tournament."

If that's your picture on the right ... enjoy your pipe but read no more.

If you fit any of the categories besides the 4th, than the OTP is for you, read on!

If you've participated in this contest in the past and have long grown weary of my overly verbose attempts at humor; first, thanks for making it this far, and second, just visit our web site: http://docgeorge.net/OTP/ sometime before noon on Thursday, March 17. Please note that currently only last year's content (picks and scores) are available for browsing.

For those more intrepid souls (or for those of you who just have time to kill) let me introduce the OTP and its rules and regs to you, Steven Wright style.

One time a cop pulled me over for running a stop sign. He said, "Didn't you see the stop sign?" I said, "Yeah, but Idon't believe everything I read."

On the other hand, you can believe everything that's written here, particularly the particulars (like that?) of the contest: It's very simple, visit the afore-linked web site, submit your picks for the 2011 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament via the handy-dandy online bracket provided, send in a $5 entry fee, and you're done!

There's a fine line between fishing and standing on the shore looking like an idiot.

Very true, and you might also be asking yourself, "what's the difference between the OTP and any number of bracket contests on the web?" Well, what about history, family, the personal touch? Historically speaking, this OTP is the very first of its kind. No exaggeration. Back in 1998, right after Al Gore invented the internet, yours truly invited friends and family alike to submit their brackets online, while the rest of the basketball-watching world was still mimeographing their entries. The OTP has also become quite the family affair, not only because many of the original participants still take part 13 years later, and many who joined at other times continue to return, but also us OTP'ers are also proliferating. Why last year alone, their were 9 different families/couples who submitted picks. In fact the Reklaitis(7) and the Martins (6) contributed 13 submissions. Join the family!

I went down the street to the 24-hour grocery. When I got there, the guy was
locking the front door. I said, "Hey, the sign says you're open 24 hours." He
said, "Yes, but not in a row."

Oh yeah, the personal touch: I'll devote myself, 24-7, to not just updating the scores, which is all the other sites will give ya, but providing you with a steady stream of consistent analysis and witticisms of all the tourney action via our delightful blog here.

If at first you don't succeed, then skydiving definitely isn't for you.

There's not nearly that kind of pressure on you here. Just visit the web site (docgeorge.net/OTP), submit your picks starting Sunday (3/13) night, and enjoy!

The early bird gets the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese.

There's no prize for submitting your picks early, but you must get them in by Thursday (3/17) by noon.

If you think no one cares about you, try missing a couple payments.

Oh, right, and your entry fee of $5 is due then too. You have the option of submitting it to me via the US Postal Service, or via PayPal.

I couldn't fix your brakes, so I made your horn louder.

And again, since PayPal won't accept payments for an "illicit" activity such as the OTP, we're making an end run around that, by using "Bob's Fun Run," as a cover.

Why do psychics have to ask you for your name?

I am not a psychic, so only entries with full names attached to them will be counted.

42.7 percent of statistics are made up on the spot.

And while my scoring system (the standings are based on least points missed rather than most points accumulated) might be confusing, rest assured, they were originally designed by an actuary. And if you don't know what an actuary is, then my having mentioned it will not have assured you at all. Feel free to check out the point system in the Rules and Regs section of the site.

Last year we drove across the country...We had one cassette tape to listen to on the entire trip...I don't remember what it was.

Don't have the sharpest memory? Not to worry, all the details regarding the competition are on the web site.

Boycott shampoo! Demand the REAL poo!

And this is the real poo, I assure you. What do you do next, you ask? Visit the OTP web site (docgeorge.net/OTP), get your picks in by Thursday noon (they'll be available after the Selection Show Sunday night), and then sit back and enjoy the tourney. Make sure to visit the site often to see the picks of your competitors, view the updated standings, and read and comment on our blog. As always please share this with all who you think might enjoy participating, and let me know (docrek@gmail.com or greklaitis@brookdalecc.edu) if I can be of assistance in any way.

Enjoy the tourney everyone, and to finish off, enjoy a few last Wrightisms:

I'd kill for a Nobel Peace Prize.

I was sad because I had no shoes, until I met a man who had no feet. So I said, "Got any shoes you're not using?"

I have two very rare photographs. One is a picture of Houdini locking his keys in his car. The other is a rare photograph of Norman Rockwell beating up a child.

I installed a skylight in my apartment. The people who live above me are furious!

cheers,

-gr

Butler's No Cinderella

Just another registered complaint against the stupid seeding this year. Everyone's astonishment at Butler's run to the Final Four is based, I believe, on its 5 seed. This is the time of year, where the NCAA Tournament Committee's entire re-ranking of the nation's teams completey skews our perspective of the field. Butler is a case in point. Theoretically, the top three seeds in each region should encompass the top 12 teams in the national rankings. Butler began and ended the season ranked #11. The following teams, ranked behind Butler in the final poll, were seeded higher than the Bulldogs: Georgetown (#14, 3 seed), Tennessee (#15, 4 seed), Wisconsin (#16, 4 seed), Pittsburgh (#18, 3 seed(WTF!)), Baylor (#19, 3 seed), Maryland (#19, 4 seed), Vanderbilt (#20, 4 seed) (Texas A&M, Michigan State, and Temple - all ranked below Butler, received 5 seeds as well).

Now I understand that strength of schedule is certainly a factor, but Butler played a number of ranked opponents throughout the season, and dominated the Horizon conference. Okay, okay their advancement to the Final Four can be called unexpected, but Butler's success should not be a surprise and should not be equated to the Cinderella runs of George Mason or Villanova. After all, you take down the top two seeds in your region, you deserve some props.

OTP Awards, 2010

10:25 PM Eastern Time, and I finally have the chance to sit down and get to the OTP Awards. This year's OTP Awards will feature both our competitors and those actually participating in the tourney. Seth Davis of SI.com already issued his own awards for the first two rounds. Good stuff, I managed to watch about 85% of the first two rounds, so I'm basing my awards on what I got to see (and a little youtube clip of a moment I didn't get to see). Without further ado...

Best First Round Performance Award
For the second year in a row (!) goes to Trudy McPhail who beat her own 27 of 32 performance last year with an impressive 28 of 32!

As for our on-court performers, the award goes to the wonderfully named Jimmer Fredette of BYU who smacked 37 points on Florida in a behind-the-back-scoop-layup-and-crazy-25-foot-three-pointer performance. Had this occurred in last year's tourney, I guarantee one of my 10 month old sons would be named Jimmer right now. In fact, since I'm home with the lot by myself tomorrow, a trip to the courthouse may be in order.

Best Second Round Performance:
Is captured by Pat Lynch. In spite of his choice of Richmond as a Sweet 16 participant (he does live in Virginia after all - state motto: "Virginia is for lovers."), Pat managed to navigate the troubled waters that plagued most of our participants in the second round. Well done Mr. Lynch.

On the court, there's two choices: First, the obvious: Mr. Farokhmanesh of Northern Iowa. The dude's on fire and why the hell not take a three with lots of time on the clock when you know it's money! His diminutive size just cemented the David v Goliath result even if historically this was just a biblical fallacy (yeah, that means it never happened).
#2, would be #4. The jersey worn by one Chris Kramer of Purdue (featured in the first rendition of this blog) who just decided, screw it, time to win the game. The result is feature here. I can't stop watching it...

Worst First Round Performance:
...in the OTP goes to ....Alex Mitchell. He's 5 and his parents forced him to do this so that I would still be their friend. Hopefully this does not scar the young lad too much (then again he's lived in LA, New Jersey, and Columbus, OH). Dallas Martin, on the other hand, is an adult, who should be able to handle ridicule, therefore he wins the prize with 17 of 32 correct picks.

In my opinion, worst first round performance in the Tourney goes to the refs of the Villanova-Robert Morris game. Good lord! At one point Scottie Reynolds dribbled the ball off his foot and they called a foul! Not on his foot, but on the Robert Morris player who was 2 feet away!!!!!! Hideous. Thankfully the Gaels of St. Mary's righted the karmic world with a smack down of the 'Cats.

Worst Second Round Performance:


Belongs to well Alex again, but we'll blame his parents for this, and frankly Kevin Harkin (a former OTP champion) only had one pick better than young Alex, so you Kev, our the biggest loser. 5 of 16 correct picks does not do you proud my friend. We still love our past champs though.

The Tourney award goes to the entire Kansas team, who managed to blow the best chance of any team (including Purdue with Hummel) to take the title. I'd say wait 'til next year boys, but I think your ship has sailed.

Well, I'm going to head to bed in the hopes that my boys will sleep through the night. That, unfortunately, has the same likelihood of happening as Gene Keady forgoing the comeover . Therfore, my friends, I bid you good night. Stay tuned, however, as I will encapsulate the picks of the OTP competitors in tomorrow's edition of the OTP Update. 'Nite.

Perhaps seeding is overrated?

Welcome all, again, to the 2010 OTP. Thanks for joining us for the best three weeks of the year. I apologize for the delay in launching this year's OTP Update, I encountered some technical errors (read: I forgot my blogger password). I currently write to you from the comforts of Damon's in Manalapan, NJ, accompanied by my customary March Madness buds, Paul and Jim. This year we were going to put our annual gathering on hiatus courtesy of the bushel of infants I had acquired over the past year. Fortunately, my stalwart compatriots chose to trek all the way across Middle America, chance the dangers of Jersey, and deal with a house of screaming kids, to make this annual hoops tradition a reality. Prost Freunde!

As for this year's NCAA Tourney, what fun, eh? The amount of "upsets" that the chatterboxes on the various networks continue to bloviate about, really just reflects the poor seeding job the Tournament Committee did. Gonzaga and BYU both spent nearly the entire season in the top 15 and yet were given 8 and 7 seeds respectively. Overseeded? Gee, how about Georgetown, Notre Dame, and Villanova? Oh well... great to see the overseeded get their due. On a personal note, my Boilers shocked the world by prevailing over Siena, the national, presidential, and media pick to win. My favorite part of the game, Chris Kramer bounces the ball off the face of the Siena guy, and then ... smiles at him. Loved it. The Boilers face a high task against A&M but we shall keep the faith.

The OTP is chugging along nicely too. We've got 48 total participants this year, up from 46 last year. That means this year's winner will receive all but $5 of the pot. And in the early going there's quite the battle for first. Jen Boulton started us off on Thursday with an OTP record 7 of 8 first round picks correct. Alas, her hot streak did not last into Friday's round of action. Nonetheless, "Chicks with Picks" continues to be our tournament motto (I would apologize for being un-PC but I'm pretty sure our top four female competitors don't mind.). Curtis Tronick currently holds down spot #4 but the remainder of the top 5 are of the fairer (and smarter) sex. Congrats to Trudy, Edie, and the Buono sisters (Danielle and Christina).

Enjoy the remaining second round action today and tomorrow. I'll be back Monday with the annual OTP 1st and 2nd Round awards.

best,
-gr

Final Four Breakdown

There are four teams vying for the NCAA title and four OTPers vying for the OTP title. Here's the breakdown:

1) Donna wins if UConn defeats UNC or Villanova.
So Donna's cheering for the Huskies.

2) Jimmy Baskin wins if UNC defeats MSU
So Jimmy's cheering for the Spartans and the Tar Heels.

3) Denise wins if MSU meets Villanova (champion is irrelevant) or if MSU defeats UNC.
So Denise is cheering for the Spartans and the Wildcats.

4) Papa Buono wins if UNC defeats UConn.
And Pops is cheering for the Huskies, but mainly the Tar Heels.

Good Luck to you all, and enjoy the Final 4. I'll be back tomorrow with a recap.