OTP 2018: Bust a Bracket

BUST IT...

This here’s a note for all the playas
Basketball junkies and soothsayers
Love watching hoops they call March Madness?
But your feeling left out, surrounded by sadness
Okay yo, no team in the Show?
You’re thinking that the Tourney’s gonna blow?
There’s a game of prognostication, for you and me
You got this my friend, join the OTP.

You’re on a mission and your wishin
Someone could cure your lonely condition
Looking for pools in all the wrong places
All you get are shitty web sites with no friendly faces
From frustration first inclination
Is to forget about hoops and turn to masturbation
But there’s a tourney dream for you, you’ll see
Put down the KY and join the OTP.

The games are showin, so you’re goin
But in your veins there’s no excitement flowin
Don’t care about Charleston versus TCU?
Here’s how the OTP will work for you.
Fill out a bracket, pick those games
And now the juice is coursing through your veins
Can the Catamounts take out the Boilers?
NOW you care, you’re looking for spoilers.
Will a 14 seed take out the number 3?
C’mon and make your picks, join the OTP.

What’s with this bracket, think you can’t hack it?
Got no knowledge, think it’s a racket?
ESPNers are fakey, knowledge is shaky
Middle-aged hoops nuts no smarter than babies
Got no knowledge but you got a five?
Then you’ve got a fine chance to stay alive.
That team’s in yellow, you say “Hello!
I’m picking YOU to advance fine fellows”
You’ve never even heard of Middle Tennessee
But now they’re your boys in the OTP.

So now you’re ready, feeling steady
Gonna win all the money and confetti
Wanna fill out a bracket, you wanna go?
Just check out the web site down below.
Selection Sunday’s hoppin, brackets poppin
The OTP is your one-stop-shoppin
Thursday at noon is when you make your play
And make sure that fiver is on its way.
Scores and updates is what you’ll see
Every single day on the OTP.

ONLINE TOURNAMENT POOL
https://docrek.wixsite.com/otp17

*** PLEASE NOTE ***

Only last year’s web site and tournament bracket is currently available.

***

The updated web site will be active by Wednesday night, March 14.

Picks will be due Thursday by noon. Only 5 bucks to participate.

Welcome to the 20th Anniversary of the OTP!

Ladies and Gentlemen we are back! The OTP celebrates its 20th Anniversary, having begun its run of glory back in 1997. For those of you new to the OTP, this the part where I introduce you all to the contest and its many intricacies. In honor of our 20th, I pulled the following out of the archives (updated to reflect the most recent information of course.) Enjoy...

WELCOME TO THE 2017 ONLINE TOURNAMENT POOL!

[From the OTP Archives...]

Hi Everybody! (Everybody: “Hi Dr. George!”)

Welcome back to another glorious year of NCAA Tourney excitement and another installment of the Online Tournament Pool (OTP). This year I’m using The Simpsons to help me out in explaining the intricacies of the Tourney and the OTP.

For those of you who may not know me, allow me to introduce myself.

I’m George Reklaitis, associate professor of history at Brookdale Community College, husband to Christina, father to Emily, Luke and John, friend to many, enemy to few, and the originator of the online NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament’s prognostication pool known as the OTP.

You may also remember me from my self help tapes such as 'Smoke yourself thin' and 'Get some confidence, Stupid!’; 

Or from some of the public service videos I’ve done like ‘Designated Drivers, the Lifesaving Nerds,’ ‘Lead Paint: Delicious But Deadly,’ ‘Two Minus Three Equals Negative Fun,’ ‘Locker Room Towel Fights : The Blinding of Larry Driscoll.’ 

I’ve also been in a number of do-it-yourself videos like ‘Dig Your Own Grave and Save,’ ‘Mothballing Your Battleship,’ and ‘The Half-Assed Guide to Foundation Repair.’ 

And such feature films as ‘The Makeout King of Montana,’ ‘Today We Kill Tomorrow We Die,’ ‘The Contrabulous Fabtraption of Professor Horatio Hufnagel,’ and ‘Human Fondue - Surviving the Wisconsin Dell's Cheese Factory Explosion.’

Anyway the OTP is a relatively simple affair. You visit the OTP web site:

https://docrek.wixsite.com/otp17

You click on the link labeled ‘Online Brackets,’ you point and click on which teams among the 64 (we’re not including the play-in-games) you feel will prevail at which point in the tourney, include your name and email address, send in your entry fee ($5) and your done!

Homer: Uh-huh, uh-huh. Okay. Um Can you repeat the part of the stuff where you said all about uuhhh, things. Uhh... the things?

Look, it’s pretty simple. Visit the web site, fill in the brackets, send in your money ($5) either via PayPal.com, in person or through the mail:

George Reklaitis

141 Lexington Circle.

Matawan, NJ 07747

And then just sit back and enjoy the tourney.

However, if at anytime you get confused there is someone here who can help you…

Homer: Is it Batman?
Marge: No, he's talking about himself!

Homer: George is Batman?

Marge: It's not Batman!

Yes, I’m always here at docrek@gmail.com, to answer any queries you may have. Additionally, the website also includes a detailed list of rules and regulations that can help you educate yourself about the OTP.

Homer: How is education supposed to make me feel smarter? Besides, every time I learn something new, it pushes some old stuff out of my brain. Remember when I took that home winemaking course, and I forgot how to drive?

Um, right … well let me spell it out for you.

1. Brackets will be available online (https://docrek.wixsite.com/otp17) by Sunday night (3/12/17).
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 (3/16) NOON.
3. Only one entry per person please.
4. Your $5 entry fee is due the following Wednesday (3/22).

After all the entries are in I will be posting them on the web site so you can view your picks and the picks of your competitors. I will be updating the standings after every round of tournament action, and I will be providing my one of a kind insight and commentary on the tournament in the OTP Blog.

The scoring system is unnecessarily complex, but that’s what you get when you steal it from an actuary. The standings are based on points missed rather than on points gained.

Confused? Don’t be, its all on the up and up, I’m not trying to fool anyone.

Homer: You couldn't fool your own mother on the foolingest day of your life with an electrified fooling machine!

Good point. But just to avoid any confusion I’ve created a bit of a FAQ answered by myself and my friends the Simpsons.

Q. Is it true that the winner of the pool gets a peanut?

A. No. The winner of the pool will receive the sum total of all the entry fees collected (minus $5). So, for example, if 5 people enter the pool, the winner will receive twenty dollars

Homer: Aw, twenty dollars! I wanted a peanut!
Homer's Brain: Twenty dollars can buy many peanuts!
Homer: Explain how!
Homer's Brain: Money can be exchanged for goods and services!
Homer: Woo-hoo!

Q. What happens if I don’t pay my entry fee?

A. Unfortunately I’ll have to discard your picks, so please, if you submit a bracket, don’t try and weasel out of the $5.

Homer: Weaseling out of things is important to learn. It's what separates us from the animals ... except the weasel.

Q. What if I submit an entry under a false name?

A. Again, if I don’t receive payment your entry won’t count, even if you submit it under the name Joey Jo Jo … Junior … Shabadoo.

Homer: Moe, I need your advice.
Moe: Yeah?
Homer: See, I got this friend named... Joey Jo Jo... Junior... Shabadoo.
Moe: That's the worst name I ever heard.
(Joey runs out of the bar sobbing)
Barney: Hey! Joey Jo Jo!

Q. What if I don’t know a thing about basketball? Aren’t I just throwing my money away?

A. First of all, its all of 5 bucks ya cheapskate. Secondly, basketball knowledge is not a prerequisite to success in the tourney. Witness the success of John Reklaitis (a.k.a. ‘JJ,’ a.k.a. ‘Jabes’) who came within a wolverine's whisker of winning the 2014 OTP. My (at the time) 5 year old son's comprehensive knowledge of college basketball was limited to the Purdue fight song and the fact that the Indiana Hoosiers are evil: An excellent start, but hardly the markings of a college basketball guru.

Krusty: I thought they were due! That game was fixed! The Globetrotters used a ladder for pete's sake! C'mon! He's just holding out the ball, take it!

On the other hand, yours truly, who’s love for college basketball is only matched by my love of beer …

Homer: Homer no function beer well without.

… and of course the aforementioned ‘Christina’ … finished dead last. Point is, basketball knowledge is of minimal, if any, importance where the OTP is concerned. Finally, there is a ‘Pick the Favorites' option that allows you, with a simple click of a button, to have all the favorites chosen for you. So come on, give it a try.

Homer: Trying is the first step towards failure.

Homer: Kids, you tried your best and you failed miserably. The lesson is, never try.

Q. What makes the OTP so great?

A. Well first of all, it’s easy! There are no mimeographed brackets to deal with, no bothersome interpersonal communication, you can enjoy the OTP right from the internet on your very own personal or work computer or mobile device!

Homer: Oh, so they have internet on computers now!

Q. Okay, but aren’t there hundreds of other online pools? Why should I do this one?

A. Because I’m committed to providing you the most thorough online experience possible. I pledge to watch every second of every game (for the first two rounds anyway).

Homer: Television! Teacher, mother, secret lover.

And I’ll provide you with updated standings, scores, and commentary. What could be better?

Q. Wait, you’re going to spend Thursday through Sunday doing nothing but watching basketball? Don’t you have a job?

A. Yep. But in my job there’s a thing called Spring Break. Woo-hoo. A whole week off!

Marge: Homer, the plant called. They said if you don't show up tomorrow don't bother showing up on Monday.
Homer: Woo-hoo. Four-day weekend!

Q. Why do we need an Online Tournament Pool? Can’t we just enjoy the tournament for itself? Why not just watch for the sake of seeing some great competition? Or even better, why not get off your lazy ass and go play basketball!?

Homer: Son, when you participate in sporting events, it's not whether you win or lose: it's how drunk you get.

Homer’s right. Besides, the OTP adds a level of excitement to the tourney. Would you normally care whether West Virginia beat Louisiana-Lafayette? Or whether Oakland defeated New Mexico?

Mr. Burns: Woah, slow down there maestro. There's a *New* Mexico?

Participating in the OTP makes you care! It makes you suddenly very interested and excited about the Lobos and the Mountaineers, the Grizzlies and the Rajun Cajuns!

Q. Why don’t you run a pool for the women’s tournament? Are you sexist?

A. I’ll let Homer field this one …

Homer: Lisa, if the Bible has taught us nothing else, and it hasn't, it's that girls should stick to girls sports, such as hot oil wrestling and foxy boxing and such and such.

While I think sports are important for all, I honestly just don’t find women’s basketball that interesting. Sorry.

Q. Does the OTP officially endorse any consumer products?

A. Why yes we do. Items such as:

• Styro-Glow! (the incredibly simple seventeen-step solution that makes your styrofoam look brand new)
• New Improved Brick! (the waterproof sponge! Now in decorator colors!!)
• Brew 'n' Chew (the beer flavored gum)
• Obscenity! (the fragrance that isn't afraid to speak your mind!)

Q. How about letting us ask some questions of the Simpsons?

A. Certainly.

Q. Homer, what’s a Muppet?

Homer: Well, it's not quite a mop, not quite a puppet, but man... (laughs, then pauses) So, to answer you question, I don't know.

Q. Grandpa Simpson, is your son, Homer, a communist?

Grandpa: My Homer is not a communist.  He may be a liar, a pig, an idiot, a communist, but he is not a porn star.

Q. This question is for Attorney Lionel Hutz. Mr. Hutz, why did Wake Forest’s Chris Paul punch you in the crotch last week?

Lionel Hutz: Well, he's kind of had it in for me ever since I accidentally ran over his dog. Actually, replace "accidentally" with "repeatedly," and replace "dog" with "son."

Q. Umm, Moe the Bartender? What are your thoughts on the UNC Tar Heels?

Moe: They think they're so high and mighty, just because they never got caught driving without pants.

Q. George, could you provide us with a few more of your favorite Simpson’s quotes?

A. Certainly.

Homer: Yeah, Moe, that team sure did suck last night. They just plain sucked! I've seen teams suck before, but they were the suckiest bunch of sucks that ever sucked!
Marge: HOMER!
Homer: I gotta go Moe my damn weiner kids are listening.

Marge: This is the worst thing you've ever done.
Homer: You say that so often that it lost its meaning.

Mr.Burns: Quick Smithers. Bring the mind eraser device!

Smithers: You mean the revolver, sir?
Mr.Burns: Precisely.

Barney: Hello, my name is Barney Gumble, and I'm an alcoholic.
Lisa: Mr Gumble, this is a girl scouts meeting.
Barney: Is it, or is it you girls can't admit that you have a problem?

Barney: Hey, Homer, I'm worried about the beer supply. After this case, and the other case, there's only one case left.

Homer: I'm normally not a praying man, but if you're up there, please save me Superman.

Marge: Grandpa, this flag only has 49 stars on it
Grandpa: I'll be deep in the cold, cold ground before I recognize Missourah!

Wife: Now Cletus, why did ya haf to park next to my parents?
Cletus: Now, Now, Hun, they're my parents too...

Principal Skinner: Order, order. Do you kids wanna be like the real UN or do you just wanna squabble and waste time?

Hello, I'm Leonard Nimoy. The following tale of alien encounter is true and by true, I mean false. Its all lies. But they're entertaining lies, and in the end isn't that the real truth? The answer is no.

Homer: Christmas is a time when people of all religions come together to worship Jesus Christ

Ralph: Me fail English? That's unpossible.

Homer: Here's to alcohol, the cause of—and solution to—all life's problems.

Q. Anything else?

A. Just check out the website (https://docrek.wixsite.com/otp17), make your picks anytime between Sunday night (3/12) and Thursday noon (3/16), get your $5 into me by March 22 and enjoy the Madness!

Note: Credit is due to Paul Schultz, from whom I shamelessly borrowed the FAQ idea. The Simpsons are the property of Fox Broadcasting Co.

 'Twas bitter sweet earlier this week. Another outstanding first two rounds of the tournament gave us some fantastic action. And now the best 4 days of the year are over. However, to console you, here are the annual OTP Awards:

Best First Round Awards.

• Best Performance by OTP Participants: Steve McPhail, Aaron Lake, Anthony Buono, Andrea Guglielmo, Alex Mitchell – 27 out of 32 correct picks.
• GSU Upset Picks: Adam Stutts (age: 3), Emily Reklaitis (age: 8), Patrick Lynch (age: old),
• UAB Upset Picks: John Reklaitis (age: 5), that is all.
• Worst Overall Performance:
• Normally I would mention here that while I am happy to praise the youngsters who -cajoled by their parents - fill out brackets and actually nail some good picks (see above), I shall not ridicule them when they go far, far astray with what are essentially random predictions (although aren’t they for all of us?) This year an adult was willing to take the title of worst prognosticator, so I don’t even have to have to offer the “well, they’re just kids” caveat. Erin McManus dons the honor of worst 1st round performance after only getting half (16 of 32) of her picks correct. This saves Steve Stites from the embarrassment of receiving this award with only 14 correct picks. Granted our alma mater Northeastern came within a leprechaun’s breath of stealing a 1^st round upset.  Had NEU won, Steve would have moved up in the circles of shame.

Because of Steve’s (and others) determined sticking-to-it-ness regarding their favorite teams in the field, this year I’ve created another award: 

The Sticking with your school despite almost ridiculous odds Award. 

• I’ll give Steve first honors, as he had the Huskies not only knocking off the #3 seed but advancing to the Sweet 16 as well. Other well-intentioned but ultimately disappointed fans include:
• Alex Mitchell, son of OSU alumn Bert Mitchell, who had his Dad’s team winning it all. (For the record, Dad correctly predicted OSU going out in the 2^nd round. Throw anybody under the bus much Bert?)
• Christine Reklaitis, UVA grad, had the Hoos winning it all (and her husband’s home town team, Purdue, advancing to the Final Four). Thanks for your support Christine, and your $5.
• Emily and Luke Reklaitis who decided that since Dad loves Purdue, they do too, and therefore, Purdue shall win it all. I love them, but they essentially flushed $10 down the toilet for me.

Best First Round for NCAA Participants:

• R.J. Hunter and Father. You’ve seen it already. Watch it again:

And for good measure, a similar scenario from 10 years ago (courtesy of my friend Paul Schultz). Great sequence all around, but at the 1:04 mark is when the magic really happens.

Second Round Awards:

Best Second Round by OTP participants: Curtis Tonick and Vic Reklaitis with 12 out of 16 correct picks.

Best upset picks: 

• (I consider NC State and Wichita State advancing against a 1 and 2 seed respectively legitimate upsets, and 11 seed UCLA advancing to the Sweet 16 as well. Michigan State always makes it to the Sweet 16, not much of an upset there IMHO.) However, since 20 OTP participants picked WSU to advance, I’m afraid this is hardly an exceptional choice.
• Therefore upset awards go to the 4 folks who picked the Wolfpack’s upset of #1 seed Villanova: Adam Stutts, Emily Reklaitis, Rae Poteat, and Vic Reklaitis.

Best Second Round for NCAA Participants:

• UW’s Sam Dekker’s dunk that went in twice. Four points?! Nope 0. Still fun to watch:

Ok, that wraps it up for now. In case you missed it, I set up a Sweet 16 contest for those still interested in submitting another set of brackets. No entry fee required, just go to the online brackets as you did the first time and you will find the brackets filled up to the final 16 teams. Win and you get your entry fee back. Picks due by 6 PM, tomorrow, Thursday.

Enjoy, and thanks for playing!

Welcome to the 2015 OTP!

Greetings All.

Here it is, that annual missive that summons you to participate in our cultish ritual, known as the Online Tournament Pool. How do I know we’re in a cult? Well, the fact that you are wondering if you are in a cult right now means that yes, you’re in a cult.* But it’s a wonderful cult that is now in its 18^th year of existence! Some of you are relatively new inductees and some of you drank the Kool-Aid along time ago. For the yet uninitiated, welcome. And, don’t worry, membership into this cult does not require any bizarre suicidal rituals or potential trips on comets, only subjecting yourself to my annual attempt at witticism, submitting your predictions on the results of the 2015 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament bracket, and submitting an offering (we can call it an entry fee if that makes you feel better) of $5 US dollars. If that’s sounds like your cup of

Kool-Aid (ok I’ll stop with the suicidal references) then read on and learn how to join us! If not, read no more and enjoy your own Pagan rituals this spring.  (Actually it’s too late, we’re coming for you.)

Eighteen years ago I had a dream about creating the first entirely online NCAA Tournament Pool. I had many other dreams about what I would do as I grew up, but thankfully dreams can change. If we’d all stuck with our first dream, the world would be overrun with cowboys and princesses.* Up to this point NCAA pools were conducted on mimeographed brackets from the local newspaper, and many loved smelling the recently Xeroxed forms while others enjoyed the camaraderie of physically handing in their paper brackets and their entry fees in person. Some questioned my idea. Some thought I was flat out wrong. But, if I had a dime for every time I was wrong, I would be broke.* And so the OTP (which has since been copied by many but exceeded by none) continues to thrive almost 2 decades later.

There’s an old saying about those who forget history. I don’t remember it, but it’s good.* Likewise it might be likely that even for those of you long-standing participants of the OTP, you have forgotten how this works. Well no worries, I’m here to give you the truth, ‘cus as they say, the only people who tell the truth are drunkards and children. Guess which one I am.*

1. Visit http://docgeorge.net/OTP
2. Check out the “Rules and Regs” and make your picks via the “Online Brackets” link by Thursday, 3/19 at Noon.
3. Please pay your $5 via PayPal or snail mail: 141 Lexington Circle, Matawan, NJ 07747.
4. Sit back and enjoy.

Simple right? And while some might say there is no upper limit to stupidity*, pretty sure this one we can all figure out.

“Ok,” you might be thinking, “seems simple enough, but this basketball stuff seems silly, shouldn’t we be focusing on more important things impacting our lives as Americans like our nation’s foreign policy or domestic issues like abortion?” First off, I can’t stand people who disagree with me on the issue of Roe v. Wade…which, I believe is about the proper way to cross a lake.* Furthermore, if our Founding Fathers wanted us to care about the rest of the world, they wouldn’t have declared their independence from it.* If you’re not interested in spending three weeks watching exhilarating basketball and partaking in the wonder that is the OTP, than I suggest you just stay home and burn a good book.* Otherwise, check out our site, make those picks by Thursday at noon, and just remember, an apple a day keeps anyone away ... if you throw it hard enough.

Finally, now that the brackets are out, a few early thoughts:

• Thanks Committee, Purdue as a 9 seed to (potentially) face Kentucky in the 2^nd round? I’d rather we were one of the play-in games. But, as the saying goes, “don’t cry over spilled milk. By this time tomorrow, it will be free yogurt.”*
•  Dayton gets to play in Dayton? Seems a bit unfair. Quick fact about Ohio: 22 astronauts hail from the Buckeye/Flyers state. What is it about Ohio that makes people want to flee the planet?*
• We now know the Committee enjoys a bit of irony. North Carolina vs. Harvard: one school that doesn’t even offer athletic scholarships vs. one that doesn’t require its “scholar-athletes” to even earn them academically. Proving once and for all that the pen is mightier than the sword, provided you shoot the pen out of a gun.*

      That's all I got for now. I'll be back later this week for further frivolity. In the meantime, the brackets are live, so start picking, and if you have any questions just send them my way: docrek@gmail.com. (*comedic references plagiarized from Stephen Colbert)

OTP Awards

The Sweet Sixteen is underway, and as you enjoy another scintillating round of college hoops action, let me briefly hand out the annual OTP awards.

Best First Round Performance: (and by first round I mean Thursday-Friday’s games).

The Father of Texas who also singlehandedly defeated VCU.

This year we not only have a new record, but two competitors achieved this honor. The previous record was 26 correct picks out of 32, shared by OTP stalwarts Trudy McPhail and Dan Boulton. This year Paul Schultz and Larry Hartzell made OTP history with 27 correct picks. Paul nailed the Harvard and Tennessee wins, while Larry went extra bold with his choices of not only the Crimson and Orange, but also choosing Stephen F. Austin and Dayton (his hometown, although I have seen him wandering the halls of Brookdale’s History Department in his OSU Ted Ginn jersey all the time) to advance. They also both picked Duke. *Doh* But kudos all the same to both Paul and Larry.

Best Second Round Performance:

This is Dayton

Larry again takes this prize, sharing it again, this time with first time OTPer Belinda Gimbert. Larry and Belinda managed to correctly pick 12 out of the 16 games. Larry had the temerity to send his Dayton Flyers to the Sweet 16 (sometimes major homerism can work for you). Props to Christine Reklaitis, who I’m pretty sure has never been to Dayton, and David Kovich, who may have passed through, for being the only other competitors to make that bold – and correct – prediction. Larry ruined his chance at being sole owner of this award by taking his bold pick of Stephen F. Austin in the first round one step too far. And *cough* *cough*, he also picked Duke in this round. Belinda was pretty straightforward with her picks, but made the big call of a Stanford upset of 2 seed Kansas. Only four OTP participants forecast the Cardinal into the Sweet 16. In addition to Belinda, Stanford Alumn Vic Reklaitis made the call as did his sister-in-law Christina and nephew Luke. One last prop to Larry, and then I’m done stroking his ego, he was the only OTPer with a perfect region with his East picks. Ok, Larry congrats, you obviously deserve to be in first, now put on your Ted Ginn jersey and leave us alone.

Ok now I get really mean…

Worst First Round Performance: (must be over 14 years of age to qualify)

True my son is at the bottom of the pack, but he’s 4. Likewise, Lauren Kovich, who outpicked (if you can call it that) JJ by one, is recently 7. Therefore, our winner of worst performance is my friend and the man for whom I was named… George Dehner.  Dr. Dehner only managed to correctly pick 19 out of 32 first rounders. In all (well in somewhat) fairness, he took no major gambles and had no asinine choices, this was just a case where March Madness completely firetrucked him, leaving him ahead of one pre-kindergartener and a 7 year-old, but tied with a second-grader. So goes the Madness eh?

Worst Second Round Performance: (again, must be over 14 years of age to qualify)

*Why 14 you ask? Because I’m okay with making fun of high-schoolers, after all they make fun of me whenever I’m in their midst. Younger than that, however, is not kosher. Everyone else, you are fair game. “Subject to ridicule,” if you remember, is one of the perks of joining the OTP.*

This year goes to Trudy.  Heartbreaking, I know, Trude, especially after your multi-year streak of excellent first round performances went off the rails this year. Trudy only selected 5 of the 16 games correctly keeping her only one ahead of, yet again, a certain second grader who, for what it’s worth, is a really good piano player. That being said there were many, MANY who managed only 6 correct 2^nd round picks. In fact less than half of our competitors managed to have half of their picked teams advance to the Sweet 16. Not your fault my friends, not your fault.

One last award, since there is still much tournament to unfold, but while many of our contestants were hurt early on with having their Champion picks booted out of the tournament, only one has already lost his entire Final Four. I don’t mean to be harsh, because he is a first year participant and I don’t wish to scare him off, but Eddie G, you unfortunately are that person. Lucky for you Eddie, this why I have (force) my kids to participate every year. So none of the rest of you will ever end up in last place. Thanks for playing, everybody.

Good news! Four great nights of basketball are in progress. I will update scores every morning. Enjoy all, and I will talk to you soon.

P.S. I picked Duke too. *Bleh*