The 2019 Bracket Prognostication Special

If you’re just checking out this site for the first time, look below this paragraph to complete your bracket and please send your entry fee (one bracket per person, but multiple persons please!) to the following e-money sites or, if you prefer, to the Coaches who sent you here. Again, half the proceeds go to the NJ Hitmen 9U baseball team, but the other half is ALL YOURS!! (if you predict correctly).

Follow this link:

ESPN Tournament Challenge Group, Online Tournament Pool, 2019.

[If you've never created an ESPN account you will need to setup a user ID and password. Then join our group.]

Paypal: greklaitis@brookdalecc.edu

Venmo: George-Reklaitis

As far as making your picks? I’m here for ya. 

• Don’t know a thing about Men’s College Hoops? 
• Not sure which upsets to pick, which #1 seed will falter, who the “Loyola of Chicago of 2018” will be the “Loyola of Chicago of 2019”? 
• Don’t have a clue who the hell Loyola of Chicago is?

Dr. George is here to help with my 2019, Bracket Prognostication Special. 

10 helpful facts to help you narrow the field of 64 (we don’t count the play-in games) to 1.

1.    Who the hell is Loyola of Chicago?

a.    No one you should worry about this year, but last year Janine Reklaitis’ alma mater (yes, THAT Janine Reklaitis), a tiny catholic school seeded #11, made it all the way to the Final Four. The lesson here? Don’t mess with Jesus. Especially since another catholic school won the whole shebang.

2.    Should I pick Duke to win it all?

a.    Yes. So will everyone else. And Duke will win. But you won’t. Because you failed to pick the clever upsets earlier in the tournament so your “Champion” which happens to be everyone else’s “Champion” will only serve to lump you in with all the other glory chasers.

3.    So how can I be different?

a.    Try wearing your pants inside-out. Comb your hair in a circular pattern. While eating lunch with your co-workers, don’t use your hands. You will stand out instantly! As far as tourney picks are concerned? Don’t stray from the #1 seeds, they inevitably succeed (unless you’re 2018 Virginia … whoops). But look for a sneaky #3, an underrated #7 or … a team from Michigan or North Carolina. Syracuse, in spite of annual distractions and poor conference play in a stacked ACC, always comes to life in March. Michigan and Michigan State seem destined for a birth in the second weekend, if not the Final Four. And Purdue, regardless of what Seth Davis of CBS, or any of its devoted Alumni may say, will NOT, repeat NOT make it to Minneapolis. A surer bet there is not. And, yes, I will still pick them to go to the Final Four.

4.    Any upset tips?

a.    It has now become cliché, but a 12 seed will always prevail. Easy choices here are Oregon (PAC-12 tourney champs) over Wisconsin, and the Murray State Racers (featuring soon-to-be top NBA draft pick Ja Morant) over Marquette (losers of 5 out of their last 6 games.) 

5.    Which top teams should I avoid?

a.    Kansas is always a team that gets highly seeded. This year, you may notice, the Jayhawks only got a 4 seed. They might squeak by my other alma mater, Northeastern University, but my advice is to stay away. Florida, Maryland, and Villanova, former champs and perennial tough teams, will most likely flame out early this year.

6.    So which non-#1 seeded teams should I consider moving along in my bracket?

a.    Kansas State is not a sleeper, but the Bruce Weber-coached team has the potential to unseat the Hoos of Virginia. Cincinnati and Houston, the two top teams out of the American Athletic Conference, are very talented and very well coached. Both teams are perfectly positioned to pick off Tennessee and Kentucky respectively, teams that are packed with superstars but prone to lapses in concentration (kind of like me). 

7.    But not Purdue? They’re a 3 seed and co-Big Ten Champs? Surely they’ve got a shot, right?

a.    NO, NO, NO! Don’t get me wrong, I will be cheering, praying, gasping, and wheezing, but no, no chance. It is a great squad for sure, coached by one of the all-time greats (I’m not exaggerating here either), but after a flashy victory over Old Dominion on Thursday night, and a way-too-close win against the Villanova/St. Mary’s survivor Saturday, Purdue is doomed against the long, athletic, and very strong defensive squads of either Cincinnati or Tennessee. If you’re picking Purdue to advance beyond next weekend, first pick Colgate and Iowa to prevail, ‘cus that’s the only way it’s happening. Boiler Up!

8.    I don’t know any of the teams in the tournament and my alma mater (rhymes with “Indiana”) didn’t make it, who should I root for?

a.    The Vermont Catamounts are a great squad featuring three brothers and a superstar named Lamb which is perfect for the Lenten crowd. The Belmont Bruins are a scrappy group from the Ohio Valley Conference starring an amazing dude named Dylan Windler who drops 40 points a game on the regular and will soon be suiting up for an NBA team near you. The UCF Knights feature an incredible Senegalese center, checking in at 7 feet 6 inches with the delightful name of Tacko Fall. The Knights are poised to inevitably fall to Duke in the second round, so catch him while you can. 

9.    I hate Duke, I loathe Duke, I refuse to pick Duke. What other 1 seed has a chance?

a.    Gonzaga. But they will lose to Duke.

10.  Alright smarty pants what’s your Elite Eight?

a.    “Smarty pants?” Why thank you. I, too, think my trousers are quite sharp. I’m forecasting that Duke will prevail over Louisville in the East, Michigan over Syracuse in the West, Purdue over Kansas State in the South, and North Carolina over Kentucky in the Midwest. Duke will inevitably triumph over UNC on April 8. 

And there, my friends, is my best advice to you all. Since I never win these things, make sure you pick differently than I and you have a great shot at the whole enchilada (and the prize money too).

The OTP 2019

If you've made it this far, thank you!
Here's the nitty gritty. We will be using the ESPN Tournament Challenge website to manage our bracket.

Please visit the ESPN website and join our group by clicking here.
Our group name is "Online Tournament Pool 19"
Our group password is "hitmen"

The simple rules to our contest are as follow:

1. Only one bracket per individual, but all family members are welcome to submit their own brackets.
2. Brackets AND $10 entry free per bracket are due by Noon, Thursday March 21.
3. Money can be submitted via the following electronic methods:
1. PayPal: greklaitis@brookdalecc.edu
2. Venmo: George-Reklaitis
4. The contestant with the most points at the ended of the competition will receive 50% of collected entry fees. The remaining funds will go directly to the NJ Hitmen Travel Baseball team to support the purchase of team equipment and as entry fees for upcoming tournaments.

Join Us! Please send any questions to docrek@gmail.com.

-George

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!