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We are down to the Elite Eight

Saturday, March 27, 2010

This has been one of the craziest NCAA Basketball Tournaments that I can ever recall, although some things seem to have returned to normal after this latest round. Depending on how the next round of games turn out, we could have a fairly normal looking Final Four (Kentucky, Duke, Kansas Sate, Michigan State) after a tournament that has been anything but normal.

The game last night between Xavier and Kansas State was incredible. I did not start watching the game until the final quarter of regulation, but it was an incredible ending of regulation and the first overtime. I was rooting for Xavier, but it was a great game anyway. I wonder if Xavier's coach would have been better off not calling the timeout that allowed Kelley to get back on the floor, but it was an exciting game.

I would have loved to see more of the Northern Iowa game, but the local channel only showed the last minute or so of it - by the time it was basically over.

Our Thinking Man's Tournament is nearing the end. Sarah Nething has a pretty decent lead after the first three rounds, although she can mathematically still be caught. If I am accurate in my understanding, Mr. Bean needs Kentucky to win it all and Duke and Kansas State to make it to the Final Four in order to win it all. (Doing so would give him at total of 202 points and Sarah a total of 201, wow!) Other than that scenario, Sarah will win it all.

Here is our standings after the Sweet Sixteen.

1. Sarah Nething (190 points, 36 correct games)
2. Don Johnson (174 points, 35 correct games)
3. Ron Bean (173 points, 36 correct games)
4. Jon Knisely (169 points, 35 correct games)
5. Andy Rupert (163 points, 34 correct games)
6. Matt Jury (155 points, 34 correct games)
7. Frank Sansone (134 points, 30 correct games)
8. Andy Efting (119 points, 25 correct games)

Many of the players have four of the final eight teams - mostly the same four (Kentucky, West Virginia, Duke & Kansas State). Don Johnson (the Canadian non-basketball fan) has five of the final eight including two of the lower seeds still alive (Michigan State, Baylor, Kansas State, Duke, and Kentucky)

Poor Andy E. If you looked at his Elite Eight before the tournament started, you would have expected more of them to have survived (Kansas, Ohio State, Syracuse, Pitt, Villanova, New Mexico, Kentucky). His bracket only includes one long-shot in the elite eight (Texas A&M - a 5 seed), yet he only has 1 of his Elite Eight teams remaining.

Anyway, we'll see tomorrow if we have a final winner or not.

Just my thoughts,

Frank

4 comments:

Don Johnson said...

Wow... weird. Although my pick for the winner was fanciful and emotional, I think since I mostly went with top seeds in this shows that the seeding means something. Do you have any idea what a pure "top seed" bracket would do, Frank?

Maranatha!
Don Johnson
Jer 33.3

Andy Efting said...

Hey, at least I still have Kentucky! But you all know what that means...

Frank Sansone said...

Andy has given Kentucky the kiss of death. Sorry, Calipari. :)


Don,

In previous years I have often done a couple of "fake" players that are various scenarios - including one in which all the higher seeds were chosen.

Last year the "fake" player who picked top seeds only would have finished in 5th place. This year, the higher seeds only picks would currently be in just below Andy Rupert in 6th place.

For the record, if you look at the standings in our area of the site, you will now notice two things.
The top player listed is a "fake" player - it is actually President Obama's picks (listed as "Frank Republican" because that was a space I still had available). So, this year, he would have beaten us all. Last year, however, every single player in our tournament beat his bracket, so I guess it kind of balances out.

Second, the player listed as Frank Sansone that has Kansas winning is another fake player - it is the one I just quickly entered to answer your question about always picking the higher seeds. (My bracket is getting beat by that bracket.)

Hope that answers your question. (And perhaps anyone else who was seeing the Frank Republican and wondering what that was all about.)

Frank

Frank Sansone said...

Andy,

I was joking about the "kiss of death" but ... considering the result...

If I was a betting man, I might ask who you want in the next round and bet the other way. :)