Big East now the Big Least. Richmond and VCU rule.
Buckeyes Roll, Butler again
A week ago nobody gave Virginia Commonwealth the credit. The pundits wined about how this ill-deserving team even made it in the field. And a “play-in” game winner at that. “Play-in”? We’re talking “play-in”. Alan Iverson would be proud! He was born in Hampton, VA by the way!. The Richmond Spiders also turned heads with a poisonous bite to Morehead State who dispatched the Louisville Cardinals in round one in THE biggest upset of the first round. They hadn’t beaten Louisville in over 50 years! The Southwest Regional is turned upside down as the 10, 11, and 12 seeds advance. Looks like a walk in the park for you Jayhawk fans!
In the Southeast, Butler does it again in a thrilling game to displace Pittsburgh, the first number one seed to fall. They will face the mighty Badgers. BYU beats GONZAGA!!! to face the Gators.
In the East, The mighty Buckeyes of THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY look every bit the team to beat and the overall #1 seed by throttling George Mason. The game of the sweet sixteen will match them against Big Blue. Don’t miss this one! Marquette and NC round out the bracket.
Chalk walks in the West as Duke, Arizona, UConn, and San Diego State advance. Boooo Texas!! The Aztecs win a double overtime thriller against Temple to keep their title hopes alive. Laura Perry, Kelly Morgan, Monica Herrenbruck, and Van Do were but four of four hundred plus to give them respect and will be watching tooth and nail in hopes for a title. Tournament action resumes Thursday. Stay tuned.
Players in the News
Two Guys & a Brutha is (are?) your tournament leader(s?) heading into the sweet 16 action. Which one is you ERIC TRICE? You hold the lead and have all final four picks still alive...as do many. Larry Renschler holds down sixth place, and was your first round leader. Three fillies (Bailey Box, Lucy the Boxer, and Amy Berkley) are putting the guys to shame and hold top ten spots.
Congratulations to Ron Eaton, last place winner! About time, eh? Yes your call for “maybe this year?” was answered. At least for last place.
Second Round Leaders
1st Eric Trice (Brutha where you been? Kentucky and BYU hold the key for you)
2nd Todd Lang (Leads the Buckeye faithful over home sewn Jayhawks)
3rd Bailey Box (Miami University just a short drive to Columbus)
4th Brian Goffinet (Badger uprising will bode well for you)
5th Greg Willming (Enjoy the spotlight now. You aren’t going to make it!)
6th Larry Renschler (My hapless brother in Mexico will fade like your tan soon enuf!)
7th Todd Lang (Back up plan with Kansas. Congrats on 2 in the top ten)
8th Tammy Anderson (Who is Lucy Boxer anyway? Sylvania, Ohio in the news)
9th Amy Berkley (Show me the money. Tax man cometh)
10th John Miles/ Derek Wellman (Tied to round out the top ten)
Charity Update
Please review the charity information on the index page. Look at our history!
$ 50,000 to date thanks to your generosity. This year I hope is no different. Please keep those checks coming in. It is an amazing thing to have an endowed fund with over $ 20,000 all from a lowly basketball tournament! Additionally, this year the House of Bread and Peace (gotta love it) will benefit from your benevolence. This tournament takes a great deal of time and effort to run. We try to keep YOU happy. So feed the till and donate. The charity money is why will STILL do this. Get it? Thanks to those who we can always depend on. Special thanks (so far) to the following 3 digit donors...
Lance and Stacy Payton
Susanna Burkhead
Brad Fulkerson
Colleen Martin
Mike Cleary
Eric Throop
Dale Todd
Keith Bratton
Bruce Baker
Slammin’ Sammy Garau
Keith Miller
Pool and Statistical Information
To match 2010, and albeit unofficial, we have over 420 entries again this year, via a total of 260 participants. The majority of those entering are March Madness veterans and long time supporters, but we welcome then newcomers. I honestly don’t know of a better basketball pool out there, and a better website chalk full of information, statistics, and fun things to see. Again, special thanks go to Gary Gurtcheff, without whose technical savvy and web mastery would this all be possible. Remember the days of hand scoring and trips to the post office to mail update letters at 3:00 am? As always, your comments are welcome and appreciate. Maybe each of you should add one comment to the Madness Blog on the index page. It is really a shame that nobody comments. Hey we try!
Please check the website for current updates. When you click on the standings page, you can easily scroll through to find your position, and your friends’ picks, with brackets displayed, by clicking on the top black row which reads RK (rank), Entry Name (how you listed your pick), Info-1 (alphabetize by first name), Info-2 (alphabetize by last name), Score (current point total), etc. Final four picks and chances for you to win money are also listed. Also go to the drop down menu to see the current tournament bracket, and other options.
Send entry and donations to:
JOHN P. MORGAN, MD
PO BOX 1136
NEWBURGH, IN 47629-1136
Enjoy the rest of the madness! Thanks for participating.
Basketball Jones would be proud. It’s the song you know.
“Do Right and Fear No Man”