Update I
March 25, 2013
Florida Gulf Coast
(Eagles out of town for spring break)
No doubt the longest of long shots has made history. Can anyone of you have
honestly said you even heard of FGCU? Only sanctioned and eligible for two years, and
only an institution of higher learning for15, the flying Eagles did what no #15 seed has ever
done, made it to the sweet sixteen. First taking down Georgetown in a virtual stunner, and
then laying waste to San Diego State, Next up is the mother ship, the home university of
Florida. Can the run continue? You gotta watch this game! They play for fun, fly hign, and
have nothing to lose. Of course, LaSalle is saying, “What about us?”. A play-in game
winner, they have taken out mighty Kansas State and then Ole Miss. What a great Sweet
16 game that will be as they take on the Wichita State, who dumpted #1 seed Gonzaga.
Although not such a “shocker”, one of these two teams will be in the late eight . The
Buckeyes and the Hoosiers came down to the wire in their respected games this
weekend and also move on. The Big Ten remains strong with Michigan State and
Michigan still in as well. An all Big Ten Final Four is within reach, although implausible,
as all remaining teams compete in seperate regionals. Last Big Ten title was the Spartans
in 2000, and three Indiana titles with Bobby Knight before that. Time is ripe for the drought
to end this year.
Players in the News
After two rounds in, Travis Farhar leads the pool. Unfortunately for him, he was
trying to come in last place. Yet if LaSalle rolls on, he could do anyway. Same goes for the
charity entry, the MM Endowment Last entry. Has Florida Gulf Coast in the finals. You just
never know. Could win it all! Real entry leader belongs to Colin Throop. Congratulations
T1 C3PO. Not sure your age, but dad is a yearly supporter of the Madness! Noted
kegler, and River City proprietor, Bill Vukovich is hot on the tail. Thank Rush Rush for
entering your pick sheet on the computer before the pool closed. Our first round leader,
Vuk is striking them down. Last place is still up in the air. Too hard to figure with all the
amazing upsets. Rick Murch currently holds the position.
Second Round Leaders
1st Travis Farhar (Thought entry would be on the bottom not the top)
2nd JP-MM Endowment (Hoping Florida Gulf Coast is for real now!)
3rd Colin Throop (Strong bid for the field. Surprise!)
4th Bill Vukovich (No ten pin taps here. Dusting the lanes. May the oil not dry out)
5th Alex Smith (Taking time out from his imminent trade to the Chiefs)
Doug Wolford (Another Sheperdsville farm system product making the big time)
7th Brian Pyfferoen (Spring Hill son of postman delivers)
8th Brooke Wagner (Foundation filly leading contender for the Oaks)
9th Karen Rush (Car 24 where are you? Just a bit of nostalgia!)
John Miles Hannahʼs picks looking strong. Long term supporter of the cause)
Diane Supper (The carrot dangles once again)
Charity Update
Once again, please review the charity information page at the top of the website, as
well as the welcome letter, detailing our charitable giving. Weʼre hoping for another banner
year in donations. Our March Madness Endowment Fund continues to grow, and this
year we have added two organizations to donate to, Friends of Warrick CASA, and the
Dream Center of Evansville. Please also visit their websites for additional information.
As always, charitable giving is the reason we continue to do the pool each year. Please
consider an additional donation this year, and thanks to those who already have.
Pool and Statistical Information
Unofficially, we have 455 entries, a record!! And amazing at that, Needless to
say we have had some technical issues and our apologies for such a late update. Had to
scramble to recover email addresses from old manual lists (the value of print in the
computer age!) Things get lost in cyber space, but a file in a drawer will always be there
barring fire, unless you yourself throw it out!) Also, as mentioned in the welcome letter, our
domain was lost and our web address pirated! Nevertheless, you all found the pool.
Check the website for current updates. When you click on the standings page, you can
easily scroll through to find your position, and your friendsʼ 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.
Best of luck in the tournament and again thank you for participating. If you have not
mailed your entry donation and extra cont ributions, please do so immediately! Remit to:
John P. Morgan, MD
PO Box 1136
Newburgh, IN 47629-1136
Footnote: The University of Evansville Aces play tonight in New York against
Canisius in the CBI tournament. Colt Ryan on tap to become Aces all time leading
scorer. The game can be seen on the big screen live at 6pm at Showplace Cinemas
East. Free tickets at Harbor Bay. Come out and support one of only 40 division I teams
still playing basketball,