2013 Update I

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,

© Gary M. Gurtcheff 2013