Scott's Newsletter

Scott's Newsletter (3/15/98)

3/15/98, Issue # 5.2.2 "Kansas spoils the fun again"
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E-mail: [email protected] (Scott M Tamashiro)
[email protected] (David Feng)
Website: http://www.jps.net/dfeng/ncaa

* Report
* Records Broken
* Leaders

FOURTH HWCI OFFICIAL BETTING POOL- NCAA TOURNAMENT `98
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VALPARAISO MAKES IT TO THE SWEET 16 WHILE #1 KANSAS GOES HOME EARLY AGAIN
Only 10 people remain in contention for the top prize of $150

Like last year, #1MW (also #1 in the country at the time of the last
poll) Kansas spoiled the chance of the first time in NCAA history
(64-team field) all four #1 seeds advanced to the Final Four. Last year,
Arizona knocked off #1SE Kansas in the Sweet 16 while all three of the
other #1 seeds made it to the Final Four. This could have been the year
all four seeds succeeded but while the other 3 seeds are progressing
as normal, Kansas will once again go home early. #8MW Rhode Island, led
by ex-UCLA coach Jim Harrick, stunned Kansas and will face another
Cinderella team, #13MW Valparaiso (whose assistant coach is Harrick's son)
who beat #12MW Florida St. in overtime. #2 Purdue and #3 Stanford will
face each other in the other Midwest regional semifinal.

#5S Syracuse beat #4S New Mexico (the only game I've seen this year,
and it was just the ending, involved NM and UNLV in the conference final,
and NM tanked it) got beat by #4 New Mexico and will face #1S Duke.
#6S UCLA outplayed #3S Michigan and will face #2S Kentucky.

Like a good basketball game, ANNA COME LATELY regained the lead
from MONEY to lead the pool for the second consecutive round.
Her 84 points is just two more than MONEY who suffered a couple of
hits for the first time with 2 of his Elite 8 teams out. BAERSARKE (18th)
may have picked Kansas to do the poorest (losing in Sweet 16), but
his possible score of just 92 is the lowest-ever after 2 rounds, with
four of his Elite 8 teams out of the tourney. He joins three others
(ALL 2 EASY (who was tied for first after Round 1), CALAMITY, and
PREKI THE BOMB) out of the running for any of the money spots.
PIPI GIRL would also be out of contention if it weren't for the
new 4th place prize. Thirteen others won't get the top prize this
year. Even BUCKEYE MIKE, who is tied for 23rd place, can still
claim the top prize.

No one picked Rhode Island or Valparaiso (obviously) to win (marking
the first time no one picked a game correctly) while only 8 had faith
in our hometown UCLA team. Speaking of UCLA, and on a side note, there
was an interesting finish in Women's tournament action as the UCLA
women's team lost apparently on a timekeeper's error. I was listening
on the way home for about 1/2 hour as they tried to get the officials
to look at the tape. Haven't heard any decision on the outcome, yet.

NEW HWCI NCAA RECORDS
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Most participants: 28 (previous: 22 in 1997)
Worst record in Round 1, Fri.: 8-8 (16 pts) PREKI THE BOMB,
SLAVE TO BIG SIX
(prev: 9-7 (18) 3 tied '97)
Worst record in Round 1: 19-17 (38) PREKI THE BOMB, SLAVE TO BIG SIX,
CALAMITY (prev: 20-16 (40) REAL
MOBELFAKTA '96, KARL CHILDERS '97)
Worst record in Round 2, Sun.: 2-6 ALL 2 EASY (tied with 9 others)

48 points is the lowest total of any leader after Round 1 (previous
three years had leaders with 52 points)... this year was the first year
that at least one person picked each of the 32 first-round games
correctly- and that continued into the first four games completed today
(44 straight) before Valpo beat Florida St.

LEADERS (Points Possible)
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Day 1 of Round 1 (32): 13-3 (26 points), ALL 2 EASY, BIX'S PIX'S, THE FLYING ELVI, TAURUS
Day 2 of Round 1 (32): 13-3 (26), MONEY
AFTER ROUND 1 (64): 24-12 (48), ANNA COME LATELY, KADIAN, ALL 2 EASY
Day 1 of Round 2 (24): 7-1 (21), MONEY
Day 2 of Round 2 (24): 6-2 (18), BIX'S PIX'S, CAVEMAN, SNOW SPICE, ANNA COME LATELY
Round 2 (48): 12-4 (36), MONEY, ANNA COME LATELY
AFTER ROUND 2 (112): 84, ANNA COME LATELY

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I guess it wasn't ALL 2 EASY after all...
Scott HW