Scott's Newsletter

Scott's Newsletter (3/27/98)

3/27/98, Issue # 11.5.WC "World Cup Preview..."
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E-mail: [email protected] (Scott M Tamashiro)
[email protected] (David Feng)
Website: http://www.jps.net/dfeng/ncaa

* World Cup `98 Pool Preview
* Final Four Report

FOURTH HWCI OFFICIAL BETTING POOL- NCAA TOURNAMENT `98
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HWCI'S 2ND SPORT POOL WILL FEATURE THE 1998 WORLD CUP SOCCER TOURNAMENT
Contestants will pick 48 individual games before the Round of 16 begins

The HWCI NCAA Pool has been a tremendous success with particpation
increasing every year (from 12 in 1995 to 28 in 1998). I never thought
I'd be plunking ten bucks to play in a pool of a sport I really never
watched (college basketball, that is). With the World Cup expanding to
32 teams, the format is more pool-friendly than before. Therefore,
Fernando and I will start the HWCI WC98 Pool in the footsteps of the
successful HWCI NCAA one.

Because there is less than 24 hours from the end of the Round Robin
and the start of the Round of 16, there isn't a way to get out the Round
of 16 bracket in time for picking. Therefore, you will have to pick your
own Round of 16 teams. You could conceivably pick two teams that will
advance to the next round who play EACH OTHER. Therefore, there is an
advantage to picking the teams in the right order (i.e., first-place
and second-place team) in your mind. A bracket will be provided later
so you can see how the teams will advance.

The format (though not set in stone) will be as follows:

1. Each person will pick all 48 first-round round-robin matches
(schedule is already posted at www.fifa.com).
2. No matter how you picked the 1st Round matches, you will pick
the top 2 teams in each of the eight (8) groups (Group A, B, C
D, E, F, G, and H). These teams will advance to the Round of 16.
(The WC98 format will label these teams 1A, 2A, 1B, 2B, etc...)
3. The WC98 format will have 1A vs 2B, 2A vs 1B, 1C vs 2D, 2C vs 1D,
etc. You will pick the two teams you think will advance from
Groups A-B (i.e., from A1,A2,B1,B2), Groups C-D, Groups E-F, and
Groups G-H (for a total of 8 teams). These teams will advance
to the quarterfinals.
4. Of the four teams in Groups A/B/C/D, you will pick two.
Of the four teams in Groups E/F/G/H, you will pick two.
The four teams you pick will advance to the semifinals.
5. You will pick the two winners from the four teams to advance to
the Final Match.
6. You will pick the World Cup 1998 Champion.
7. TIEBREAKER:
a. Total goals scored in the 3rd Place and Final Matches (2
matches). You will be able to pick in 1/2 goals (e.g.,
0, 1/2, 1, 1 1/2, 2, 2 1/2, etc.) since there are not as
many goals scored. The past two World Cups have both
yielded 4 goals. Usually, the 3rd Place match is high-scoring
while the Final Match is low-scoring. Whoever gets closest
to the total wins the tiebreaker.
b. You will also pick who you think the winner of the 3rd Place
Match will be. You won't pick a team, but the Group the
team will come from. Rank all eight (8) groups in who you
think the team will come out of (e.g., D,E,A,C,B,H,F,G).
The first group will be compared and if no one picked the
right group, the second group will be compared, etc.
c. If both a) and b) don't yield a winner, then the players will
be tied.

The Point System (196 points possible, same as the NCAA Pool) will be:

1. 48 Round-Robin Matches = 1 point/match (48)
2. 16 Round of 16 teams = 3 points/team (48)
3. 8 Round of 16 winners = 5 points/team (40)
4. 4 Quarterfinal winners = 7 points/team (28)
5. 2 Semifinal winners = 9 points/team (18)
6. 1 World Cup 1998 Champion = 14 points (14)
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79 picks (196)
(Tiebreakers: Total goals, Third-place winner (list 8 groups))

This system should be compatible with the NCAA Pool program we use,
unless someone gets more than 32 of 48 correct in the Round Robin.
Also, in the Round Robin, there are ties, and those will be a wash.
We're trying to keep it as simple as possible. About 1/5th of these
matches end up in a tie, meaning about 9-10 ties.

The World Cup begins June 10 and ends July 12. There are matches held
nearly every day and I will post updates periodically. Although you may
submit entries now, we won't be soliciting them until late May when I
will email the Round Robin matches and brackets out. Since the World
Cup is only held every four years, the fee to enter will likely be
$10.00, the same as the NCAA one. CAVEMAN should be able to cover
that multiple times :-) We are expecting about 10 entries, although
outside sources may bring in more. There is likely to be a 1st, 2nd,
and 3rd place prize roughly split 57/27/16% like the NCAA pool.

Meanwhile, in case you missed it, here are the possible HWCI NCAA
winners of this year's pool depending which one of the eight
possibilities happen. Tomorrow's #1E UNC-#3W Utah matchup (2nd game of
the day) will provide the most answers in how the pool will end up.

1998 NCAA Pool - Final Four Possibilities 03/22/98

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If UNC wasn't playing in their home state, would all 4 #1 seeds be out?...
Scott HW