CERRITOS, CA (smt)- For the first time since Duke did it in 1991-1992, we have back-to-back NCAA champions.  Like a replay of their semifinal game, #1MW-Florida turned up the heat in the second half by making three-pointers and making their opponents miss theirs in outplaying #1S-Ohio St., 84-75 in Atlanta.  While the Gators made 10 of 18 three-pointers, Ohio St. had a terrible stretch of missing 13 straight three-point attempts and never could sustain any momentum in cutting the Gators' lead less than eight.  Remember when the Buckeyes hit 18 free throws in a row down the stretch (20 overall) vs Memphis?  They missed several key free throws down the stretch tonight and in one key sequence, one great monster block by Buckeye freshman Greg Oden went right back to the Gators who took a 3-pointer (made of course), a dagger that made the score 64-52 instead of possibly Ohio St. coming down the court to try to cut the lead to six or seven.  The Buckeye 22-game win streak was snapped and now Florida has won 12 consecutive tourney games (18 including the two SEC tourneys).

Congrats to the Florida Five starters who came back and accomplish their back-to-back titles, a hard feat when freshman and sophomores are leaving at an alarming pace for the NBA.  As much as it irks me that for the next eight months we'll hear about the back-to-back-to-back Gator champs (was a Gator Slam when the football team won, what are they going to call it now?), the basketball team deserves respect for sticking together.  Now, here is what I am tired of.  CBS announcer Billy Packard once had (and maybe still does, but Duke doesn't get very far in the tourney these days) his head in Duke's ass ("Duke University!  Duke University!"), so now why is his head in Oden's ass?  My goodness, since about 10 minutes left in the first half, "oh, look how hard-working Oden is", "look how tired Oden is".  As the Buckeyes were getting outplayed and down by more than a dozen points: "I think Oden will be MOP (Most Outstanding Player)", which left partner Jim Nantz almost speechless, which was priceless to hear.  Why would the Celtics or Grizzlies want a player than can't play more than 30 minutes without wearing out (according to Packard)?  Geez, this is the FINALS!  All players should be willing to play the full 40 minutes if need be.  Oden is not some endangered species that needs to be coddled.  Packard was earnestly pleading to get his boy Oden some rest.  Sheesh.

As for the pool, history was averted as VAN&SAM's 14-game win streak was snapped, preventing a perfect Last 15 (No one was perfect for the Final Four, either, as both she and Joe D (WEST COAST BI[L]AS (20th-Tied, 139)) picked Ohio St.).  She still won ($450), however, with 166 points (out of a possible 192), the most ever (along with 55 wins out of 63).  Florida's win, picked by 13,  gave Ann B (THAI SPICE (157 pts)) 2nd place ($230), Troy B (SNOOP'S DOGS (156)) 3rd place ($155), and Don C (DC944 (153)) 4th place ($105).  Ann B took away her husband's (Mike B (BUCKEYE MIKE (8th, 145)) quest for 4th place but it's still kept all in the family, as Ann wins for the second time (total: $360) in six years and becomes our 10th multi-winner.  Van P, who I had to pay for her first entry in 2002 to get her enticed, won for the first time in five tries.  Troy B, who was tied for 48th after the 1st round, also won for the first time in seven tries while Don C won for the first time in just two tries after a 2-year absence. 

Interestingly, Troy B entered three times, but it was his first entry that won.  There have been 62 people who have entered 2 or 3 times and Troy B is just the eighth person to win (13%).  In fact, only two people have won on their 2nd entry meaning that if they had just entered once, 6 of the 8 would have won anyway.  Interestingly, of the 54 people who have entered twice, just five have won (9.3%), while those who have entered 3 times have won three times (3 of 8, 37.5%).  So if you're gonna enter more than once, the odds favor entering three times instead of two.  Proof?  Troy B entered twice the first five years (ten entries winning $0) and this year was the year time he entered three times.

Florida's win also made the SEC the winningest conference with 11 wins giving Wendy B (BUCKEYE23 (35th, 132)) the $40 Bonus Prize and deflating the hearts of 49 entries who thought they had a chance for the Bonus2.  Had Ohio St. won by the same score, Deven K (KOBERAJ), in dead last with 81 pts, would've won the Bonus2 (having picked the correct total points correctly:  159)!  Jon J (SLACKJAW (150)) gets the dubious distinction of finishing 5th, 3 pts off the money.  Just two more first round wins or one second round win could have made the difference.