2013 HWCI NCAA Pool Update

Sunday, March 17, 2013
Issue # 1.0.1 "The Last of Our Teen Years"
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ZAGS GET #1 SEED WHILE PAC-12 GETS NO RESPECT
Our 19th year could be the most unpredictable

CARSON/CERRITOS, CA (smt)- ACC regular season and tournament champion #2E-Miami was left out as the top seeds went to #1MW-Louisville (the #1 overall seed), #1S-Kansas (the only team to be in all 19 of our pools), #1E-Indiana, and a rare mid-major in #1W-Gonzaga (#1 AP). Last year, Washington was the first power conference regular season champ to not make the tournament (64+ teams) giving the newly expanded Pac-12 a black eye. This year, its tournament champion Oregon (and near regular season champ) got dropped to a #12MW seed. Cal also got a #12E seed. But the Pac-12 did get 5 teams in (matching such conferences as the Atlantic 10 and Mountain West) but its regular season champ, UCLA, without its star guard, only gained a #6S seed. Apparently, Oregon and Cal deserved 11 seeds but logistics put them down to 12 seeds. Just happen to both be Pac-12 teams. With the Missouri Valley, Sun Belt, and West Coast all getting an at-large bid, that means for the 2nd straight year 11 non-power conference teams got at-large bids. Kentucky will get a chance to get back-to-back championships, but the latter one will have to an NIT championship.

Our HWCI NCAA Pool will no longer be a teenager as this is our 19th year and if people are doing what companies are doing, hoarding cash, maybe we will beat last year's record of 134 entries (and record top prize of $540 won by our youngest player ever) and see an increased number of entries for a 10th straight years. Or maybe not. Like the past 2 years, despite the expansion to 68 teams, our bracket and pool remains the same. Still $10. Deadline is still 9 a.m. PDT Thursday. Same point system. What will change? The #11MW team will be called "MidTN_StMar", the #13W team will be called "BoiseSt_LaS", the #16MW team will be called "NCAT_Lib", and the #16E team will be called "LIU_JMU". Pick as usual. If the winner of Middle Tenn-St. Mary's (CA) changes your mind, for example, then you can either update your bracket or email your change (easier to email one or two changes than resubmit a bracket). So you can pick as early as NOW or wait until the last minute. The only minor change, one no one cares about until the last weekend, is the "Winningest Conference" Bonus. What prints out when you submit your bracket may change depending if La Salle (Atlantic 10) wins its First Four game. Since the A10 has 5 teams, it's possible, though unlikely, the Winningest Conference will be the A10, so we your total may be bumped up if you have La Salle going past the 2nd Round.

We are now on Twitter (@HWCI_Pools). As I did for our HWCI Euro Soccer Pool when it debuted, I will post using #hwcincaa mini-updates during the day so you can follow without being on Twitter (and if you are, please use #hwcincaa). Please join our Facebook HWCI NCAA Pool Group or post comments on our blog. Here you can join the group and meet your competitors, make new friends, set up NCAA watching gatherings, and post stuff to the wall (pictures, witty comments, etc.).

You can mail your entry fee (email me for snail mail) or give your $10 (per entry) to someone who will give the money to David or Scott. We are accepting PayPal (check or PayPal funds only) to "hwci<at>hotmail.com" or credit card PayPal payments to "smt0222<at>yahoo.com" (but the entry fee is $10.61 (61 cents in PayPal fees... damn them!)). Now, you can send money via your smartphone and pay no fees! Use Discover Money Messenger (your Discover app) or Chase Person-to-Person QuickPay (your Chase app) and send your $10 (per entry) to "hwci<at>hotmail.com" -- just make sure you put your NAME and NICKNAME in the notes section. And if you're having trouble getting your picks in, take a picture of your bracket with your phone and email it to ncaa<at>hwci.com.

Last year, Quinn D. was our youngest winner ever (by far), taking home a record $540, riding Kentucky (picked by a record 52 entries) all the way. Last year we received a record 134 entries from a record 99 people.

WHAT:        19th Annual HWCI NCAA Tournament Pool
DEADLINE:    9:00 a.m. PDT on Thursday, March 15
ENTRY FEE:   $10.00 per entry (max 3 entries per person)
PREV CHAMPS: 
             2012- QUINNSANITY, $540 (134 entries)

             2011- KRISPY KREMER, $515 (125 entries)

             2010- BLUE DEVIL BLUES, $500 (117)

             2009- BIZARRO LARZBY, $495 (114)
             2008- BELUCKY2, $440 (101)
             2007- VAN&SAM, $450 (98)
             2006- GATORS NEVER CHOKE, $415 (85)
             2005- FLIP FIGHTERS, $400 (82) -- repeat winner
             2004- FABIO, $370 (79)
             2003- BIG LUTHER, $280 (63)
             2002- THE FABON8ER, $400 (80)
             2001- TEAM SAMURAI, $280 (59)
             2000- MORALES' MOUNDS, $180 (36)
             1999- SHARY BOBBINS, $180 (36)
             1998- ANNA COME LATELY, $150 (28)
             1997- MAX, $125 (22)
             1996- JAYBIAN, $110 (19)
             1995- BIX PIX, $70 (12)
RULES:       Check http://www.hwci.com/wordpress/?page_id=43 for more info
ARCHIVE:     Check http://www.HWCI.com/ncaa/2013/history.html
BLOG:       Comment at http://www.HWCI.com/wordpress  
NOTES:       All fee money goes back into prizes
             At least four winners (top prize about 40-50%) (if >=100 entries, 5 winners; if>=125 entries, 6 winners)
             Set points are awarded per game (2/3/4/6/8/12 for the 6 rounds) (no upset weighting)
             Two went 16-0 on the first 1st Round day in 2003, One did in 2009
             Only 21 people (1 in 2009, 12 in 2008, 6 in 2007, 2 in 2001) have picked all 4 Final Four teams
             Just 211 of 1,290 entries (16.4%) have picked the correct champion
             Points possible:   196
             Most points ever:  166 by VAN&SAM in 2007
             Least points ever:  49 by GOBAY, HENDO in 2002

Enter online now! You can also fax your entry to me at (720) 368-0816 or email us for a snail mail address (postmarked by Thursday AM). Make arrangements (such as PayPal) to send in your $10 entry fee(s) by March 23rd. Complete rules and daily pool information can be found on the official site: http://www.HWCI.com/ncaa.

Tids & Bits - When in the bracket form page, if there's a red X or if the java applet fails to load, click here to download and install the Sun Java Runtime Environment... there have been issues with Macs so try to use a PC or take a picture of your bracket with your phone and email it... the Big East got 8 teams, Big 10 (with 12 teams) 7, the Big 12 (with 10 teams) 5, the ACC 4, and SEC 3... #15S-Florida Gulf Coast avoided a #16/#16 matchup in their first ever tourney appearance... #16bE-James Madison could join the group (proper 64) by winning its First Four game and appear for the first time in our existence (last appearance 1994)... the previous 4 #1 mid-majors in the past 15 years were Memphis ('06, '08), St. Joseph's ('04), and Cincy ('02-lost in 2nd Rd)... the Great West conference is still in provisional stage, so no automatic bid... #16bMW-Liberty started 0-8 and was 10-20 before winning five straight and is just the 2nd team to make the tourney with 20 losses (Coppin St 16-20 in '08)... a #13 has won one game in each of the past 5 tournaments... #2S-Georgetown's last four tourney losses have been to a #10, #11, #14, and #10 seed... Texas failed to make the tourney for the first time since 1998 and thus left the state of Texas without a representative for the first time since '77... We will have our 3rd Annual HWCI NCAA First Four For Charity, details forthcoming...

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Maybe watched 15 minutes total of college basketball this season...
Scott