CERRITOS/EL SEGUNDO, CA (smt)- Thanks to a strong push at the beginning of the week, we received a record 138 entries.  For the fourth straight year, we will have six money spots as we have a record $1,380 to divvy out.  The top prize will be a record $555 which is $15 more than the record in 2012 (and $25 more than last year). The prize distribution is listed below and as always, all fee money goes into prizes. So we have those top six spots plus the Bonus.  What's the Bonus?  Read on...

As it has been the past ten years, the Conference Wins is the Bonus Prize (as detailed below) (aka, Bonus1). However, if no one wins it, the Bonus2 takes effect and the entry who is closest to the Total Points in Final tiebreaker gets the Bonus Prize. This is the 11th year we have used this Bonus to give hope to those who get eliminated early as only those who do not finish in the top 6 will be eligible to win. Rules follow below...

Bonus1 - Winningest Conference

When you completed your online entry and saw your picks (to print out), some of you might have been wondering what the heck "Winningest Conference(s): ?? | Wins: #" meant. And thus, subliminally, you were also picking which conference would get the most wins in the tournament and how many wins that conference would get via your direct picks. Neat, eh? So that output, which in my case (The Fabone XX), says "Winningest Conference(s): ACC | Wins: 11", means that by the way I picked my bracket (and don't laugh... or do), the ACC conference will get the most wins with 11. 

The rules of how to win this Bonus Prize is as follows:

1. First Four wins do not count 
2. The top 6 finishers are not eligible (so no double-dipping)
3. Ties broken by championship final score total
4. If there is *still* a tie, money is split
5. If 2 (or more) conferences tie for the most wins, both (or all) conferences must have been picked correctly
6. If entry has 2 or more conferences tied for most wins, only one must be correct to win (e.g. entry picks Pac 10 and Big 12 with 11 wins a piece and the Big 12 ends up winning the most games with 11, then contestant wins)

And, the Bonus Prize is worth $40, which is four years worth of losing brackets. Last year, the Big Ten was the winningest conference with 14 wins. But if no one correctly picks the winningest conference and wins, then the Bonus2 takes effect.

Bonus2 - Total Points in Final

If no one wins the Bonus1, then a second Bonus opportunity takes effect. The entry closest to the "Total points in final" tiebreaker wins the $40. In order to reward better play, the tiebreaker is the higher placement in the final pool standings.

The rules of how to win this Bonus Prize is as follows:

1. The top 6 finishers not eligible (so no double-dipping)
2. "Closest" can be above or below actual total (if actual is 144, 143 & 145 are both 1 point away)
3. Ties broken by highest placement (i.e., point total) in final pool standings
4. If there is *still* a tie, money is split

Prize Breakdown

We are officially at 138 entries ($1,380). So, here is the official prize breakdown: 

1st Place = $555.00
2nd Place = $290.00
3rd Place = $195.00
4th Place = $140.00
5th Place = $ 95.00
6th Place = $ 65.00
Bonus Prize =$ 40.00 

Bonus1 Prize Analysis

What this means is that of the 34 entries that were eliminated from the top 6 prizes, 17 entries are back into play! So 101 of 138 entries still have a chance for Bonus1 (which is not as bad as 2010 where only 9 of 117 were alive for Bonus1). 

If you don't have your bracket, then go to the "For the Record" page and pick your nickname from the drop down box. Because of the First Four, what you see might change (since the SEC's Tennessee won the First Four game you'd have to add your predicted Tennessee wins to your total) so go to the Bonus page for your official picks. Remember that the First Four wins do not count in the Winningest Conference calculation (that is why the SEC only shows 6 wins below where it really has 7 due to Tenn's First Four win and the ACC only shows 5 wins but really has 6 due to NC State's First Four win). Right now, of the 8 conferences represented in the Sweet 16, 6 conferences have a chance to get or share the most number of wins:

           Teams  Curr  Max Poss
Conf.      Left   Wins  Wins
-------    -----  ----  --------
Pac12        3     7     15
Big10        3     6     15
SEC          3     6^    14
Big12        2     6     13
AAC          2     5     12
ACC          1     5^     9
x-Atl10      1     3      7
x-MWC        1     2      6
    x-Eliminated  ^-Tenn/NC St. win in First Four does not count

Conf.    Teams Left (2nd Rnd W-L, 3rd Rnd W-L)
-----        ----------
Big10   MICHIGAN, MICHIGAN ST, WISCONSIN (3-2, 3-0)
Pac12   UCLA, STANFORD, ARIZONA (4-2, 3-1)
SEC     FLORIDA, TENNESSEE, KENTUCKY (3-0, 3-0)
AAC     LOUISVILLE, UCONN (3-1, 2-1)
Big12   BAYLOR, IOWA ST (4-3, 2-2)
ACC     VIRGINIA (4-2, 1-3)

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