Monday, March 18, 2019  **HELP support Boys & Girls Clubs of America (deadline Tue 3:40 pm PDT **
Issue # 1.0.1 "The Silver Age of Brackets"
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CERRITOS/SANTA BARBARA, CA (smt)- The Big Ten got 8 teams in but it was the ACC who was king as #1E-Duke (with sensation Zion (Williamson)), #1S-Virginia, and #1MW-North Carolina (record 17th #1 seed) got the top three #1 seeds.  #1W-Gonzaga, despite losing to #11S-St. Mary's in the WCC final, got the last #1 seed.  The Cavs are back as a #1 seed a year after becoming the first team to lose to a #16 seed (no UMBC in sight this year).  The top 32 ranked teams in the new NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET) made the tourney but so did NET73 St. John's while NET33 NC State did not.  #12S-Oregon's upset of #9MW-Washington in the Pac 12 final likely sent UNC Greensboro (60NET) home.  The ACC and SEC got 7 teams in with the Big 12 (6), AAC (4), Big East (4), and Pac 12 (3) getting at least three teams.  The mid-majors managed to snag seven at-large bids (including the AAC's 3) and almost a eighth (the aforementioned UNCG) in a nice change of pace.  Somehow #9S-Oklahoma (7-12) and #11MW-Ohio St. (9-13) made the tourney with horrible losing conference records.  No sign of UCLA or USC but the #13S-Anteaters of UC-Irvine made it to be our only local team, their 2nd appearance after making it in 2015 also as a 13 seed and nearly knocking off Louisville.  #2E-Michigan St and #2W-Michigan (with the Spartans beating the Wolverines 3 times in 15 days) were both shipped to Hartford but Michigan St got Duke's region due to the fact the regional (Washington DC) is much closer than their normal position as 5th seed in the West (Anaheim).  #7S-Cincy gets to play in the same state (Columbus) with #4MW-Kansas hoping to make the regional in Kansas City.  Streaking MW-Auburn who beat #2S-Tennessee for their first SEC title in 34 years only earned a 5 seed.

Wow, the Selection show brought back memories of a simpler time when all picks were done in just over a half-hour, none of this NBA analyst nonsense of last year,  none of the leaked brackets of the past, none of the dragging out the picks over an hour.   And back on CBS where it belongs.

Our HWCI NCAA Pool is our 25th as we celebrate our silver anniversary.   Last year we had 156 entries, off our record of 178 in 2017.  This is the fifth year we're using the improved web entry (no more java or Mac issues) and despite all the R&D, the entry fee is still $10 (and although we now accept Google Wallet payments, we do not accept Bitcoins, which have fallen on hard times).  Deadline is still 9 a.m. PDT Thursday.  Same point system.  If the winner of any of the First Four changes your mind, 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 Belmont (OVC), Temple (AAC), Arizona St (Pac 12), or St. John's (Big East) wins its First Four game.  Since the Big East and AAC have 4 teams, the Pac 12 with 3, and OVC with 2, it's possible the Winningest Conference could alter slightly, so we your total may be bumped up if you have either of these teams going past the 2nd Round.

We are now on Twitter (@HWCI_Pools).  Please follow!  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 Google Pay's Send Money function and send your $10 (per entry) to "smt0222<at>gmail.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, Bob G  won the pool for the first time in his 20 years but combined with his other two runner-up finishes ('08, '12), he became the first person to top $1,000 in total earnings ($1,020).  He took home $620 getting 3 of 4 correct in the Final Four, both finalists, and picking champ Villanova.  Last year we received 156 entries from a 110 people, the 3rd highest total ever. 

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 22nd. Complete rules and daily pool information can be found on the official site: http://www.HWCI.com/ncaa.

   Tids & Bits - 37 states are represented with Virginia, Texas, and New York having 5 teams and North Carolina and Kentucky having 4 (Florida got 3)... there are two new teams making our tourney for the first time ever (#15MW-Abilene Christian and #16S-Gardner-Webb) with #15S-Colgate making it for the first time since '96 and #16bE-Prairie View A&M since '98... multiple bid conferences:  B10 8, ACC 7, SEC 7, B12 6, AAC 4, BE 4, P12 3, MWC 2, WCC 2, OVC 2, and A10 2... Gonzaga has made the NCAA tournament 21 straight years - despite seeding, the last time the Zags lost in their first game was 2008... Kansas is the only team to be in every one of our pools (30 straight overall, missing 1989 due to probation, extending record (was 27 by UNC '75-'01))... Duke has made the tourney 24 straight years while #2MW-Kentucky has been in a record 59 tourneys... Wisconsin is back after missing the tourney for the first time in 20 years last year... Top seed order: Duke, Virginia, UNC, Gonzaga... #11aE-Belmont (42), #11bE-Temple (43), #11aW-Arizona St (45), and #11bW-St. John's (47) were the last four in... last 4 teams out were UNCG, Alabama, TCU, and Indiana -- and all will get a #1 seed in the NIT (practice was implemented for 2015's NIT)... 14 seeds went 0-4 for the 2nd straight year after having at least 1 win in 3 straight prior years... 13 seeds went 2-2 after going 0-4 3 of prior 4 years... 12 seeds went 0-4 and are struggling after being popular picks early this decade (16-24 past 10 years or 15-17 from '09-'16)... a First Four team has won at least a Round of 64 game in each year thus far (began '11) with 7 of 8 coming from the Wednesday game... there are 353 teams in 32 conferences and still no team in Alaska... 4 teams were ineligible for postseason (Alabama A&M and Florida A&M due to academics, California Baptist and North Alabama making the transition from Division II)... #7MW-Wofford have won 20 straight, #12MW-New Mexico St 19 straight, UCI 16 straight... odds:  Duke 2:1, Gonzaga 5:1, UNC 6:1, and Virginia 8:1; ESPN's College Basketball Power Index (BPI): Virginia 32.8%, Gonzaga 23.6%, Duke 14.7%, Michigan St 7.1%... #16bW-NC Central has won the MEAC 3 straight years and each has only earned them a First Four match (0-2)... #12E-Liberty went on the road and routed UCLA... #3MW-Houston and #6W-Buffalo are both 31-3 while four teams have 15 losses... the Wildcats matchup sees Kentucky and first-timer Abilene Christian...

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25 years of pools, the last 15 with nada ...
Scott