Sunday, March 21, 2021
Issue # 4.2.1 "Sister Jean to Sweet 16"
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DREAMING THROUGH AN UPSET, CA (smt)- So this was the morning I was going to sleep in, after working most weekends the past month, to get some good REM sleep.  I mean, #1MW-Illinois was the first game.  So if my phone was buzzing, I didn't hear it.  Woke up and saw #1MW-Illinois was upset by fellow Illinois-team #8MW-Loyola Chicago.  And not really close at all, never letting the Illini get closer than 7 in the second half.  Sister Jean apparently gave a pre-game speech and magic happened.  The Ramblers were a top 10 team by statistics, which no one believed, and thus made an 8 seed.   They now get #12MW-Oregon St who withheld several rallies by #4MW-Oklahoma St to keep the Pac 12 perfect (6-0, 7-0 including First Four).  Elite 8?  We'll see.

Two other double-digits seeds advanced with #11MW-Syracuse nearly blowing a late 9 point lead to beat #3MW-West Virginia (battle of the 900 win coaches) and #15S-Oral Roberts overcoming an 11-point deficit with under 10 minutes left to stun #7S-Florida.  Oral Roberts becomes just the second #15 seed in the Sweet 16 (Florida Gulf Coast '13).  #10MW-Rutgers nearly joined them but blew a 9-point lead with under 5 minutes left as #2MW-Houston scored the last 7 points of the game (making just one shot, 5 points on free throws) in losing by 3.  Rutgers did the "prevent defense" which took them out of their rhythm, trying to hold the ball before the shot clock ran out, scoring just two points in the final 4:55.

#3S-Arkansas nearly blew a 13-point lead with 9 minutes left and an 8-point lead with 4 minutes left to hold off #6S-Texas Tech by two points.  Texas Tech missed a front end of a one-and-one down by one and missed two layups in the final minute.  Meanwhile, #1S-Baylor and #5S-Villanova won easily.  The Big 10 lost three more teams (Illinois, Wisconsin, Rutgers), leaving them with just 3 (Michigan, Iowa, Maryland) (started with 9 before First Four).  The Big 12 also lost three teams (Oklahoma St, Texas Tech, West Virgina), leaving them with just two (Alabama, Arkansas) (started with 7).

In the pool, License to ILL still leads with 61 points but lost his champ Illinois, as did 28 other entries.  112 had Illinois in their Final Four.  MROSEN3 and Ormonde1 got 4 right to move into a tie for second (60).  But it was Pride of Troy (moved from 24th-T to 4th-T (59) and Suznana (moved from 112th-T to 31st-T (53)) who got a high 5 of 8 correct.  Four got just 1 of 8 correct but it is still Go Beach! (got 3 correct) who remains in last with 33 points.  Oral Roberts was the first team everyone missed while 38 picked Villanova, 7 picked Oregon St, 7 picked Syracuse, and 4 picked Loyola Chicago.  Just three top 4 teams won today (3-5).

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 or Discord server.  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.). 

   Tids & Bits -  I really don't have to say it, but Swamp Lockdown (31st-T, 53) lost his champ Florida, who he picks to win every year; Cloak (31st-T) lost champ Texas Tech... Mrs Meghan&Mr Meghan (12th-T, 56) can get the highest total points (158) if all goes right while Cloak (31st-T) and Dagger (46th-T, 52) both can only get can only get a max of 76... Slamjam51 1 is tied for 8th (57) but can only get a max of 115 pts while last place Go Beach! can get 121... Florida shot 55% but only made 3 baskets in the last 9 1/2 minutes and had 20 turnovers... Oral Roberts shot more 3-point attempts than 2-pt attempts (30 to 27)... this is the 3rd time in our pool era Syracuse has made the Sweet 16 as a #10/#11 seed (#10 in '16, #11 in '18), all coming from the Midwest Regional... despite being 145 miles apart, the last time Illinois played Loyola Chicago was 2011 but the 2nd time Loyola Chicago has beaten Illinois in the tourney (Elite 8 '63 en route to the state's only title)... Baylor won by 13 but were nearly identical in stats - both 25/55 from the field (45.5%), both made 8 threes, both had 7 offensive rebounds -- but the difference was Baylor had 10 less turnovers (14 to 4). six more steals (6 to 0), and shot 16 more free throws (23 to 7)... my daughter (a 3rd grader) (Banana Corn (70th-T, 50)) started to deviate from chalk this round and got Loyola Chicago and nearly got Texas Tech...

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Monday games?  Will be working...
Scott