Sunday, March 26, 2023 
Issue # 10.4.2 "This is the Final Four?"
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SEATAC, WA (smt) - Thanks to Delta Airlines, I was able to catch the ending of the #6S-Creighton and #5S-San Diego St game on the plane.  The last SoCal team standing, SDSU benefited from a controversial foul with a 1.2 seconds left in a tie game and managed to hit the 2nd of 2 free throws to win 57-56 to advance to their first Final Four.  It did look like a foul as the defender was beat and the left arm grabbed the shooter while he was in the air.  But was this how the refs were calling the game?  If so, then it's a valid whistle.  The CBS post-game show was a mess trying to describe this and the end of the game (tip out of bounds).

Meanwhile, hot three-point shooting #5MW-Miami only shot 8 (made 2) and yet still rallied from a 13-point deficit with 13 minutes left to shock #2MW-Texas by 7 points (78-71).  Texas shot 50% but Miami shot 59.2% and hit 28/32 (87.5%) free throws.  It's Miami's (of Florida) first Final Four and the Final Four does not have a #1, #2, or #3 seed with three first-timers (plus #9E-Florida Atlantic) and #4W-UConn going for its 5th title.

Marshmallow Melter (27th-Tied, 84 pts) was the only one to get San Diego St and three got Miami (Eggman 1 (34th-T, 83), Fabio (120th-T, 73), Elvis26 (137th-T, 70)) with only the former still alive to win money (6th).  So 190 went 0-2 (average 0.02 wins) with an Elite 8 total of just 0.19 wins, a record low (was 0.26 in 2011).  Overall, 37 went 1-3 and a record 157 went 0-4.  Unless UConn wins the title, this could be the first year no entry picked the correct champion since 1996 and 1997.

So Samurai Jack went 0-2 but remains in first with 103 points and has a 75% (6 in 8) chance to win his 3rd HWCI NCAA pool as long as UConn doesn't win the title.  Otherwise, Jah Lives-2 (3rd, 99) will win the title in the first year.  These two plus March Sadness (4th, 98), PopTop1 (5th, 96), and JessaFish (7th, 91) all will finish in the top 8 money spots.  EMAW (2nd, 101) and Team Samurai (6th, 92) lost Texas as their champ but can still win 2nd and 6th, respectively.  YoHomieLoanMeYoGun (8th-T, 90)  hopes to hold on for a tie for 8th after losing finalist Texas but can be passed by UConn supporters Buccos 2 (8th-T), Honey Badger 2 (10th, 89), and Krispy Seconds (11th, 87), who all picked UConn as their champ.

So those are the 12 entries that can win money by finishing in the top 8.  As for the $40 Bonus, the Big East will be the winningest conference with either 10, 11, or 12 wins, depending how UConn does.  15 entries had the Big East with 10, 11, or 12 wins but it only 14 are eligible since Samurai Jack will win the pool if UConn loses in the final.  Two can win if UConn loses to Miami, two can win if UConn loses in the final, and 10 can win if UConn wins the final.

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   Tids & Bits - Miami's Jordan Miller was perfect from the field (7/7) and the line (13/13)... Miami went on a 22-8 run when down by 13 to go up by 1 with 5:26 left... Creighton shot 40% to SDSU's 37.9% ... of those entries that could have gone 2-0 today, 8 lost both games... just 10 of 62 games were one possession games (3 point margin or less) while 30 were double-digit wins... just 1 overtime game and no buzzer beaters (yet)... UCLA has the largest margin of victory (33) while Kansas St scored 98 points... That's Right is last (34)... 60 had Texas which would have made the pool more interesting but eliminated 6 entries...

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I say "foul" since the defender was beat and had to grab -- if they were parallel or facing each other, it's just a rough play...
Scott