2023 NCAA FINAL @ Houston, Texas - The Floor
The Road Ends Here
#5-South (Seed #17, NET #14, AP #18)	-vs-	#4-West (Seed #13, NET #8, AP #10)
San Diego State University Aztecs (32-6)		University of Connecticut Huskies (30-8)
Mountain West Conference - Regular Season and Tourney Champs San Diego, California 1st Final def #12 College of Charleston 63-57 #13 Furman 75-52 #1 Alabama 71-64 #6 Creighton 57-56 #9E Florida Atlantic 72-71		Big East Conference (4th Place) Storrs, Connecticut 5th Final ('99, '04, '11, '14) def #13 Iona 87-63 #5 Saint Mary's 70-55 #8 Arkansas 88-65 #3 Gonzaga 82-54 #5MW Miami 72-59

Sunday, April 2, 2023 
Issue # 13.5.2 "28 Days of Drama"
[  | | | | Updates | Standings | Possibilities | Bonus ]

FIRESTONE SCOUT RESERVATION, BREA, CA (smt) - If you count the WCC final (March 7) as the first day the madness begins, as that coronates Gonzaga, the first big mid-major to qualify for the tournament, then this Final would be the 28th day of madness.  Appropriate for our 28th HWCI NCAA Pool.

It does seem like the field clears up when #4W-UConn makes the final as other than their first title against heavy favorite Duke in '99, the past three have seen them play lower seeds, even if they were low themselves (e.g., '14 they were #7 but faced a #8).  Hence, UConn is a perfect 4-0 in finals and face lower seed #5S-San Diego St, who have won back-to-back games by one point, the last one on a buzzer beater.  In a rematch of the 2011 Sweet 16, #3W-UConn beat #2W-SDSU 74-67 on its way to its 3rd championship.  UConn will try to win a title in Texas for the 4th straight time, winning in San Antonio (2004), Houston (2011), and North Texas (2014).  Everything is new for San Diego St (never advanced past the Sweet 16) while despite 4 titles since '99, UConn has a hard time getting into the Blue Blood club as they have just made the tournament 4 times since '14, losing twice in the 1st round and once in the 2nd.  A streak of five straight #1 seeds winning the title ends this year with a #4 (only one was Arizona in '97) or #5 (first time) taking it.

UConn has beaten every team by 13 or more points and are thus a 7.5-point favorite over SDSU which have played three one-possession games.  This would be the biggest spread since Duke was favored by 9.5 over... UConn in '99, and we know how that turned out.  The over/under is 133 and SDSU's defense needs to keep it to that to have a better chance.  UConn started the season strong (14-0) and ended it strong (despite the loss in the Big East tourney) while SDSU won both the regular season and MWC tournament.  No superstars in this final and will come down to whose defense shines the most.

With no #1, #2, or #3 seeds left, seven have already clinched money while Spencer C (EMAW) or Roy W (Krispy Seconds) will take the last spot, depending if SDSU or UConn wins.  But we still won't know who will be our 2023 HWCI Pool Champion yet.  An SDSU upset will make Robinson C (Samurai Jack) our first 3-time winner and would do so in his 22nd year and first title since '05 (also won in '01).  Otherwise, it will be Winsome T (Jah Lives-2) winning the pool in their first year, the first time that will happen since 1999 (Lisa F) and the first time anyone has won in their first year since Janette H (3rd) and Billy T (4th) in 2018.  Winsome T would be our 26th different champion in 28 pools.

Robinson C, our 3rd highest money earner (3 wins totaling $805) will add either $130, $185, or $735 to this total.  2006 Champ Ken B (2 wins, $555), who should thank Florida for not making the tourney, will get his 3rd win and 2011 Champ Roy W will hope for his 3rd win ($650).  Besides Winsome T, Jessica H will win for the first time in 7 pools and Spencer C will hope for his first win in 16 pools.  Tim W ($330), Jason R ($155), and Scott D ($75) will pick up their second wins, Tim W doing it back-to-back.

For the $40 Bonus the total points tiebreaker will be the decider.  If SDSU wins (leaving Big East with 11 wins), either Suzanne M will win money for the first time in 20 pools (if total points is 129 or less) or Rod P will win money for the first time in 8 pools (if total pts is 131 or more).  They will split the $40 if the total pts is 130.  If UConn wins (giving the Big East 12 wins), 10 entries can win this with possibilities of 3-way ties (don't know who will get the extra penny if split $13.33 each).  Anything 141 or less will split between Kds911-2 and Kds911-3, but since this is the same person (2019 Champ Tom J ($645)), $40 to him in his 10th pool and he gets credit for 2 wins!  If 167 or more pts, then Saratogastephen (Stephen I, won $225 last year) will win the Bonus in his 7th pool.  The other 7 entries are in the middle.

With all the upsets, this was a banner year for those who entered more than once (since the first real pick was torn up long ago).  Not including the Bonus, just six people have won money on their 3rd entry (128 tries (4.7%)) and just 12 on their 2nd entry (480 tries (2.5%)).  Overall, that's just 18 wins in 480 multi-entries (3.8%) or 18 wins in 680 total 2nd/3rd entries (2.6%).  This year (22 entered twice and 23 entered 3 times), if SDSU wins, 5 of 8 will have won on their 2nd or 3rd entry and if UConn wins, 6 of 8.  And that is why we limit to 3 entries (partially to help you save money (only 2.6% are successful) and partially so we don't get 10 entries with 10 different champions).

More pool excitement is coming in July as the Women's World Cup 2023 will be played in Australia and New Zealand as the USA goes for its 3rd straight title.  The 3rd HWCI Women's World Cup pool will be our 14th soccer pool and we hope to see you there!

		If San Diego State wins...	If Connecticut wins..
Place	Amt	Entry (Name) (Years in Pool-Won)	Entry (Name) (Years in Pool-Won)
1st	$735	Samurai Jack (Robinson C) (22-3 1st '01, 1st '05, 5th '09)	Jah Lives-2
2nd	$370	Jah Lives-2 (Winsome T) (1)	March Sadness
3rd	$250	March Sadness (Ken B)  (23-2 1st '06, 4th '14)	PopTop1
4th	$185	PopTop1 (Tim W) (13-1 2nd '22)	JessaFish -or- Samurai Jack
5th	$130	EMAW (Spencer C) (16)	JessaFish -or- Samurai Jack
6th	$ 95	JessaFish (Jessica H) (7)	Buccos 2
7th	$ 75	Buccos 2 (Jason R) (14-1 4th '16)	Honey Badger 2
8th	$ 60	Honey Badger 2 (Scott D) (7-1 6th '16)	Krispy Seconds (Roy W) (21-2 3rd '05, 1st '11)
Bonus	$ 40	Suznana (Suzanne M) (20) -or- FV Locals (Rod P) (8)	10 tied

 

A little history on our pool...

	In 1995, the first year of the pool, just 12 people entered in a modest effort put forth by HW-UCLA and their close friends. Names like BAD ASS and LIVER BOY graced the pool. Of course, their interest was heightened because UCLA was favored to win it all. Indeed, 10 of 12 picked UCLA while 2 picked Kentucky. This pool featured the infamous LOSER WHO DIDN'T PICK UCLA (Dennis K) who went (broken in '19) with a 14-2 2nd Round to go from tied for 9th to tied for 1st before going 0-7 in the final 3 rounds to finish dead last (12th) with 98 points. TINA'S BOY (Mark C) became the first person to be eliminated when the 2nd round ended. He was, however, one of only 3 people (all in 1995) to correctly pick the two teams in the final and the champion prior to 1999. BIX PIX (Fernando B, 1st, 148) and MR. NELSON (Nelson B, 2nd, 146) were the other two and claimed the top two spots, winning $70 and $30, respectively. THE MIGHTY MOBELFAKTA (Dave F, 3rd, 141) claimed third prize worth $20. All but one finished with 110 points or more, the highest scoring pool ever (130.6 avg).
	In 1996, 19 people participated in the pool. Without the HW-UCLA guys picking nicknames, we had some boring stuff like JAMES, JOSEPH, and HEATHER. That year, the total points tiebreaker was first used to settle ties. A newcomer, JAYBIAN (Jason S, 1st, 144) rode Kentucky to a first place prize of $110. He also set a record going 8-0 for the 3rd round and never looked back. BIX PIX TWEY (Fernando B, 5th, 129), hoping to duplicate last year's effort, fell short of winning money thanks to his loyalty to UCLA. JOSEPH (Joseph K, 2nd, 140) and JAMES (James L, 3rd, 139) won $50 and $30, respectively. Six picked Kentucky that year with just as many picking UCLA (who lost to Princeton in the first round- ouch!). This was the first year someone entered twice (Dave F) and ended up 11th (REALISTIC MOBELFAKTA, 113) and 16th (THE MIGHTY MOBELFAKTA, 106). THE MIGHTY MOBELFAKTA and HATE THE DUCKS (Mark C, 12th, 112) became the 2nd and 3rd people to go 0-for-the- Final-Four. HATE THE DUCKS had a 64% chance of winning money heading into the 4th round, and 0% chance after. THE CHEF (Douglas H, 19th, 80) set an all-time low in points for a pool at the time.
	In 1997, the first real debate on whether to raise the pool fee to $20 from $10 was raised. Fortunately, it was defeated in a vote. But, three people did plunk down $20 to enter twice as 22 entries were received in the third annual pool. Like Dave F before them, the three people went moneyless (Tuan H- RODERICK (15th, 97) and RHODES (14th, 97); Alvin K- BAD ASS I (4th, 111) and BAD ASS II (18th, 93); and Dennis K- LENNY (6th, 107) and DUKE (12th, 99)). This was also the first year no one picked the correct NCAA champion. Arizona, who usually bowed out in the first or second round, surprised everyone, including Kentucky, in winning the championship in overtime. The #4-SE seed beat three # 1 seeds, the first time that's happened. Twelve had picked Kansas and four North Carolina, neither which made the championship game. MAX (Sean D, 1st, 116) bounced back from a 15th place finish the year before to win the $125 top prize. The Selander brothers took 2nd (Brian S, THE FLYING ELVI, 115) and 3rd (Jason S, JAYBIAIN II, 113) for $60 and $35, respectively. Jason S became the first person to win money twice (1st in 1996). Todd S. (FRODO, 5th, 109) became the first person to lead going into the Final Four and end up with nothing. Just half (11 of 22) finished 100 points or higher.
	In 1998, a record 28 entries tried their luck. ANNA COME LATELY (Anna C, 1st, 126), the last entry we received, seemed like the least likely to win, picking a Utah over UCLA final. Well, Utah surprised the 27 other entrants (no one else even had them in the Final Four) and gave ANNA COME LATELY the record top prize of $150. James L became the 2nd person to win twice taking the $70 second place prize (CAVEMAN, 2nd, 113) while THE FABONE (Scott T, 3rd, 110) won money for the first time in four tries to take home $40. For the first time, a 4th place prize was created and that went to SCOTTMAN (Scott H, 4th, 108), which was also the first time the tiebreaker played a part in the top spots as he won the 4-way tie for 4th place. With Kentucky's rally and win over Utah in the final, this was the 2nd straight year no one picked the champion. Sixteen pegged UNC while five hoped for an Arizona repeat. UTHOPE (Donald G, 24th, 92) became the 4th person to go 0-7 in the last three rounds. ANNA COME LATELY's 13-point win was the largest margin of victory ever (still stands today). Tuan H once again entered twice with the same results- no money (STRAIGHT BUTTER, 10th, 106 and EN FUEGO, 13th, 104) extending the drought for dual entries to 0-for-5.
	In 1999, a record 36 entries (18 NCAA pool newcomers, 13 pool newcomers if you include those who participated in the World Cup Pool) were received with two dual entries (Scott T- THE FABONE V and FREE FABONE and Gareth M- CARSERONI and MAJERUS FOR SDSU). This was the first year the referral program was in effect (free entry for 5 referrals). Mark C (DARKSHARK) became the first person to go 0-for-7 in the Final Four twice (1996). SHARY BOBBINS (Lisa T, 1st, 146) and CARSERONI (Gareth M, 3rd, 120) became the 12th and 13th different people to win HWCI NCAA pool money. Scott T (FREE FABONE) and Gareth M (CARSERONI) broke a streak of winless dual entries with a 2nd and 3rd Place finish in one of their entries. James L (BIG GAME, 5th, 117) bid to go 3-for-3 in winning money came falling down with Duke's stunning loss. Three of four people who picked UConn (29 picked Duke) to win it all won money. Rob C (LUIS ENRIQUE'S ARMADA, 11th, 113) became the first person to pick the correct champion and lose out to someone who didn't (where the correct champion was picked). Fernando B (BIG SPIDER BECK, 4th, 118) had just a 4 in 132 chance to win money and took 4th, his second winning entry ever. Loretta A (TRUE BRUIN, 36th, 67) finished with all-time record low in points.
	In 2000, a record-tying 36 entries once again tried their luck as 14 newcomers entered. Sam N (MORALES' MOUNDS, 122 pts) became the sixth different champion after finishing 26th and 31st in the previous two years. He became the first person to either be tied or in the lead after each of the six rounds. After a record breaking first round that saw two people get 30 of 32 first round games correct, the brackets started to fall apart as no one got more than 3 of 8 Sweet Sixteen games correct and eight people went go 0-7 in the Final Four (just six have done so before (117 entries)). Just one #1 and one #2 seed advanced to the Elite Eight. Dave F (THE MIGHTY MOBELFAKTA) returns to the winner's circle with a 2nd Place finish. Scott T (THE FABONE VI) won money for a record third straight pool. Beth S (BETHEON, 36th, 62) shattered the all-time low in points. Fourteen people pegged Michigan St. as the correct champion. Craig E (CRAIGS99) won 4th place in his first pool.
	In 2001, a record shattering 59 entries were received by 53 people (21 new people). Robinson C (TEAM SAMURAI) won the biggest prize ever of $280 after finishing 3rd to last (34th) last year. He entered three times and it worked. Three others (Scott T, Mike K, Fernando B) went winless in both of their entries after the last three people to enter twice won money (3-8 overall for those with 2 entries; Robinson is the first 3-time entry-er). Sam N (B-S FC), last year's pool champion, and Dylan R (DYLAN) become just the 3rd and 4th people to not get at least half the games correct. Four people went 0-7 in the Final Four (just 18 people have done so out of 212 entries) with Donald G (UTHPOPE) doing it for the second time (Mark C is the only other person with this dubious distinction). On the flip side, two people (BINGO and PEEPS) became the first-ever entries to predict all four Final Four teams correctly. Eleven different teams were picked to be the champion with 18 picking Stanford, 15 Duke, and 8 Arizona. In addition to Robinson C, Lisa F (ARMIN TAMZARIAN) won for the 2nd time. Bing F (BINGO) took 3rd in his second try and Sam P (JAYHAWK FC) took home 4th. The top 13 finishers all had Duke winning it all.
	In 2002, a record breaking 80 entries were received. A hefty 80 entries from 71 people including 29 new people and 42 returnees. Seven people entered twice and one person entered 3 times but only Scott T managed to take home something, his first pool title in 8 years (THE FABON8ER) and largest take ever, $400, giving him a lifetime total of $590 and his 4th win (1st, 2nd, 2 3rd place finishes). Jeff H (RANDOM PICKS) had the largest 1st and 2nd round leads ever (4 and 7 pts) and most pts after 2 rounds (90) but had to settle for 2nd. Ann B. (LITTLE ANN) and Paul N. (KAIZEN) took 3rd and 4th, with the 4th Place prize of $70 matching our first ever 1st Place prize of $70 in 1995. In reference to quantity does not equal quality, Gabriel T (GOBAY) and Dan H (HENDO) shattered records for lowest point total (49) and worst 2nd round (3-13). Gabriel also set records for worst 2nd Round Saturday (1-7), worst record in 3rd round (0-8), worst record in last 4 rounds (0-15). HENDO set a record for least wins (22) and lowest point total after 2 rounds (45). Eight people failed to get half the games right (just 4 in previous 7 pools) and eight went 0-7 in the last 3 rounds (just 18 in previous 7 pools). 22 entries chose Duke to win it all but all four winners (out of 17) correctly chose Maryland.
	In 2003, with the War in Iraq looming that week, 63 valid entries (including a record 47 returnees) from 58 people were received, our second highest total. With some complaints that four prizes weren't enough, we instituted our first-ever Bonus Prize of $40 to the entry who picked the Winningest Conference and number of wins correctly. This allowed 21 extra entries with a chance for money heading into the Final Four. Scott T (THE FABO9ERS) won the prize (11th, 110), his fifth win, pushing his lifetime total to $630 by winning the tiebreaker of those who had the Big 12 with 14 wins. Four people entered twice and none won anything. Cliff T became the first person to enter twice and have both of his entries eliminated after the 2nd Round. Darryn B (BIG LUTHER), in his second pool, took home the first place prize of $280, our 9th different pool champion. John S (MR. WIZARD) and Quang P (KRIMSONGUARD) took home 2nd and 3rd, respectively, their first-ever wins, and the 23rd and 24th different people to win money. Catrina B (BLUEBERRY) had a record-setting perfect first day (16-0) but eventually lost her last 14 games and 26 of the last 31 games to finish in 62nd place. John B (BLOOMERS123) also went 16-0 on the first day but finished 27th. Twelve teams were picked to win it all but the overwhelming choices were Kentucky (32 entries) and Arizona (13) but neither team made it to the Final Four. For the first time since the pool started, 3 #1 seeds lost in the Elite 8, and for the second time, no #1 seed was in the Final. With that disaster Elite 8 round, a record 26 entries went 0-for-the-Final Four, matching the previous eight-year combined total of 26 (in 292 entries). No one had more than 2 Final Four teams correctly picked. Robinson C (TEAM SAMURAI, 63rd, 72) became the 13th entry to not get more than half the games correct. Fern B (GALAXY, 5th, 117) missed money by one point and became just the 2nd entry to get the correct champion (Syracuse) and lose to someone who didn't pick the champion (in years where the correct champion was picked). To add insult to injury, Fern also picked the tiebreaker correctly (which means with one extra point he would have won 4th), just the third person to do so.
	In 2004, our 10th anniversary, the pool bounced back and 79 entries were received from 70 people (7 dual entries, 1 3-entries), including a record 54 return entries. Once again, none of the 8 people who entered multiple entries won money. Six different people led after each of the first four days before Bing F (BINGO) took over after Rounds 3 and 4. However, after Round 5, Jeff H (RANDOM PICKS) took the lead pushing Bing F to no higher than 3rd and in the end, became just the second person to lead going into the Final Four and wind up moneyless. For the first-time ever, the pool champion was not crowned after Round 5 and we had to wait until after Monday's game to find out who our Pool champion would be. It was Rick F (FABIO) who took home the $370 top prize and became our 10th different champion. Rick F and Darius B (OMG), who took 2nd Place, were our 25th and 26th different persons to win money. Dave F (THE MIGHTY MOBELFAKTA) took 3rd, his 3rd win ever (total: $230). Jeff H took the 4th place prize of $80, his second win, pushing his win total to $280. Jeff H was also just the third person to ever snatch a money spot away from someone who picked the correct champion (he had Kentucky) beating David S (SHRINER, 5th) by one point. After eight winless years, Mike B. (BUCKEYE MIKE) finally won something, taking home the $40 Bonus Prize as the ACC was the Winningest Conference with 14 wins. Fourteen different teams were picked to win it all, but 2 of the top 3 didn't make it to the Sweet 16 (Stanford (21) and Kentucky (12)). Duke (16) lost in the Semis but eventual champion UConn was picked by 11. Despite only one #1 seed making the Final Four, 17 entries got 3 of the 4 teams correct. Three entries got less than 32 games correct (16 overall). Twelve went 0-for-the-Final-Four (64 overall). A record 5 people got the tiebreaker exact (just happened three times before).
	In 2005, the start of our second decade, 82 entries from 73 people (both records) were submitted, including a record 65 returnees. Of the eight who entered at least twice, two won money.  Robinson C became the first two-time HWCI NCAA Pool champion ('01) winning with his FLIP FIGHTERS (140 pts) entry (his 2nd of 3 entries) and taking home a record-tying $400, giving him a grand total of $680 (record) over six years (16 total entries).  Roy W entered twice and won with his first entry, KRISPY KREMER, finishing 3rd in his 4th try.  First-time online entry Paul T (HOOPGURU) took home 2nd and Patrick N (KING KLITSCHKO) took home 4th, winning a 3-way tiebreaker, in his third try.  All four entries (Robinson's 1st entry won last time) were first time winners (the last time this happened was in 1996) and all four correctly picked UNC.  The three big teams from the ACC (UNC (19), Duke (11), and Wake Forest (8)) were picked by a combined 38 entries compared to the 27 who picked Illinois to win it all. Wake Forest was the only team picked unanimously to go to the Sweet 16, and of course, they failed to do so. With Duke losing in the Sweet 16, that allowed the Big 10 to have the most conference wins and for the first time, no one won the Bonus Prize. That allowed the top 4 prizes to increase, satisfying the winners. A record nine entries were still alive going into the Final and for the second straight year, the pool champ was undecided. Also, for the first time, not one entry was guaranteed money (only Chuck H's ACE OF SPADES could win in either case but could lose on a tiebreaker, which he did (lost 3-way tie for 4th) going into the Final). Despite just eight top seeds making the Sweet 16 and three making the Elite 8, a record 20 still managed to pick the final two teams (just 25 in 434 previous entries). Four entries were below .500 (20 overall) and four went 0-for-the-Final-Four (68 overall).
	In 2006, our website was down for almost 21 hours but that didn't stop us from receiving a record 85 entries from a record 77 people (and a record 71 entries were returnees).  The Big East had a record 8 teams in the tourney but only UConn (39) and Villanova (4) were picked to win it all.  Duke (19) and hometown UCLA (9) also were favorites.  For the second straight year, none of the record-tying nine entries were guaranteed to win money and for the third straight year, the champion was not crowned after the semifinals. Taking home a record $415 was Ken B (GATORS NEVER CHOKE) in his seventh try.  Other first-time winners included Jake P (LORENZO MATA) and John C (JINX) who took home $200 and $140, respectively.  Pat N (AGENT 86 OF CONTROL) won 4th place for the second straight year ($95) becoming just the 10th multiple winner in our pool (total: $185).  No one won the Bonus for the second straight year as the SEC (13), not the Big East, won the most games.  For the first time, no #1 seed made the Final Four but five still managed to pick 2 of the 4 teams.  However, a record 41 went 0-for-the-Final-Four (just 68 previously) (all-time low average of 0.58 of 4 teams) and nine were below .500 (29 overall).  An all-time low average of just 90.8 points were won by our players.
	In 2007, travel interrupted Scott & Dave in not getting the site ready until early Monday, but a record 98 entries from a record 83 people (and a record 72 return entries) came pouring in, including 58 on Wednesday alone.  This was the year of records as seven of the top 8 teams made the Elite 8.  Van P (VAN&SAM) set records for most points (166) and wins (55) and just missed a perfect Last 15 (perfect Elite 8 onward).  She is the rare champion who won despite not picking the NCAA winner because she had such a huge lead (the other three winners had Florida as their champ).  She won the first place prize of $450 before the Final , snapping a streak of three years where the winner wasn't known before the Final.  Ann B (THAI SPICE) took 2nd ($230) for her second win and has won a grand total of $360.  Troy B (SNOOP'S DOGS) won for the first time (six years) in taking 3rd place ($155).  Don C (DC944) returned for the first time in three years and won 4th ($105).  A record-tying 17 entries were still alive going into the Final Four.  Four entries had a perfect Elite 8 (just one before) and six had a perfect Final Four (just two before), and 17 had a perfect Final Two, but only VAN&SAM was perfect in all three.  The top two picks were Ohio St. (31 picks) and Florida (13) and both made the Final.  The pool entrants set records for the best 3rd (70.8%) and 4th rounds (56.6%) ever.  For the first time since 1996, the average points went above 110 (121.9).  On the other side, four went 0-for-the-Final-Four.  The Bonus was tweaked to add a Bonus2, so that someone will win the Bonus Prize of $40 but for the first time in three years, someone correctly picked the Winningest Conference and wins (Wendy B (BUCKEYE23) which was the SEC with 11 wins.
	In 2008, we didn't have a website for almost six months as we lost our free hosting and now had to pay for a server.  We got the web up at the end of February and added a blog.  We received a record 101 entries from a record-tying 83 people.  Amazingly, 80 of the 101 entries were return entries.  We had a record 3 people have triple entries and a record 12 dual entries.  We started off strong with 39 entries at the end of Tuesday (including a record 19 on Monday) before slowing down to just beat last year's total of 98.  Doug H (JUNO INO) became the first person to have a Perfect Final Four twice, and he did so in back-to-back years.  With all 4 #1 seeds making the Final Four for the first time (which helped set a record of 2.52 wins in the 4th Round), a record 12 went 4-0 in the Elite 8 and 24 people were still in the running for money after the Elite 8.  This was partially helped by the new addition of a 5th place prize (since we had 100+ entries).  The top two #1 seeds were UCLA (44 picked to win it all) and UNC (30) but both lost in the semifinals.  Kansas' amazing comeback win helped Cliff T (BELUCKY2) become the first person to ever get a perfect Last-7 (all four Final 4 teams + both finalists + champ).  The overtime added 17 points (total: 143) which was enough to give Bob G (COBI'S DAD) the tiebreaker and 2nd place ($220) over Doug H (JUNO INO) who took 3rd ($150). The top 3 winners are all first-time winners (Cliff & Bob's 1st wins in 10 pools; Doug's 1st in five pools). Don C (DC944) won 4th place ($100) for the second straight year (total: $205 in 3 pools) winning the tiebreaker over Jeff H (U BETTA BELIEVE IT), who won for the 3rd time (total: $340 in 6 pools) in taking our first-ever 5th place prize ($60). Three of the 7 who picked Kansas won money.  The Jayhawk win gave the Big 12 12 wins for theWinningest Conference title for the second time since 2003. Four people were eligible for the $40 Bonus Prize which was won by Robby D (ARBEDYTHREE), also a first-time winner (4th year).  Jake P (QUICKPICK MCGRAW) became the 114th entry to go 0-for-the-Final-Four and is the only entry to ever tie or have the lowest win total in each of the six rounds.  This was the third straight year the NCAA Champ has come out of the Midwest Regional.
	In 2009, our 15th anniversary, we got a new look for the web, integrating our blog with our homepage, which delayed the brackets until just past midnight Sunday.  We also created a HWCI NCAA Facebook group and a person to connect with, Hwci Ncaa.  Despite the dour economy (or maybe because of it), we got 114 entries (91 return entries) from 98 people, all records.  We started off slow with just 25 entries at the end of Tuesday but then we had a record 62 entries submitted on Wednesday and another record 27 on Thursday.  The Big East got a record 3 #1 seeds and a record 5 in the Sweet 16 but none made it to the Final.  However it was the non-Big East #1, UNC, which led the way with 36 picking the Tar Heels to win with 3 picking Michigan St.  Twenty-one picked Louisville, 18 picked Pitt, and 14 picked Memphis as 3 of the 13 teams chosen to win it all.  For the first time, at least one entry went perfect on the first day of the 1st Round (Buckeye Mike (Mike B)), the first day of the 2nd Round (21 tied), the first day of the 3rd Round (2 tied), and the first day of the 4th Round (5 tied).  Also, two went 2-0 in the 5th Round and 36 picked the correct champ.  Rainman (Ford R) became just the 6th entry to have a Perfect Elite 8 and Bizarro Larzby (Lawrence M) became just the 21st entry to have a perfect Final Four.  Bizarro Larzby used a perfect Final Four to claim the HWCI NCAA Pool title (his first money spot in 6 tries) ($495) and our 14th different champion in the 15 years of the pool. He also won with his 2nd entry, just the third time this has happened.  Buckeye23 (Wendy B) won 2nd, her 2nd win (Bonus in '07).  AC (Adam C, 1st year) won 3rd ($170), Rainman (2 years) won 4th ($115), and Buckeye Mike (14 years, $40 bonus in '04) won 5th ($70).  Shake N' Bake (Kevin T) won the $40 Bonus by guessing the Big East with 17 wins and being just two points off the total points in final (161) tiebreaker, his first time in the money in 4 tries.  North Carolina won for the second time in 5 years.  The average number of wins for the 2nd Round was 12.1 shattering the previous high of 11.1 in 1995.
	In 2010, our Sweet 16th, thanks to people who found us on the web to amazingly increase our number of entries to 117 (91 return entries submitted by 93 people).  We got an entry on Sunday for the first time since 2005 and got a record 23 entries on Tuesday and 33 on Thursday morning.  The Big East got 8 teams in but only one made the Elite 8.  Just four of eight top seeds made the Elite 8 (with overall #1 Kansas, picked by a record 64 entries, losing in the 2nd Round, #1 Kentucky, picked by 23, losing in the Elite 8, and #1 Syracuse, picked by 8, losing in the Sweet 16).  Only #1S-Duke made the Final and just beat mid-major Horizon League champ #5W-Butler in the ultimate David vs. Goliath clash.  No one picked more than 2 Final Four teams, only 22 picked Duke to make the Final, and only 4 correctly picked Duke to win it all with three of those winning money (sorry, Scott T).  Blue Devil Blues (Kim B) won money for the first time in 9 years with Duke's victory and became our 4th female champion ($500).  She was our 15th champion in 16 years. You're My Boy Blue (Joe D) won money (2nd, $255) for the first time in 7 years.  Hummeless (Kevin J) won money (4th ($120)) for the first time in 8 years.  Eros (Cynthia S) won money (3rd, $175) for the first time in 3 years and FOMI (Sam N) (1st '00, $260, 13 years) edged out Deemed to Win (Scott T) (3rd '98 ($40), 2nd '99 ($90), 3rd '00 ($60), 1st '02 ($400), Bonus '03 ($40), 16 years) in the tiebreaker to win 5th.  Sam N is the only winner who submitted more than one entry (18 submitted 2 entries and 3 tried the max 3) .  Has No Idea (Van P who won in '07) won the Bonus2 by exactly getting the total points in final as no one got the Winningest Conference (Big12/Big10/ACC with 9).  A record 56 went 0-for-the-Final-Four (188 total).  A record-low was set with the average number of wins (35.1) and points (89.3).
	In 2011, the NCAA tried to throw a monkey wrench in the whole pool experience by expanding the the tourney to 68 teams and creating the First Four. So we kept the pool the same and created a First Four for Charity contest won by David A in which Scott personally donated $60 of the $100 to the American Red Cross to support the recovery efforts of the devastating South Asia earthquake and tsunami.  Despite the dour economy for the third straight year, our number of entries jumped to a record 125 (a record 107 return entries (shattering the previous record by 16) submitted by 97 people). We got a record 25 entries on Tuesday and the pace continued.  The Big East got a record 11 teams in but only one made the Elite 8. No #1 or #2 seeds made the Final Four for the first time ever with top picks Ohio St. (picked by 41) losing in the 3rd Round and Kansas (picked by 34) losing in the Sweet 16 (4th round).  #3W-UConn beat #8SE-Butler who loses to a Goliath in the final for the second straight year.   Krispy Kremer (Roy W) is our 16th different champion in 17 years for his 2nd win (3rd '05). The Mighty Mobelfakta (David F) finished 2nd for his 4th win (3rd '95, 2nd '00, 3rd '04).  Craig (Craig S),  TheLakeShow (Sam S), and MB Camel Jockies (Ted J) won 3rd, 4th, and 5th for their first wins ever.  BINLADEN (Charles D) won for the first time win taking our first-ever 6th place prize.  This is the 6th time in the past 8 years that the Pool winner was decided in the final.  As for the Bonus, the Big East won the Winningest Conference with 13 wins giving For Narnia (Blakeley H) his first-ever money spot.  The Downtown Fiction (Paul T) tied a high set in 2000 by going 30-2 in the 2nd Round (used to be called the 1st Round).  PFC Bradley Manning (Nelson P) tied a low set in '02 & '05 by going 0-for-the-Elite-8 and set a new record by losing his last 16 games (previous 15 done twice).  Craig is the first person since '06 (when #3-Florida met #2-UCLA) to not get a Finalist correct and win money and the first-ever to go 0-for-the-Final-Four and win money. A record 94 went 0-for-the-Final-Four (282 total).  A record-low was set with the average number of wins (34.5) and points (84.2).
	In 2012, we had the 17th different champion in 18 years as Quinnsanity (Quinn D), a 12-year-old, took home the crown in his 5th year in the pool.  For the 9th straight year we saw the number of entries increase starting off strong (record 21 by end of Monday) and ended strong (record 37 received on Thursday).  We received a record 134 entries (a record 115 return entries) from a record 99 people.  Lots of Losers (Bob G) took 2nd ($280), his second win (2nd in '08 -- same year as the previous Calipari vs Self matchup, $500) in 14 years.  Nwspring 1 (Nicholas S) won 3rd ($190) in his first year of playing.  SlackJaw (Jon J) won 4th ($135), his first win in 10 years (and took almost a year to collect his check!) and Vodka2-It's Not Real (Sam N) took 5th ($90) (1st '00, 5th '10, $350).  Frumunda Mybalz (Andy F), The Wife's Picks (Megan J), Paint Crew (Kevin J, 4th '10), and Hendo (Dan H) all were tied for 6th with Andy (1st win in 15 years) & Megan (1st win in 3 years) winning the tiebreaker, our first-ever split prize (each getting $32.50, less than the Bonus!). Andy's win means Man V (15 years) is our longest playing member without a win. This is the 7th time in the past 9 years that the Pool winner was decided in the final.  60 people have won money in our pools.  Larzby was just the second person to lead (or be tied for the lead) on the first six days but is the first to not finish in the money.  EEChick1400 got the first 15 games correct.  52 picked Kentucky to win it all (a record for the number correct) and more would've picked the second-best team Syracuse, but their big man became ineligible and thus, only 3 ended up picking them.  UNC was picked by 25 and Missouri was picked by 11, but Missouri flamed out in their first game.  The second round saw just an average of 21.0 wins (of 32) (with the second day seeing four record record-lows of 5-11 and 6-10), the 2nd-worst ever (which is more amazing considering 3 went 15-1 on the first day).  Eight went 8-0 on Day 3 while 45 went 4-0 on Day 6.  Only 14 went 0-for-the-Final-Four (296 total) despite just #1 seed making the Final Four.  As for the Bonus, the Big East wins the Winningest Conference with 13 wins (same as last year). SpAva (Linh T) took home the $40, her 1st win in 11 years, by nailing the correct total points.  All in all, 6 first-time winners of the 8 money spots.  We also had our second First Four for Charity contest entered by 26 people and won by Michael C (Swerveman) with a donation of $83 ($52 personally by Scott) going to the Rice Around the Clock team participating in American Cancer Society's Relay for Life-Alhambra.
	In 2013, we had the 18th different champion in 19 years as The Rat Pack (Steve N), took home the crown ($530) and is his 1st win in 8 years.  For the first time in 10 years, we saw the number of entries decrease (131 vs 134) mainly due to the 14-year javascript not working on Apple products and the fact Scott was on a business trip to DC that week and had limited time to respond to questions.  We still got a record 20 entries on Monday and 63 entries on Wednesday though. We received 131 entries (112 return entries) from a record-tying 99 people.  Bwakewey Cubed (Blakeley H) (Bonus in '11, 4 years, both wins on his 3rd entry), Shake N' Bake (Kevin T) (Bonus in '09, 8 years), and Poolraider (2nd in '05, 9 years) (Paul T) claimed 2nd ($275), 3rd ($185), and 5th ($90).  Flying Ace (Byron W) (14 years) and Lastminute (Van P) (1st in '07, Bonus '10, 11 years) claimed 4th ($130) and 6th ($65) with Louisville's win.  This is just the 3rd time in the past 10 years that the Pool winner was decided before the final.  63 people have won money in our pools.  Macie's Mom (who also went 15-1 on the 1st day) was leading after 3 days but then went a worst 2-6 on Day 4 and eventually was 1 of 38 to go 0-for-the-Final-Four (334 total). Sisyphus69 won the first 13 games.  Belucky2 tied a record-low going 1-7 on Day 3 (8th to do so).  9 went 1-7 in the Sweet 16. In a tourney with no clear favorite (and where the AP #1 was relegated to the 4th #1 seed), Indiana was picked by 33 and Louisville by 32 with Kansas, Duke, and Gonzaga getting 10 each and Michigan among those picked by one.  The Selection Committee gave no respect to the Pac-12 but both of the conference's #12 seeds won and 2 teams went to the Sweet 16.  The Atlantic 10 went 6-0 in the First Four and 2nd Rounds (1-5 thereafter).  But it was still the Big 10 (7 teams) and Big East (8 teams) who led the charge with the Big 10 edging out the Big East for the Winningest Conference (14 wins) giving BamaG (Greg J) the $40 Bonus.  Just one #1 seed (Louisville) made the Final Four joined by two #4 seeds and a #9 seed. We also had our third First Four for Charity contest entered by 20 people and won by Cliff T (in the pool: Belucky2) with a donation of $103 ($50 personally by Scott and a few others chipping in $53) going to MathWorks, an organization that helps introduce STEM to young boys and girls.
	In 2014, our 20th anniversary, we had our 19th different champion in 20 years as Badzy (Karen F) (2 years) rode UConn and won the record $555 first prize. This was the 8th time in the past 11 years our champion will be decided after the final game.  The pool was like the tournament.  The entries came in on a record pace (record 2 on Sunday, 42 on Tuesday, 60 after Tuesday) before fizzling toward the end but still surpassing the 134 entries in '12 by getting 138 (from a record 104 people), including our first 2 mail-in entries in eons.  In the pool, two (Hawkeye and FC Nordsjaelland) went a perfect 16-0 on Day 1 (the former eventually winning the first 18) but in the end, only 3 people got one Final Four team on Sunday and just one person (Badzy) got a finalist.  Our pool underwent change in that our java applet finally died, years past its end-of-life, as Dave F created the long-awaited new bracket web entry (you can even do it on your phone... and a Mac!) in less than one day, but procrastinating for years.  Hawkeye became the 3rd person to lead (or tied for the lead) for the first six days and will be the 3rd person to not finish 1st.  GoGoGodzilla went 8-0 on Day 3 while AirDingus went 0-8 on Day 4 (a record). First Four Out was just the 4th person to go 0-8 in Elite 8 and was one of 36 to go 0-for-the-Final-Four (370 total).  Bigtenfan2 (Benjamin D) (2 years) (who couldn't pick up any points on the last 5 games), Hawkeye (Randy E) (1 year), Beyond Elite 8 (1st '06, 15 years), and ShivaBlast (Eric F) (4 years) won 2nd ($290)/3rd ($195)/4th (140)/5th ($95). Fabio (Rick F) (1st '04, 12 years) beat out The Downtown Fiction (Paul T) (2nd '05, 5th '13, 10 years) and Wooden-Soldier (Don M) (6 years) in the tiebreaker for 6th ($65). 66 people have won money in our pool.  Only the #1 overall seed Florida made it to the Final Four but they lost to a #7 seed, UConn.  Even more odd, UConn faced a #8 seed in Kentucky and veterans beat freshmen in the Final.  Florida was the overwhelming favorite as 49 picked them, 17 #1 Arizona, 16 Louisville, and 15 Michigan St.  The other #1 seeds Wichita St (the first team to be undefeated heading into the tourney since UNLV in '91) and Virginia only got 8 and 3, respectively.  The SEC only got 2 teams in the first 64 but Tennessee played their way in winning their First Four game and those 3 teams made the Sweet 16 (along with 3 from the Pac 12 and Big 10 and just 2 of 7 teams from the Big 12) as the SEC went 12-3.  Only 11 of those games counted, still making the SEC the winningest conference.  Unfortunately, no one got it right meaning the $40 Bonus was won via the Bonus2, the total points in final.  The low scoring 114 point affair gave the Bonus to Elizabeth (Elizabeth W) (2 years) (117th) who was one off the total (115).  We also had our 4th First Four for Charity contest entered by 22 people and won by Giulio B (not in pool) with a donation of $69 ($44 personally by Scott and a few others chipping in $25) going to Friends of Renee, a committee to help bring awareness to Lyme Disease and raise money for Eric F's (ShivaBlast) friend, Renee, who suffers from the disease.
	In 2015, we had our second repeat champion in 21 years as Big Luther (Darryn B) (1st '03, 14 years) won the record $630 first prize thanks to Duke's win. His grand total of $920 makes him our highest earner to date.  This was the 9th time in the past 12 years our champion will be decided after the final game. Thanks to the new web entry page from the start and streamlined email confirmations, things went smoothly for once.  Like last year, the entries came in on a record pace (record 4 on Sunday, 21 by Tuesday) but this year the pace sustained itself (record 72 on Wednesday and 38 on Thursday morning) surpassing the 138 entries in '14 by getting 161 (from a record 113 people), including our typical (at least for 2 years now) 2 mail-in entries.  A record 37 entered more than once (11 entered 3 times).  We had 23 new people join the pool (record 39 new entries overall), the most since 28 joined in '02.  In the pool, with lower-seeded teams winning 23 straight, a record 6 went 16-0 on Day 2 (Big Blue, Bigtenfan, Ceasefire, HH, LuckyNumberSlevin, The Rebounding Dead) (previously 23 had gone 15-1).  The Flying Elvi won a record 23 straight games and Ceasefire won 22 straight.  Bwakewey 1 went 8-0 on Day 4 (3rd person to do so) while 3 went 8-0 in the Sweet 16 (Big Luther, BobbyCee'sRacer'sEdge, Will I Ever Win This).  Four went 0-for-the-Final-Four (374 total).   PRIDE OF TROY (Patrick N) (4th '05, 4th '06, 12 years), Dance Time Boyz (Stephanie J) (3 years), Will I Ever Win This (Man V) (17 years), Wuk3 (Mike W) (1st year), and Flying Ace (4th '13, 15 years) won 2nd-6th ($330/$225/$170/$125/$80) which knocked out 5 other entries.  72 people have won money in our pool. The most dominating team by far (Vegas made it even money between Kentucky and the other 67 teams), Kentucky was poised to reach perfection at 40-0 but fell two games short.  Kentucky was picked by 90 to win it all (146 of 161 had them in the Final Four) with West Region's Arizona (26) and #1 Wisconsin (18) next.  The other #1 seeds Villanova (9) and Duke (8) got some votes as did Virginia (6).  The Pac 12 got three of its four teams into the Sweet 16 while the Big 10's seven teams went 12-7.  The Big 12 got 7 of 10 teams into the tournament but fizzled at 5-7 while the ACC (6 teams) won their first 11 games and ended up the winningest conference with 17 wins.  22 had a chance to win the Bonus but it was Nwspring (Nicholas S) (3rd '12, 4 years) and Patton (Jonathan P) (4 years) sharing the $40 Bonus, as each had 130 points (1 point off) and the ACC with 17 wins.  We had our 5th First Four for Charity contest entered by 11 people and was won by Kevin T (Shake N Bake) with a donation of $122 ($47 personally by Scott and a few others chipping in $35) going to the Dr. Susan Love Research Foundation for breast cancer research.
	In 2016, we had our 20th different champion in 22 years as JJ (Jonna J) (6 years) won the pool ($595) thanks to Villanova's (picked by just 4 with three getting the top 3 spots) buzzer-beating game-winner.  This is the 10th time in the past 13 years our champion will be decided after the final game. The pace of entries lagged behind from last year and only a record-tying 38 entries on Thursday pushed the total to 149, the first time the entries decreased since '13 (134->131) (no mail in entries this time). We had 14 new people join the pool (19 new entries overall) and 31 entered more than once.  Despite 7 upsets, The Resistance became the sixth person to go 16-0 on the first day and three others 15-1.  35 went 0-for-the-Final-four (409 total).  Buckeye23 (Wendy B) (Bns '07, 2nd '09, 11 years), The Hip-Hopopotamus (Thomas D) (12 years), Buccos 1 (Jason R) (8 years), Larzby (Lawrence M) (1st '09, 13 years), and Honey Badger (Scott D) (1st year) took 2nd-6th ($305/$120/$155/$110/$75) with the latter edging out The Resistance (Scott T) in the tiebreaker for 6th.  Thomas D's win means each of Jane D's sons has won something (Quinn 1st '12, Robby D Bns '08) while she hasn't.  This was the 3rd time Scott T fell short by one slot of the money (4th '95, 6th '10, 7th, '16).  77 people have won money in our pool.  Michigan St was the heavy favorite with 53 picking them to win it all while Kansas was picked by 45 (11 other teams were picked as well).  The ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, and Pac 12 each got 7 teams into the proper 64 but it was the ACC dominating again for the second straight year, with 19 wins with three teams in the Elite 8, including #10-MW Syracuse who was a controversial at-large pick.  The buzzer-beater kept the ACC with 19 wins and Ito (Isabel T) (1st year) won the Bonus as the only one with the ACC with 19 wins (49 had a chance if the ACC had 20 wins in Bonus2). We had our 6th First Four for Charity contest entered by 21 people and was on by Vi P (Luke KAI Walker) who was one of 6 to get all First Four games correct but had the lowest point differential at 45.  A donation of $86.98 ($42 personally by Scott and a few other chipping in $44.98) was sent to Star Wars: Force for Change which inspires kids to make a positive impact through UNICEF's Kid Power.
	In 2017, we had our 21st different champion in 23 years as UNC's win gave Dboyz17 (Greg Z) the title in his 4th year and record $690 win (out of a record $1,780 pot), followed by MarchMindlessness (Eric F (5th '14), 7 years), Alternative Picks (Nelson P, 14 years), Agnes Scheweizhofer (Andy F (6th-Tied '12), 20 years), and Flying Elvi (Brian S (2nd '97, 21 years)).  The 136 total points gave ChasCroix1 (Chuck D, 9 years) the tiebreaker over The Juggernaut (Alex K, 2 years) to win 6th.  Alex K became the first person to win our 7th place prize (for having 165+ entries).  Despite not getting up and running until early Monday morning, the entries were pouring in from the start with a record 26 on Monday and a record 57 on Tuesday (shattering the previous record by 15 ('14)).  Each day ended in record-breaking fashion (26 after Monday, 83 after Tuesday, 145 after Wednesday, 178 after Thursday).  We only had 14 new people in the pool (25 new entries overall) but we had some return after lengthy absences (since '08, 11, 12).  A record 28 entered twice and a record 13 entered three times helping shatter '15's entry record by 17.  With only two upsets, a record 6 finished 16-0 on Day 1 (just six had done so previously).  The Swami eventually won the first 23 games but it was Air Fabone 23 who set a record by winning the first 30 games (picking 6 upsets) and set a record with a 31-1 Round 1.  It was the second straight year Scott T had an entry go 16-0 on Day 1 (and each time finished out of the money).  Quinnsanity became the 7th person to go 16-0 on Day 2 picking all four upsets. 54 went 0-for-the-Final-four (463 total).  The ACC got 9 teams in (only 8 in proper 64 and just one in Sweet 16) and that led people to choose North Carolina (30), Duke (19), or Louisville (5) as their champ.  Defending champ Villanova (28), Gonzaga (25), Kansas (19), Arizona (19), and UCLA (16) also got a lot of votes making this one of the most wide-open pools ever (8 other teams were picked).  With the ACC fizzling out, the SEC and ACC were the winningest conference with 11 wins and no one picked that.  So the Bonus2 was in effect for the first time since '14.  Bigtenfan (Benjamin D (2nd '14, 6 years)) finished off by one point and was the best finisher (32nd) among the 12 entries who were one off to win the Bonus.  81 people have won money in our pool.  We had our 7th First Four for Charity contest entered by 16 people and was won by Craig H who was the only one to get all four games correct.  A donation of  $85.10 ($57 personally by Scott with a few others chipping in $28.10) was made to IEEE Global Humanitarian Technology Conference which focuses on innovation, deployment, and adaptation of technology for humanitarian goals and sustainable development.
	In 2018, we had our 22nd different champion in 24 years (see above) as Philly Eagles Again (Bob G (2nd '08, 2nd '12, 20 years)) won the title before the Final was played, just the fourth time that has happened and first since '13. Bob G's all-time total is $1,020 and becomes our highest earner over Darryn B ($920).  Slamjam51-3 (Ron E, 11 years) won for the first time as did first-timers SacKings4Ever (Janette H) and Billiam (Billy T) to take 2nd, 3rd, and 4th.  BamaG 2 (Greg J (Bns '13, 13 years)) won the tiebreaker over ChasCroix-1 (Chuck D (6th '17, 10 years) to take 5th and 6th, both winning for the second time.  The entries coming in very closely followed '15 pattern and indeed at the end, we had 160, just off '15's 161.  However, for the first time since '12, four entries had to be removed so we ended up with 156, our 3rd highest total.  We did get 14 new people (thanks to Vi N, Ken B, Greg P, and Jane D's efforts) and a couple we haven't seen since '14.  22 entered twice and 13 entered three times.  Scott T (The Fabone 2x4) won 43 straight 1st Round Day 1 games (last 4 in '15, all 16 in '16, all 16 in '17, first 7 in '18), picking ten straight upsets before Seton Hall's win.  With 20 games being won by the lower seed (62 games) including the first-ever #16 beating a #1 (South: UMBC over Virginia) and the first-ever Sweet 16 region without their #1-4 seeds (South), a record 51.9% of entries were eliminated after the first weekend (shattering the previous high of 36.1% in '00).  The second round average of 7.2 wins (of 16) was the worst since '00 (6.9) and both years saw just 7 #1-#4 seeds make the Sweet 16.  Two 11s, two  9s and two 7s made the Sweet 16.  18 went 0-for-the-Final-Four (481 total).  Loyola-Chicago (with cheerleader Sister Jean) became the 4th 11 seed to make the Final Four (losing to Michigan).  The Pac 12 was snubbed getting just 3 in and two of those in the First Four (both lost) and its champ Arizona routed in the 1st round.  The ACC got 9 teams with the Big 12 getting 7 and the Big East 6.  Villanova and Virginia were heavy favorites (picked by 42 and 32, respectively) but other #1 seeds Kansas (7, 6th) and Xavier (2, 9th-Tied) were off the radar.  3 seed Michigan St (20), 2 seed Duke (20), and 4 seed Arizona (13) were the other double-digit picks.  Overall, 18 teams were picked to be champs.  The SEC was the winningest conference for the 4th time with 12 wins and only SamerTime (Sam S (3rd '11, 10 years)) was eligible of the two (Philly Eagles Again was in the money) to win the $40 Bonus.  Either 83 people have won money in our pool.  We had our 8th First Four for Charity contest entered by 13 people and was won by Eric C (Kona Coast Sliders 1) who went 3-1 with a low of 13 point differential. A donation of at least $56 ($26 personally by Scott with a few others chipping in $30) will be made to World Vision, a Christian humanitarian organization helping children, families, and their communities overcome poverty and injustice.
	In 2019, our silver anniversary, we had our 23rd different champion in 25 years.  Tom J (Kds911) won the first-ever 1st place tiebreaker over Carl S (The Gambler 2) to claim the $645 prize (vs $330 for 2nd).  Eric F (FortressHoops3) won the 3rd place tiebreaker over Rob C (WhereUGoneSteveFisher) to claim the $225 (vs $170 for 4th) prize.  It was Rob's first win in 16 years and Eric's 3rd in 9 years.  Robinson C (Samurai Jack) won 5th which was his 3rd win in 19 years ($805 total).  There was a 3-way tie for 6th and Andy F (Agnes Schweitzhoffer) won the tiebreaker over Greg J (BamaG 2) and last year's champ Bob G (Philly Eagles Again), giving Andy F his 3rd win in 22 years. We set a new record with 28 entries on Monday and then followed the pattern from '15 and ended up with 162, our 2nd highest total ever (178 in '17).  We got 11 new people (thanks Ken B again) with 25 entering twice and 13 entering three times.  Five got 15-1 on Day 1 (where the Big Ten went 5-0) and three got 15-1 on Day.  For the first time (began '11) no First Four team won a 1st round game.  Honey Badger was the first person to get a perfect 16-0 2nd Round with six going 15-1 (previously record was 14-2).  The 2nd round saw 8 go 8-0 on Saturday and 11 go 8-0 on Sunday as the top 12 seeded teams advanced with a 5 and 12 seed, the lowest combined seed total ever (49).  The entries averaged 12.01 wins, 2nd highest ever (12.11 in '09).  Worldwide, for the first time there was a perfect bracket through the first 2 rounds (ended at 49 straight wins).  The 3rd round saw 5 go 4-0 on Thursday and 7 go 4-0 on Friday.  42 went 0-for-the-Final-Four (523 total).  Dagger was the only one to get both Finalists.  The Big Ten got 8 teams win with the ACC (7), SEC (7), and Big 12 (6) all getting at least six.  Mid-major conferences Atlantic 10, Mountain West, West Coast, and Ohio Valley each got two.  The overwhelming favorite was Duke with soon to be megastar Zion Williamson, picked by 62 to win the pool.  Fellow 1 seeds UNC (28), Virginia (22), and Gonzaga (21) were the only ones picked by at least 8.  Overall, 16 teams were picked to win it all.  The ACC was the winningest conference with 15 wins with Vi N (Kai Pomeroy) winning the 7-way tiebreaker for the $40 Bonus, her first win in 19 pools.  We had our 9th First Four for Charity contest entered by 25 people and was won by Eric C (KonaCoastSliders Uno) who went 4-0 with a low 14 point differential to win back-to-back contests (and first to win twice).  A record donation of $460 ($50 personally by Scott with a few others chipping in $180 plus a Raytheon match of $230) was made to the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, which enables all young people, especially those who need us most, to reach their full potential,  as productive, caring, responsible citizens.
	In 2020, just three days before Selection Sunday, the NCAA canceled the tournament due to rising COVID-19 positive rates in the U.S.  The pandemic canceled all sports including the EURO 2020 tournament in June.  The top teams besides #1 Kansas and #2 Gonzaga were not your familiar faces - Dayton, Florida St, Baylor, San Diego St, and Creighton.  The 2020 website consisted of several retrospectives on the 25 years of our pool which was a nice milestone.  Not to be deterred, we still had our 10th First Four for Charity and 20 submitted who their winning team would be with 13 teams picked and Kansas being chosen by 3.  A donation of $325 ($65 personally by Scott with others chipping in $260 (one anonymous donation of $250)) was made to Direct Relief's COVID-19 Fund, which coordinated with groups around the world to provide PPE and essential medical items to health workers responding to COVID-19.
	In 2021, after last year's March Sadness, the pool came back strong with our second best number of entries (165).  All games were played in Indianapolis, Bloomington, and West Lafayette in Indiana.  Our marathon 26th year added a Discord server and featured a new champion for the 24th time as Mike M (MizzouTgr11 2) won for the first time in six years as Baylor won their 1st championship.  Jeff2 H (Pac Attack) and Ron E (Slamjam51 2) took 2nd and 3rd, John S (Mr Wizard) won the tiebreaker over  Scott T (The Fabone Marathon) for 4th, Carl S (The Gambler 1) took 6th while,   Mike W (Wuk #3) won the 3-way tiebreaker for 7th place.  The addition of the 7th place for the second time ever kept 4 entries alive for the final.  With an extra day (1st Round starting Friday; First Four Thursday, not in Dayton), the pattern amazingly remained the same when you scrunched Wednesday to just one data point and treated Thu/Fri AM as the usual Wed/Thu AM.  We got 9 new people (21 new entries) with 20 entering twice and a record 22 entering 3 times.  With 10 upsets in the 1st round, including 9 double-digit seeds and a record 5 seeded #12 or worse, a record low average of 20.3 wins were collected (20.6 in '01).  Go Beach! set a record low of 12-20 in the 1st Round.  VCU had to withdraw due to COVID-19 positives, giving Oregon a free pass in the 1st Round ("uncontested").  Just 7 of the top 4 seeds in each Region made the Sweet 16 and a record four double-digit seeds (including #15 Oral Roberts) made it making the highest seed total (94).  Dagger set a record low of 2-14 in the 2nd Round.  The top two teams plus #2 Houston and #11 UCLA (5th #11 seed to do so) made the Final Four.  A record 33 got both Gonzaga and Baylor right in the Final (was 20 in '05).  The Big Ten got a conference record 9 teams in (8 in proper 64) with their first 3 losing in overtime (including #2 Ohio St to #15 Oral Roberts) and all 9 gone by the Final Four.  13 went 0-for-the-Final-Four (536 total).  The 7 ACC teams were gone by the Elite 8 and the 6 SEC teams gone by the Final Four.  Just 1 of the 7 Big 12 teams made the Sweet 16 (after going 6-1 in the 1st Round).  The Pac 12 got 5 teams thanks to Oregon St winning the conference tourney seeded #5, #6, #7, #11a (First Four), and #12.  All except #5 Colorado made the Sweet 16 and three made the Elite 8.  The Pac-12 was the Winningest Conference for the first time with 13 wins but no one picked that so the Bonus2 saw Adam T (ATI 3.0) win by picking exactly 156 points in the final, his first win in 8 pools.  The overwhelming favorite was unbeaten Gonzaga (picked by 77) with other #1 seeds picked by at least 16: Illinois (29), Baylor (19), and Michigan (16).  We had our 11th First Four for Charity contest entered by 17 people and was won by Mike M (MizzouTgr11 1) who went 3-1 with a low 17 point differential.  A donation of $248 ($34 personally by Scott with a few other chipping in $90 plus a Raytheon match of $124) was made to the Center for Disaster Philanthropy's COVID-19  Response Fund, which supports preparedness, containment efforts, response and recovery activities for those affected by COVID-19.
	In 2022, things returned to normal (same schedule, different sites) as the pool managed to get the second best number of entries (169).  Our 27th year featured a new champion for the 25th time as George M (Tarheel Blue Balls) will win in just his second year. 2nd and 3rd are also claimed as Tim W (Frost Toasted) and Stephen I (Mia Culpa) won for the first time in 12 and 6 pools, respectively.   Lawrence M (Larby) took 4th for his 3rd win in 17 pools.  All-time money leader Bob G (Bob's Bruins) took 5th and won for the 4th time in 23 pools ($1,245 total), Glen P (Reign of Game) won 6th in his second year, and Greg Z (DaBoyz22) won 7th for his second win. There are 54 entries who could win the $40 Bonus if UNC wins and 54 who can win if Kansas wins (58 total entries alive). A record 35 entries were received on Monday and a record 76 on Wednesday (with only 25 on Tuesday, the lowest since '13).  We got 7 new people (17 new entries) with 27 entering twice and a 18 entering 3 times.  With 10 upsets in the 1st round, including 7 double-digit seeds, an average of just 21.3 wins were collected.  Mia Culpa got the first 10 games correct including two #12 seeds, an #11, a #9, and #15 St. Peter's over Kentucky.  A record-tying ('21) four double-digit seeds (including #15 St. Peter's which only Bulba picked) made it to the Sweet 16.  Cover You Eyes tied a record low of 1-7 for the 2nd day of the 2nd Round.  The Sweet 16 was a disaster as 18 went 0-8 (only 4 had previously done so) as only one #1 and two #2 seeds made it to the Elite 8. The top 2 teams Gonzaga and Arizona lost while St. Peter's became the first #15 to make the Elite 8.  Tarheel Blue Balls is just the 5th entry to get all 4 Final Four teams and both finalists and only the second to also get the champion.  A record low for wins aveage (32.7) and points average (82.4) were set.  Blue bloods Kansas, Duke, and UNC made the Final Four along with recent powerhouse Villanova (also blue colors).  For the 2nd straight year, the Big Ten got a conference record 9 teams in (8 in proper 64) and like last year, an overtime loss in the First Four resulted in all 9 gone before the final weekend (this time by Elite 8).  63 went 0-for-the-Final-Four (599 total).  The ACC had just one AP ranked team but 3 of its 5 teams made the Elite 8 and won 13 games (14 including First Four) while the Big 12 has 12.  Both the ACC and Big 12 had 3 teams in the Sweet 16.  Gonzaga and Arizona were the big favorites (picked by 46 and 43) followed by Kentucky (14), Kansas (12), and Duke (12).  We had our 12th First Four for Charity contest entered by 22 people and was won by Andy F (Agnes Schweitzhoffer) who went 4-0 with a low 15 point differential.  A donation of $1,366.12 ($44 personally by Scott with many others chipping in $639.06 plus a Raytheon match of $683.06) will be made to International Rescue Committee - Crisis in Ukraine, who are providing urgent support to people forced from their homes by the Russian invasion of Ukraine as well as other crises around the world.
	In 2023, we set a new record with 194 entries (prompting our first-ever 8th place prize) with PayPal barely edging out Venmo as the payment of choice (84 vs 82).  A record 79 entries were received on Wednesday and the total of 157 at midnight Thursday was a record.  We got 17 new people (27 new entries) with 22 entering twice and a record 23 entering three times.  Our 28th year will either give us our first 3-time champion Robinson C (Samurai Jack) or our first newbie champion since '99, Winsome T (Jah Lives-2), our 26th different champion.  Ken B (March Sadness) will win 2nd/3rd for his 3rd win in 23 pools, Tim W (PopTop1) will win 3rd/4th for back-to-back wins in his 13th pool, Jessica H (JessaFish) will win 4th/5th/6th for her first win in 7 pools, Jason R (Buccos 2) will win 6th/7th for his second win in 14 pools, and Scott D (Honey Badger 2) will win 7th/8th for his second win in 7 pools.  Either Spencer C (EMAW) will win 5th (if SDSU wins) for his first win in 16 pools or Roy W (Krispy Seconds) will take 8th (if UConn wins) for his third win in 21 pools.  Two could win the $40 Bonus if SDSU wins (Big East with 11 wins) and 10 could win if UConn wins (Big East with 12 wins).  For just the second time, a #16 beat a #1 with Fairleigh Dickinson (NET 301) shocking #1 Purdue, who have now lost to a #13, #15, and #16 the past three years.  For the third straight year, a #15 made the Sweet 16 (Princeton, only picked by Spoonceer).  With just 9 top seeds making the Sweet 16, BulbaGrrrl became the first entry to go 0-8 on Day 1 of the 2nd Round and Emilybama3 went 0-8 on Day 2 (tying 7 others) with the latter and That's Right (who set a record-low of 34 points, zero since the 2nd Round setting a record losing the last 21 games) tying a record-low of 2-14 in the 2nd Round.  For the first time, no #1 seeds made the Elite 8 and just 1 of the top 8 teams did (#2 Texas).  No #1/#2/#3 seeds made the Final Four with first-timers Miami, San Diego St, and Florida Atlantic joining 4-time champion UConn, who were a 4 seed.  Record low averages for the Sweet 16 (1.6 wins) and Elite 8 (0.19 wins). 157 went 0-for-the-Final Four (756 total).  Of 20 low records kept, 5 were broken and an additional 10 tied the all-time low.  If SDSU wins, then for the first-time, no record highs were set or even tied (lowest was 3 tied four times, last in '11).  If SDSU wins, this would be the first time no one picked the champion since '97 (Arizona) and '98 (Kentucky).  For the 2nd straight year, an all-time low average wins (barely over 50%) and points were set.  For the first time in six tournaments, a #1 seed won't win (either #4 UConn (2nd 4 seed) or #5 SDSU (1st time)).  The Big Ten got 8 teams and all 8 eliminated before the Elite 8.  The SEC got 3 teams in Sweet 16 and all 3 lost.  In a non-dominant year, Houston (42), Alabama (37), Kansas (24), Purdue (16), and UCLA (15) were the favorites as 19 teams were picked to be champions.  UConn was picked by 14.  We had our 13th First Four for Charity contest entered by a record-tying 30 people and was won by Mike W (Wuk) who went 4-0 with a low 39 point differential.  A donation of at least $1,332.92 ($110 + $82 personally by Scott with many others chipping in $474.46 plus a Raytheon match of $666.46) will be made to American Lung Association, the leading organization working to save lives by improving lung health and preventing lung disease through education, advocacy, and research.

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Dried up just in time for my son's weekend camp, but ground was hard as a rock...
Scott