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Issue # 1.0.1 "The SEC Tournament?"
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SPRUCE GOOSE NEAR PORTLAND, OR (smt) - With mega-conferences now ruling the land and with the Pac 12 temporarily disbanded, the SEC saw 14 of its 16 teams make the tournament, a record (11 by Big East in '11).  They claimed two #1 seeds including overall #1S-Auburn (though lost 3 of its last 4 games) and #1W-Florida, the tournament champ.  The ACC and Big Ten each boast 18 members with the Big Ten netting 8 teams but the ACC just 4 (with controversial #11bS-UNC squeaking in as the last at-large team with just 1 Quad 1 win) though with Duke #1E, its 15th time as a #1 seed.  16-team Big 12 got 7 teams including #1MW-Houston.  With so many SEC teams, there are three potential SEC vs SEC matchups in the second round.

Two-time defending champ UConn (W) and nine-straight Sweet 16 darling Gonzaga (MW) got in as #8 seeds. The Pac 12 is gone (will re-emerge in 2026-27 with new members) but #4E-Arizona (Big 12), #5E-Oregon (Big Ten) (who could meet Arizona in 2nd round), and #7MW-UCLA (Big Ten) made the tourney (with 6 other former Pac 12 teams playing in FOX's first College Basketball Crown 16-team tournament).

While first four in consensus West Virginia somehow became first team out, 15-loss #11aMW-Texas (with an awful 6-12 conference record like fellow conference mate #9W-Oklahoma) snuck in with 7 Quad 1 wins, just two less than Duke.  The Big Ten lost out as Indiana (despite going 10-10 in conference) and Ohio St were 2 of the first four out.  Six teams have 30+ wins.

The top 40 ranked teams in the NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET) made the tourney but so did NET52 San Diego St. while NET41 Ohio St. and NET44 Boise St. did not.  Kicked out of Kentucky, John Calipari is back with #10W-Arkansas and coaching legend Rick Pitino is back taking his record 6th different team to the tourney (#2W-St. John's).

Our HWCI NCAA Pool is our 30th!   Last year we had a record 195 entries.  This is the 10th 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 Pay & Venmo payments, we do not accept NFTs).  Deadline is 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 Texas (SEC), Xavier (Big East), San Diego St. (MWC), or UNC (ACC) wins its First Four game.  Since the SEC has 14 teams, the Big East 5 teams, and the ACC and MWC each has 4 teams, 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 1st Round.

We are now on Twitter (@HWCI_Pools) and Discord.  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 $10.87 (87 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" or Venmo (@smt0222)-- 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, Byron W won the pool for the first time in just his 21st year.  He took home a record $740 as 1 of 71 to UConn to go back-to-back as the correct champion.  21 got both finalists and the champ correct.  Last year we received a record 195 entries from 125 people. 

Enter online now! You can also Email us for a snail mail address (postmarked by Thursday AM). Make arrangements (such as PayPal, Zelle, Venmo) 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 - 35 states (1 more than last year) plus DC (#16aE-American) are represented with Texas getting 5 teams in, California, NC, and Tennessee 4 each... there are 5 new teams making our tourney for the first time ever with #12S-UC San Diego making it in their first year of eligibility while #16bS-St. Francis can make it for the first time since '91 (but will have to win their First Four game); E13MW-High Point, #15W-Omaha, and #16MW-SIU Edwardsville are making their first-ever appearance... multiple bid conferences:  SEC 14, B10 8, B12 7, BE 5, ACC and MWC 4 each, and WCC two... #2S-Michigan St makes its 27th straight tourney, all under Coach Izzo... Gonzaga has made the NCAA tournament 26 straight years - despite seeding, the last time the Zags lost in their first game was 2008... #7W-Kansas is the only team to be in every one of our pools (3 straight overall, missing 1989 due to probation, extending record)... Top seed order: Auburn, Duke, Houston, Florida... #11aMW-Texas (41), #11bMW-Xavier (42), #11aS-San Diego St. (43), and #11bS-UNC (44=6) were the last four in... last 4 teams out were WVU, Indiana, Ohio St., and Boise St. -- all declined other tournaments except for Boise St who will play in the CBC... Omaha qualified before the Summit conference final since St. Thomas is still ineligible... UConn won back-to-back championships beating a Purdue team who were trying to go from #16 upset to title (like Virginia) and have won 12 straight tourney games by 10+ points... a #15 winning was snapped at 3 straight years... a #14 won for just the 2nd time in 6 years... a #13 won for the second straight year... trendy #12 seeds went 2-2 after going 0-4 the year before... a First Four team won at least two games for the 12th time in 13 tournaments... there are 364 teams (+2: San Diego St and Tarleton St) in 31 conferences (no Pac 12) and still no team in Alaska... 9 teams were ineligible for postseason (surprisingly none due to athletics; East Texas A&M, Lindenwood, Mercyhurst, Queens, Southern Indiana, West Georgia, Stonehill, St. Thomas, and Le Moyne are making the transition from Division II)... as part of the First Four festivities, IEEE-USA is a sponsor of The Big Hoopla for a 4th  straight year which will host a series of STEM events... UCSD has won 15 in a row... odds:  Duke 3:1, Florida 3.8:1, Auburn 5:1, Houston 6.5:1; ESPN's College Basketball Power Index (BPI):  Duke 24.8%, Houston 23.8, Auburn 22.3, Florida 20.1, #2MW-Tennessee 19.4, #2E-Alabama 19.2... #12S-James Madison has the longest winning streak but only at 13 games... UConn and James Madison each are 31-3... Boise St is 0-10 in the tourney after losing last year's First Four game... Atlanta (S), Newark (E), Indianapolis (MW), and San Francisco (W) host regionals this year...

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Great two-day stay in Portland with my daughter, visiting gardens, seeing cheery blossoms, and eating good food...
Scott