Sunday, March 30, 2014
Saturday, March 29, 2014
Friday, March 28, 2014
Changing
I can't do it. I can't jinx Louisville. Plus, my father and brother both yelled at me and called me stupid since I am running out of teams if I take them....
Things change, and that's the way it is.
So, Connecticut it is. If this affects anything for anyone. For the record I only know about 4 of the other picks there are a couple Michigan's, an Iowa State (Ben Kraft, Niang is still hurt), and I heard rumors that someone may pick Tennessee. No one else has beenstupid ballsy enough to touch Louisville v UK. And, I think everyone is trying to save the MSU v Virginia winner for the next round. At least, that's what I've gathered through the few picks I have seen, FYI.
Since so few picks are in, and I haven't checked to see if others have gone to Philip, I do not feel I am sacrificing the integrity of the Pool. Plus, I am too stupid to rig anything, and my record of success, errr, lack thereof, should be evidence enough of this fact....
Things change, and that's the way it is.
So, Connecticut it is. If this affects anything for anyone. For the record I only know about 4 of the other picks there are a couple Michigan's, an Iowa State (Ben Kraft, Niang is still hurt), and I heard rumors that someone may pick Tennessee. No one else has been
Since so few picks are in, and I haven't checked to see if others have gone to Philip, I do not feel I am sacrificing the integrity of the Pool. Plus, I am too stupid to rig anything, and my record of success, errr, lack thereof, should be evidence enough of this fact....
And Then There Were 11....
First off, the leaderboard is still in the same place, but in case you can't check back two posts (like my father, Tom Crone) here is THE LINK.
Also, my pick for tonight will be The Louisville Cardinals. That's right, I am running the very real risk of potentially jinxing my favorite team and alma mater. All in the pursuit of stupid, stupid money. Do you see what you've made me do Suicide Pool!? DO YOU SEE!!?? Take a good hard look at what you've turned me into....I'm hideous!
With that said, wow, what a long, beautiful, strange drive it's been. Am I right? It seems like just yesterday there were 120 of us laughing and dancing. We seemed so young, so beautiful, so innocent. But then, the games began. They rounded us up from each of the 12 districts and forced us into a battle where there could be only one survivor. There we were, born to be kings, we were the princes of the universe. We had no rivals, no man could be our equal. Whoa, sorry, I fell into some sort of Hunger Games/Highlander time loop there.
Anyway, how about them Dayton Flyers? If you have lost in this Suicide Pool, you were likely sent home by the Flyers. SIXTY of you were silly enough to take a stand against these scrappy young bucks from the rust belt. How dare you. And yet, thank you for your contributions. You fought gallantly, and though you may not have made it to the Colosseum to battle lions on the grand stage, your contributions are still appreciated and enjoyed by those of us that still remain.
I knew I couldn't pick against Dayton after reading, THIS, following that link will take you to either the most beautiful, saddest, or creepiest tale you have ever read. Honestly, I have no idea which category it should fall under. But, Dayton clearly has ghosts on their side, willing them to victory. There was a documentary done on this very phenomenon in 1997.
At 11 live entries we've reached a point where we can start to handicap the field that's left. Somewhat surprisingly, no one has two live entries left, so that advantage doesn't exist.Without further ado, the odds:
2/1 Nick Kahl - How can he not be favored? A man that has had success in the Suicide Pool in the past. He also has a big lead in the tie breaker, and has virtually the entire remaining field left to choose from. Plus, he has the advantage of an unborn spawn that is willing him towards success from inside the womb. The psychic powers of unborn children have been well documented.
4/1 Charlie Brutcher & Jon Ryan Neace - Both seem to be in a great position. However, I think they're both UK fans, which means they have extremely questionable taste and likely limited basketball knowledge. Despite their good standing currently, this could come back to bite them.
5/1 Ryan Sandlin - In a similar position to the pair above him, but while they used San Diego State a couple rounds ago, Ryan used Louisville. This leaves him at a slight disadvantage to the others.
8/1 Ben Collins & Ben Kraft - Sure, they're both in a solid position. Both have a real shot at winning. But, I have insider info that suggests neither may be putting in the countless hours of research it's going to take to win this thing. Collins, instead of focusing solely on the suicide pool, seems to be doing things like "working," and "exercising," and "finishing up nursing school." I'm not sure this lack of commitment to what's important will pay off for him. Similarly, Ben Kraft is off gallivanting around California on a vacation instead of sitting in a depressing basement on a computer watching replays of games from three months ago to potentially gain an edge on the field. Lack of commitment makes me question the resolve of these two.
13/1 Chris Stinnett & Steven Fiscus - Ummmmm....well.....I don't really know these guys, which means I can't really make any jokes about them. So, 13/1. Let's move on.
25/1 Zach Payne - He could be higher, really, he could. But, he has Jose Canseco and Marc Summers both sending their minions after him, so, can he really focus on basketball?
50/1 Tom Crone - The patriarch is reeling. Right now he could be sitting pretty with 2 live entries....instead he picked Baylor with one of his entries last night. Baylor. That puts you near the bottom of the list.
2,763,918/1 David Crone - Let's face it. I'm not going to win. Honestly, I'm shocked I've gotten this far. My live entry is my referral entry, and last night I was actually pulling for SDSU so that I would lose, but take second in the Refeerral Pool and walk away with $100. That's right, that's how much I believe in my chances of getting any further. Now, on top of that, I've taken Louisville and I'm probably jinxing the team I love. I've become a sad shell of humanity. Leave me alone. JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!
Also, my pick for tonight will be The Louisville Cardinals. That's right, I am running the very real risk of potentially jinxing my favorite team and alma mater. All in the pursuit of stupid, stupid money. Do you see what you've made me do Suicide Pool!? DO YOU SEE!!?? Take a good hard look at what you've turned me into....I'm hideous!
With that said, wow, what a long, beautiful, strange drive it's been. Am I right? It seems like just yesterday there were 120 of us laughing and dancing. We seemed so young, so beautiful, so innocent. But then, the games began. They rounded us up from each of the 12 districts and forced us into a battle where there could be only one survivor. There we were, born to be kings, we were the princes of the universe. We had no rivals, no man could be our equal. Whoa, sorry, I fell into some sort of Hunger Games/Highlander time loop there.
Anyway, how about them Dayton Flyers? If you have lost in this Suicide Pool, you were likely sent home by the Flyers. SIXTY of you were silly enough to take a stand against these scrappy young bucks from the rust belt. How dare you. And yet, thank you for your contributions. You fought gallantly, and though you may not have made it to the Colosseum to battle lions on the grand stage, your contributions are still appreciated and enjoyed by those of us that still remain.
I knew I couldn't pick against Dayton after reading, THIS, following that link will take you to either the most beautiful, saddest, or creepiest tale you have ever read. Honestly, I have no idea which category it should fall under. But, Dayton clearly has ghosts on their side, willing them to victory. There was a documentary done on this very phenomenon in 1997.
At 11 live entries we've reached a point where we can start to handicap the field that's left. Somewhat surprisingly, no one has two live entries left, so that advantage doesn't exist.Without further ado, the odds:
2/1 Nick Kahl - How can he not be favored? A man that has had success in the Suicide Pool in the past. He also has a big lead in the tie breaker, and has virtually the entire remaining field left to choose from. Plus, he has the advantage of an unborn spawn that is willing him towards success from inside the womb. The psychic powers of unborn children have been well documented.
4/1 Charlie Brutcher & Jon Ryan Neace - Both seem to be in a great position. However, I think they're both UK fans, which means they have extremely questionable taste and likely limited basketball knowledge. Despite their good standing currently, this could come back to bite them.
5/1 Ryan Sandlin - In a similar position to the pair above him, but while they used San Diego State a couple rounds ago, Ryan used Louisville. This leaves him at a slight disadvantage to the others.
8/1 Ben Collins & Ben Kraft - Sure, they're both in a solid position. Both have a real shot at winning. But, I have insider info that suggests neither may be putting in the countless hours of research it's going to take to win this thing. Collins, instead of focusing solely on the suicide pool, seems to be doing things like "working," and "exercising," and "finishing up nursing school." I'm not sure this lack of commitment to what's important will pay off for him. Similarly, Ben Kraft is off gallivanting around California on a vacation instead of sitting in a depressing basement on a computer watching replays of games from three months ago to potentially gain an edge on the field. Lack of commitment makes me question the resolve of these two.
13/1 Chris Stinnett & Steven Fiscus - Ummmmm....well.....I don't really know these guys, which means I can't really make any jokes about them. So, 13/1. Let's move on.
25/1 Zach Payne - He could be higher, really, he could. But, he has Jose Canseco and Marc Summers both sending their minions after him, so, can he really focus on basketball?
50/1 Tom Crone - The patriarch is reeling. Right now he could be sitting pretty with 2 live entries....instead he picked Baylor with one of his entries last night. Baylor. That puts you near the bottom of the list.
2,763,918/1 David Crone - Let's face it. I'm not going to win. Honestly, I'm shocked I've gotten this far. My live entry is my referral entry, and last night I was actually pulling for SDSU so that I would lose, but take second in the Refeerral Pool and walk away with $100. That's right, that's how much I believe in my chances of getting any further. Now, on top of that, I've taken Louisville and I'm probably jinxing the team I love. I've become a sad shell of humanity. Leave me alone. JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!
Wednesday, March 26, 2014
Welcome to Week 2
Hey everyone still in,
I think Dave has some big post planned, but for now, you're stuck with the substitute. Just wanted to remind everyone that all picks must be in by 7:15 PM ET. I will not post picks until everyone has picked. That way no one will be able to make their picks without trying to game the system and seeing who everyone else has picked.
"Hey dummy, don't you tally all these picks? AND you're BOTH still in? So don't you have that advantage?"
Good point. Guess we better pick early...
David is taking Arizona
Phil is taking Stanford
Good luck everyone!
- Phil
I think Dave has some big post planned, but for now, you're stuck with the substitute. Just wanted to remind everyone that all picks must be in by 7:15 PM ET. I will not post picks until everyone has picked. That way no one will be able to make their picks without trying to game the system and seeing who everyone else has picked.
"Hey dummy, don't you tally all these picks? AND you're BOTH still in? So don't you have that advantage?"
Good point. Guess we better pick early...
David is taking Arizona
Phil is taking Stanford
Good luck everyone!
- Phil
Saturday, March 22, 2014
Day 3 Wrap Up
Oh NCAA Tournament, you're quite a fickle mistress...For your first two glorious days you wasted no time in providing fireworks. Right off the bat you slapped us in our stupid faces and yelled, "LOOK AT ME!" And, then, Day 3 happened.
Expecting mayhem, we tuned in early just to see Florida dominating Pitt in an unsurprising result that advanced a few Suicide Pool players. Then we saw a horrible display of "basketball" featuring Louisville and St. Louis. For those of you that missed it, the game looked a little like THIS. This time nine players advanced as Louisville drew off and somehow handed St. Louis their worst loss of the season (that's right, 15 point win, the biggest margin St. Louis lost by all season).
As the evening games started things stayed quiet. Michigan handled their business and easily dispatched Texas (advancing 7 more players). Meanwhile, San Diego State overwhelmed the North Dakota State BiZons, and in the process made THIS GUY cry. Don't worry Saul Phillips, we'll always remember you for knocking out Oklahoma and then doing THIS. And, really, one NCAA Tourney win for North Dakota is like the most exciting thing that's happened there since English was declared the official language of the state in 1987 (seriously, that's not even a joke, it really happened: PROOF). This finally eliminated a few suckers as Sam Buente, Jordan Doepke, Andy Lonnon, and one of your GameMasters, Phil Crone, all got a little too cute and tried to beat Steve Fisher and SDSU. Still the Aztecs advanced 14 of our players.
So, with 4 games down we had eliminated just 4 contestants.....and then.....
BOOM GOES THE DYNAMITE!
Syracuse was, far and away, the most popular pick in the pool so far this year. The Dayton Flyers were representing an A10 Conference that has been something like THIS so far in the Tournament. But, Sean Miller's little brother and the team he coaches had their mojo working on Saturday night. They sent the Orangemen back to Syracuse and ended the Suicide Pool for a whopping 31 contestants. Once again, the A-10 provides us with our Suicide Pool Grim Reaper. Dayton has single-handedly cleared 41 entries from the pool, much like La Salle last year, who managed to smite 26 of 89 entries in 2013. Oh NCAA Tournament, right when we were starting to question you you go and do this. Like I said, quite a fickle mistress.
Wisconsin and Michigan State both rallied late to notch wins over Oregon and Harvard respectively. These games didn't advance many people, and only one guy, Bryan Maggard, was eliminated in either game. Nice try with Oregon Bryan. Their gameplan of blinding the opposition with bright colors and coming out with the Flying V chanting Ducks Fly Together didn't work this time (I absolutely imagine this is what EVERY Oregon halftime locker room is like).
Our final game of the night saw UConn knocking off Jay Wright, my mom's favorite coach. Surprisingly, only two people had hitched their wagon to Jay Wright's star, so we must bid adieu to Jordan Doepke (two mentions in these recaps is not a good thing Jordan) and Brooke Neace.
Thus completes the Day 3 Wrap Up, hopefully, you got a little information, laughed a little, cried a little, and learned a thing or two. After three days we're down to just 41 entries out of the initial 119. Good luck to those of you still fighting the good fight.
Expecting mayhem, we tuned in early just to see Florida dominating Pitt in an unsurprising result that advanced a few Suicide Pool players. Then we saw a horrible display of "basketball" featuring Louisville and St. Louis. For those of you that missed it, the game looked a little like THIS. This time nine players advanced as Louisville drew off and somehow handed St. Louis their worst loss of the season (that's right, 15 point win, the biggest margin St. Louis lost by all season).
As the evening games started things stayed quiet. Michigan handled their business and easily dispatched Texas (advancing 7 more players). Meanwhile, San Diego State overwhelmed the North Dakota State BiZons, and in the process made THIS GUY cry. Don't worry Saul Phillips, we'll always remember you for knocking out Oklahoma and then doing THIS. And, really, one NCAA Tourney win for North Dakota is like the most exciting thing that's happened there since English was declared the official language of the state in 1987 (seriously, that's not even a joke, it really happened: PROOF). This finally eliminated a few suckers as Sam Buente, Jordan Doepke, Andy Lonnon, and one of your GameMasters, Phil Crone, all got a little too cute and tried to beat Steve Fisher and SDSU. Still the Aztecs advanced 14 of our players.
So, with 4 games down we had eliminated just 4 contestants.....and then.....
BOOM GOES THE DYNAMITE!
Syracuse was, far and away, the most popular pick in the pool so far this year. The Dayton Flyers were representing an A10 Conference that has been something like THIS so far in the Tournament. But, Sean Miller's little brother and the team he coaches had their mojo working on Saturday night. They sent the Orangemen back to Syracuse and ended the Suicide Pool for a whopping 31 contestants. Once again, the A-10 provides us with our Suicide Pool Grim Reaper. Dayton has single-handedly cleared 41 entries from the pool, much like La Salle last year, who managed to smite 26 of 89 entries in 2013. Oh NCAA Tournament, right when we were starting to question you you go and do this. Like I said, quite a fickle mistress.
Wisconsin and Michigan State both rallied late to notch wins over Oregon and Harvard respectively. These games didn't advance many people, and only one guy, Bryan Maggard, was eliminated in either game. Nice try with Oregon Bryan. Their gameplan of blinding the opposition with bright colors and coming out with the Flying V chanting Ducks Fly Together didn't work this time (I absolutely imagine this is what EVERY Oregon halftime locker room is like).
Our final game of the night saw UConn knocking off Jay Wright, my mom's favorite coach. Surprisingly, only two people had hitched their wagon to Jay Wright's star, so we must bid adieu to Jordan Doepke (two mentions in these recaps is not a good thing Jordan) and Brooke Neace.
Thus completes the Day 3 Wrap Up, hopefully, you got a little information, laughed a little, cried a little, and learned a thing or two. After three days we're down to just 41 entries out of the initial 119. Good luck to those of you still fighting the good fight.
Day 2 Recap
Reminder, Results sheet is continuously updated HERE.
Sometimes, you wake up in the morning seeing the world one day, but by the time you go to bed, your entire worldview has changed. Maybe. Actually, that probably doesn't happen very often, and yesterday certainly wasn't a day like that now that I look back on it. Actually, it was a pretty typical Day 2 of the Tourney.
Let's be real: Yesterday was a tease.
The day started just like Day 1, with a nice little upset. This time it was Duke, their conqueror? Mercer. That's right, Mercer. It had me making great puns like "Mercer me!" (A play on Mercy Me! for all those who may have missed it, trust me, it was really funny, a lot of people laughed...a lot of people...trust me).
Don't know much about Mercer? Well, don't worry, I did some research and found out a lot about them. In fact, here is a little excerpt from their Wikipedia page:
"The Bears men's basketball team is best known for defeating the 3rd seeded Duke Blue Devils in the 2014 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament."
Wow! Did you know that little fact!? Thanks Wikipedia!
The Mercer win had Suicide Pool entrants scrambling to check the results sheet, and most of them were as disappointed as an Asian kid's dad who saw their son just got B+ on a math test....only 4 of our brilliant players used Duke.
The game that sent the most players packing? New Mexico losing to Stanford. As a quick aside, the person writing this recap was one of the suckers that fell into the New Mexico trap (for the second year in a row, I might add), maybe I was just caught up in Hugh Greenwood mania? How could you blame me? That hair, those eyes, his solid fundamentals and Australian accent....I also must say this is just another reason for me to hate Stanford. Not only is their lousy coach Johnny Dawkins the reason Nolan Smith ended up at Duke instead of Louisville, but I also hate how their stupid nickname is "The Cardinal" and their mascot is this abomination. Screw you Stanford, screw you.
Pat Brutcher and Jeff Lowich lost entries when VCU did the impossible, and fouled a 3 point shooter up 4 allowing "Stone Cold" Stephen F. Austin to open a can of whoop ass in OT. Also, a special shout out to my father, Tom Crone, for being the only sucker to buy into the Oklahoma State hype....actually, I am shocked that no one else picked them considering how many experts had called them a sleeper that could make a run, are people getting better at this whole Suicide Pool thing?
After that, it was a day of near misses. Weber State had a real shot at Arizona, Kansas struggled with Eastern Kentucky, Providence handed UNC a win (saving 5 of you), and Central Carolina made a serious run at Virginia.
The best pick of the day was clearly Tennessee, an 11 seed that was a 6 point favorite? That's a no brainer people. Our three front runners, Bryan Maggard, Blake Hooper, and Michael Crone all went Pitt-Tennessee on Days 1 and 2.
Overall we are down to 79 players as 40 entrants have been eliminated. Best of luck (to me) Today!
Sometimes, you wake up in the morning seeing the world one day, but by the time you go to bed, your entire worldview has changed. Maybe. Actually, that probably doesn't happen very often, and yesterday certainly wasn't a day like that now that I look back on it. Actually, it was a pretty typical Day 2 of the Tourney.
Let's be real: Yesterday was a tease.
The day started just like Day 1, with a nice little upset. This time it was Duke, their conqueror? Mercer. That's right, Mercer. It had me making great puns like "Mercer me!" (A play on Mercy Me! for all those who may have missed it, trust me, it was really funny, a lot of people laughed...a lot of people...trust me).
Don't know much about Mercer? Well, don't worry, I did some research and found out a lot about them. In fact, here is a little excerpt from their Wikipedia page:
"The Bears men's basketball team is best known for defeating the 3rd seeded Duke Blue Devils in the 2014 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament."
Wow! Did you know that little fact!? Thanks Wikipedia!
The Mercer win had Suicide Pool entrants scrambling to check the results sheet, and most of them were as disappointed as an Asian kid's dad who saw their son just got B+ on a math test....only 4 of our brilliant players used Duke.
The game that sent the most players packing? New Mexico losing to Stanford. As a quick aside, the person writing this recap was one of the suckers that fell into the New Mexico trap (for the second year in a row, I might add), maybe I was just caught up in Hugh Greenwood mania? How could you blame me? That hair, those eyes, his solid fundamentals and Australian accent....I also must say this is just another reason for me to hate Stanford. Not only is their lousy coach Johnny Dawkins the reason Nolan Smith ended up at Duke instead of Louisville, but I also hate how their stupid nickname is "The Cardinal" and their mascot is this abomination. Screw you Stanford, screw you.
Pat Brutcher and Jeff Lowich lost entries when VCU did the impossible, and fouled a 3 point shooter up 4 allowing "Stone Cold" Stephen F. Austin to open a can of whoop ass in OT. Also, a special shout out to my father, Tom Crone, for being the only sucker to buy into the Oklahoma State hype....actually, I am shocked that no one else picked them considering how many experts had called them a sleeper that could make a run, are people getting better at this whole Suicide Pool thing?
After that, it was a day of near misses. Weber State had a real shot at Arizona, Kansas struggled with Eastern Kentucky, Providence handed UNC a win (saving 5 of you), and Central Carolina made a serious run at Virginia.
The best pick of the day was clearly Tennessee, an 11 seed that was a 6 point favorite? That's a no brainer people. Our three front runners, Bryan Maggard, Blake Hooper, and Michael Crone all went Pitt-Tennessee on Days 1 and 2.
Overall we are down to 79 players as 40 entrants have been eliminated. Best of luck (to me) Today!
Friday, March 21, 2014
So, First Game Of The Day Picks....
Memo to the players still alive in the pool....you might want to avoid the first game of the day tomorrow. Just an idea.
Day 1 Recap
Fellow Romans, lend me your ears...or, your eyes I guys...because, this is written, and you can't hear writing...well, I guess you can read it to yourself through internal vocalization, I don't know if that's the proper term, it might be wrong. Wait, what was I saying? What was this whole thing even about? Let me get back on track, The Suicide Pool Day 1 Recap starts........NOW.
First off, this thing is All About The Money so let's get this cleared up right off the bat....PAY OFFS ARE AS FOLLOWS:
Main Pool
1st - $1,230
2nd - $500
3rd - $200
4th - $75
5th - $50
Referral Pool
1st - $200
2nd - $100
3rd - $25
Obviously, the first game of the day set off fireworks when THE (pompous) Ohio State University was sent packing and Aaron Craft's 10 year college career came to an end. My favorite tweet from the ending can be found HERE by the way...and, just like that, the player the media slobbered over for years was unceremoniously sent home, and haters everywhere rejoiced. More importantly it knocked out 10 suicide pool entries right off the bat and set into motion a wave of pseudo rebuys as everyone scrambled to get an extra entry.
But, alas, as so often happens, after a crazy start things evened out pretty quickly. The only game that really sent people packin was NC State absolutely blowing it against Saint Louis. I forget the exact numbers, but they had something like a 25 point lead with 18 seconds remaining, promptly missed 43 straight FTs, and Jordair Jett's Majestic Hair was simply too much for NC State to overcome. Keep in mind, NC State was a 12 seed that only THREE out of 121 Bracketologists on BracketMatrix even had making the tournament.....and, despite this, seven of you (including Alvin and the Chipmunks) decided they were the team you wanted to risk your entry on.
The best picks of the day ended up being by Kimberly Lomot (who also finished second in our Conference Pick Em) and Alex Shearer who got big wins from Harvard and Dayton respectively. I was a little surprised Kimberly was the only entry on Harvard as the Crimson were a pretty hot underdog pick.
Finally, a special shout out goes to Sean Kellihan who used his two entries to choose Ohio State and NC State. Well played Sean, well played.
25 entries down, 94 still standing. Here's the leaderboard for all who misplaced that link. Day 2 picks will go live at the tip of the first game. Good luck all.
First off, this thing is All About The Money so let's get this cleared up right off the bat....PAY OFFS ARE AS FOLLOWS:
Main Pool
1st - $1,230
2nd - $500
3rd - $200
4th - $75
5th - $50
Referral Pool
1st - $200
2nd - $100
3rd - $25
Obviously, the first game of the day set off fireworks when THE (pompous) Ohio State University was sent packing and Aaron Craft's 10 year college career came to an end. My favorite tweet from the ending can be found HERE by the way...and, just like that, the player the media slobbered over for years was unceremoniously sent home, and haters everywhere rejoiced. More importantly it knocked out 10 suicide pool entries right off the bat and set into motion a wave of pseudo rebuys as everyone scrambled to get an extra entry.
But, alas, as so often happens, after a crazy start things evened out pretty quickly. The only game that really sent people packin was NC State absolutely blowing it against Saint Louis. I forget the exact numbers, but they had something like a 25 point lead with 18 seconds remaining, promptly missed 43 straight FTs, and Jordair Jett's Majestic Hair was simply too much for NC State to overcome. Keep in mind, NC State was a 12 seed that only THREE out of 121 Bracketologists on BracketMatrix even had making the tournament.....and, despite this, seven of you (including Alvin and the Chipmunks) decided they were the team you wanted to risk your entry on.
The best picks of the day ended up being by Kimberly Lomot (who also finished second in our Conference Pick Em) and Alex Shearer who got big wins from Harvard and Dayton respectively. I was a little surprised Kimberly was the only entry on Harvard as the Crimson were a pretty hot underdog pick.
Finally, a special shout out goes to Sean Kellihan who used his two entries to choose Ohio State and NC State. Well played Sean, well played.
25 entries down, 94 still standing. Here's the leaderboard for all who misplaced that link. Day 2 picks will go live at the tip of the first game. Good luck all.
Thursday, March 20, 2014
Pool is Officially Closed!
With the tip of the ASU/Texas game, the pool is officially closed. I feel like I'm saving some of you from yourselves at this point. We have 119 entries this year, which is far beyond what we expected. Payouts will be posted tomorrow. Good luck everyone!!!
Well, that was fast...
Just a reminder to the ten goofs that took Ohio St., pool is open until 9:30 and multiple entries are accepted. So if you wanna rebuy and not screw up again, feel free.
Suicide Pool Leaderboard is Live
Here's the link you've all been waiting for...
2014 Suicide Pool Leaderboard
Also, I added a second tab to the Google Doc which counts how many people picked each team. You'll see there that the most popular team today is Villanova.
We currently have 97 entries, but the pool is NOT CLOSED YET! If we get to 100 entries.... Nothing will happen but that'd be pretty cool right? Anyway...
2014 Suicide Pool Leaderboard
Also, I added a second tab to the Google Doc which counts how many people picked each team. You'll see there that the most popular team today is Villanova.
We currently have 97 entries, but the pool is NOT CLOSED YET! If we get to 100 entries.... Nothing will happen but that'd be pretty cool right? Anyway...
Thursday Game Schedule
For anyone who needs it. I highlighted the last set of games. Once ANY of those games tip, picks are final. Anyone who did not submit a pick or submitted an invalid pick will be defaulted to late game favorite Louisville...
Wednesday, March 19, 2014
Selection Email Address
Apparently this has not been made abundantly clear. Please send your daily selections to:
Tourneypools@gmail.com
We are planning on having 100+ entries this year, and having all of the picks in one place should help us not to screw this up too badly.
Once again, money should be sent through PayPal to steelcard30@gmail.com. You can also pay us in cash, BitCoins, old Spanish doubloons, or other interesting trades.
Hugs can not yet be sent over the internet, but can still be delivered to us in person.
Tourneypools@gmail.com
We are planning on having 100+ entries this year, and having all of the picks in one place should help us not to screw this up too badly.
Once again, money should be sent through PayPal to steelcard30@gmail.com. You can also pay us in cash, BitCoins, old Spanish doubloons, or other interesting trades.
Hugs can not yet be sent over the internet, but can still be delivered to us in person.
Sunday, March 16, 2014
2014 Tournament Suicide Pool!
The
game that separates the men/women from the boys/girls. Last year the pot got up to $1,600, and the
winner, Heather Knauf, took home a cool $1000.
Wait wait wait, before you start into
your convoluted rules, did you change anything?
I played this stupid game last year, so just give me the changes so I
can get on with my day!
Ok
settle down. Only changes are:
- We have a new PayPal account. Send all cash to steelcard30@gmail.com
- Seriously guys, PayPal is instantaneous, secure, and incredibly easy. If you don't have an account, you really should.
- We’ve always had an unspoken pick deadline, but I’m going to finally put it in writing. The deadline for the first week of the tournament is just any time prior to the final game of the night tipping off. From the Sweet 16 and on, all picks must be submitted before tip-off of the first game of the day. It’s too easy to game the system based on who other people have picked once the field has gotten that small.
- Another unwritten rule I’ll now formalize: if anyone sends an invalid pick or forgets to pick, they will receive the biggest favorite they could have possibly picked by the deadline. So on the first week, they’d get the biggest available favorite in the last set of games. After that first week, just the biggest available favorite overall.
And
with that, now to the rules proper…
Rules
- Choose one team each day that you think will win for that particular day.
- If your team wins, congrats, you are alive for another day! If not, you are out.
- Once you have a chosen a team, you cannot choose that team again for the rest of the contest. If you use Arizona to beat Grambling in round one, Arizona will not be an available option if they are still alive in the Elite 8. If you ever get to a point where you cannot pick a team b/c you have used all the teams playing that day, then you are out.
- The deadline for picks the first week of the tournament is just any time prior to the final group of games of the night tipping off. From the Sweet 16 and on, all picks must be submitted before tip-off of the first game of the day. It’s too easy to game the system based on who other people have picked once the field has gotten that small.
- If anyone sends an invalid pick or forgets to pick, they will receive the biggest favorite they could have possibly picked by the deadline. So on the first week, they’d get the biggest available favorite in the last set of games. After that first week, just the biggest available favorite overall.
- The winner is the last person still alive. In the event of a tie, the tie will be broken in the following manner…
1. Highest combined total of all seeds
selected
§ Ex: You and I get knocked out on Day
6. Because I’m awesome, I had that 12
seed that won in round one. My combined
seed picking total is 28, and yours is 26.
I win.
2. Highest individual seed selected, and
then second highest individual seed, etc.
§ Ex. You and I get knocked out Day 6,
but both of our combined seed totals are 28.
I had my 12 seed, but your highest seed you picked was a 10 seed. I win again.
(This was the tie-breaker we had to get to two years ago, so make sure
you UNDERSTAND THIS RULE.)
3. Highest individual seed selected by
round, and then second highest individual seed by round, etc.
§ Ex. You and I get knocked out Day 6,
both of our combined seed totals are 28, and we have happened to have every
seed we’ve chosen be the exact same.
However, you picked a 10 seed to win in round 1 (which they did), but I
had my 10 seed to win in round 2 (which they did). Once again you lose. You’re really bad at this. (If you don’t understand this rule, that’s
fine. Odds are it will not come in to
play.)
4. If this does not result in a tie being
broken, the pot will be split evenly.
Payment
- Entry cost: $20
- Multiple entries ARE allowed...hell, they're encouraged.
- There will NOT BE A REBUY THIS YEAR. It was too much of a hassle two years ago. If you planned on rebuying, just buy two entries instead.
- Pool will be paid out 100%. The only way the moderators make money is if we are smart enough to beat you fools down. Which we aren’t. Seriously, we’ve never won money in any of our pools. I have no idea why we do this.
- The number of places to be paid out and the allocation of the prize pool in those paid out places will be determined by the moderators once numbers are final and published before the end of the first day of the contest.
- If you refer one or more friends/co-workers/hobos on the corner to the game, you will be entered in a side “referral” pot which is winner take all. The total in this pot will be equal to 25% of all the “referred” entry fees.
o
Hey guys, if I buy two or more entries for myself, it’ll be like I
“referred myself”! Does that get me in
the referral pool too? Ugh, I guess you
crazy bastard. But there’s a catch. If you have multiple entries, you must
designate one entry as your “referral pool entry” for its scoring. Sorry, you don’t get to overwhelm the
referral pool and buy yourself a better shot at it too.
- Money must be in my grubby hands in some form before you make your pick. The pool was big enough last year that I feel like I can big-time you all like this.
o
PayPal
– Probably the easiest to track and you don’t have to track me down. My paypal ID is steelcard30@gmail.com. In
addition, when paying on PayPal, CHOOSE
THAT IT IS A PERSONAL PAYMENT!
Otherwise, PayPal will take a commission. If you do not have a PayPal account, sign up
now so it can check your bank account.
Again, this is the preferred method of payment. Not only does it guarantee I get the money,
it also GETS YOU PAID FASTER IF YOU
WIN!!! If we are charged commissions because you can't read, that money will come out of the prize pool. We will also post a list of people who didn't choose personal payment, and you will be universally mocked for the rest of time.
o
Find
me and physically hand me cash or a check. I literally have to have the payment in my hand. Do not call me and say “I’ll get you
Sunday.” Not happening. Unless that Sunday is the Sunday before the
tournament starts.
Results
All
results will be available at tourneypools.blogspot.com
Payout
Payouts
will be determined at the end based on number of entries. Below are the projected payouts (assuming 100
entries). We will not pay out beyond 5
spots.
1st: $1,200
2nd: $480
3rd: $195
4th: $75
5th: $50
Conference Tourney Pick'em Final Results!
Looks like we can declare this thing over even before the last two games! Your final results:
1st - Charlie Brutcher
2nd - Kimberly Lomot
3rd - Jon Ryan Neace
Referral Bonus Winner - Jon Ryan Neace
Congrats everyone! Payments will be sent out on Tuesday. I'll hold off for now in case anyone wants to log a complaint, but I run a pretty tight ship around here, making that highly unlikely.
1st - Charlie Brutcher
2nd - Kimberly Lomot
3rd - Jon Ryan Neace
Referral Bonus Winner - Jon Ryan Neace
Congrats everyone! Payments will be sent out on Tuesday. I'll hold off for now in case anyone wants to log a complaint, but I run a pretty tight ship around here, making that highly unlikely.
Conference Tourney Pick'em: Saturday Recap/Sunday Preview
Well, just like Ghandi said when he defeated Napolean in hand-to-hand fisticuffs at the Battle of the Bulge, "It's all over but the crying now!" Last night's Providence win sealed the deal for Charlie Brutcher, who is five points clear of the field, and best I can tell, no one is in range to catch him. Also decided is the referral pool, as it looks like Jon Ryan Neace finally proves to be more than dead money & will take down the referral pool. The only question now is who will take 2nd, as Kimberly Lomot will need either a Sparty win or Duke loss to hang on to 2nd. A Sparty loss and Duke win would knock Kimberly off the podium and give third to Jeff Lowich and Michael Riley. I think those are all the possible scenarios. I'm sure I missed one. I really don't care b/c none of the scenarios involve me or my mother getting paid. Eh, this was all just an appetizer until the big show starting Thursday anyway. Good luck everyone!
Saturday, March 15, 2014
Day Four Preview Correction
Had an issue with the max possible points, and Charlie Brutcher actually has the highest possible total. Not me. Oh well. But I am tied for second most possible, so stick that in your craw and chew on it punks.
Day 3 Recap/Day 4 Preview
The Leaderboard is up to date and things are starting to finally take shape. After his vicious attack on me yesterday, Tourney Pools resident jester David Crone is probably mathematically eliminated. Oh well. There's always next year buddy. It also seems to be a foregone conclusion that Heather The Destroyer will not be the back-to-back champion - she's probably resting on her laurels as she waits to take all our money in the suicide pool next week.
Now, onto the people with a chance. Four championship games today, and they could seal the deal for Andi Chiodoni, who has the favorite in three of the four games (if you believe those morons in Vegas). Current leader Charlie Brutcher has gone opposite in two of those games, so we could just have the two of them battling to seal this thing before midnight. An interesting one to watch out for is Kimberly Lomot, who is the only person near the top with Pittsburgh, and Pitt looked like a buzzsaw for about 35 minutes yesterday. But who has the most possible points still out there remaining? Oh yeah, that'd be me. Watch out punks - I'm feelin' a 6-for-6 sweep of the day for my remaining teams!
-Phil
Now, onto the people with a chance. Four championship games today, and they could seal the deal for Andi Chiodoni, who has the favorite in three of the four games (if you believe those morons in Vegas). Current leader Charlie Brutcher has gone opposite in two of those games, so we could just have the two of them battling to seal this thing before midnight. An interesting one to watch out for is Kimberly Lomot, who is the only person near the top with Pittsburgh, and Pitt looked like a buzzsaw for about 35 minutes yesterday. But who has the most possible points still out there remaining? Oh yeah, that'd be me. Watch out punks - I'm feelin' a 6-for-6 sweep of the day for my remaining teams!
-Phil
Friday, March 14, 2014
Day Two Recap/Day Three Preview
Day Two is in the books and like any great competition, you can't win the thing this early, but you sure can lose it. Just ask me and my stupid Villanova pick. All hope is not lost for your fearless moderator though - who else would like to swap a 1 out for the road Louisville & Creighton have to their respective conference championships? Thought so!
Leaderboard update:
Leaderboard
(Maybe now that it's a link and not a URL I pasted in, I won't get texts from my Mom claiming the sheet won't open.)
We have a tie atop the leaderboard w/ two newcomers - Andi Chiodini & Charlie Brutcher each have 11 points, and Andi has managed to keep all eight teams alive. While the odds of keeping all eight teams fighting another day are pretty slim, it's still impressive when you consider some people have had half their entry wiped out and at least one person is mathematically eliminated from victory.
Now, some quick house-cleaning. We had one entry come in late but still valid, and one entry lost in a spam folder (it happens). So, adjust your payout structures to reflect the following:
Referral: $105
1st: $265
2nd: $120
3rd: $65
Good luck in Day 3 everyone. By the end of the day, we could officially have people completely wiped out. And Kentucky fans should have to be coming to terms w/ a loss to LSU.
Leaderboard update:
Leaderboard
(Maybe now that it's a link and not a URL I pasted in, I won't get texts from my Mom claiming the sheet won't open.)
We have a tie atop the leaderboard w/ two newcomers - Andi Chiodini & Charlie Brutcher each have 11 points, and Andi has managed to keep all eight teams alive. While the odds of keeping all eight teams fighting another day are pretty slim, it's still impressive when you consider some people have had half their entry wiped out and at least one person is mathematically eliminated from victory.
Now, some quick house-cleaning. We had one entry come in late but still valid, and one entry lost in a spam folder (it happens). So, adjust your payout structures to reflect the following:
Referral: $105
1st: $265
2nd: $120
3rd: $65
Good luck in Day 3 everyone. By the end of the day, we could officially have people completely wiped out. And Kentucky fans should have to be coming to terms w/ a loss to LSU.
Thursday, March 13, 2014
Early Day 2 Update
Well, in a move that surprises no one that has ever met Phil "too smart for his own good" Crone, Villanova has become the first number one seed to fall. And, by 2 PM on Day 2, Philip is the first one with a worthless entry. Well, unless Dayton wins the A10 and Colorado wins the Pac12, then he has a shot. So, yeah, no shot.
Aside from that, not too much to report. Last year's darling La Salle has already been sent packing, losing a low seed for a few contestants, a few smarter contestants had St. Bonaventure that won this game. Iowa State is on the ropes in a game that could hurt a few people, and SMU is struggling with lowly Houston. The 3 o'clock games will feature popular picks Arizona and Louisville. Keep checking the Google doc linked below for updated results throughout the weekend, and may the odds be ever in your favor (I watched Hunger Games the other night, kinda liked this line, might start using it, what's the Hunger Games gonna do? Sue me? Good luck with that Hunger Games, good luck with that.).
Aside from that, not too much to report. Last year's darling La Salle has already been sent packing, losing a low seed for a few contestants, a few smarter contestants had St. Bonaventure that won this game. Iowa State is on the ropes in a game that could hurt a few people, and SMU is struggling with lowly Houston. The 3 o'clock games will feature popular picks Arizona and Louisville. Keep checking the Google doc linked below for updated results throughout the weekend, and may the odds be ever in your favor (I watched Hunger Games the other night, kinda liked this line, might start using it, what's the Hunger Games gonna do? Sue me? Good luck with that Hunger Games, good luck with that.).
Wednesday, March 12, 2014
2014 Conference Tourney - Entries and Payouts
Entries are closed and we are locked & loaded. Here's the list and leaderboard....
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AiIjWkKABgzQdFctSW1TUFBYd01TR1pqN2NXVmdKUHc&usp=docslist_api#gid=0
Next, the payouts. We had 35 entries, so the total pool is $525
Referral Pool - $97.50
1st - $250
2nd - $115
3rd - $62.50
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AiIjWkKABgzQdFctSW1TUFBYd01TR1pqN2NXVmdKUHc&usp=docslist_api#gid=0
Next, the payouts. We had 35 entries, so the total pool is $525
Referral Pool - $97.50
1st - $250
2nd - $115
3rd - $62.50
Disclosure And More Info
Hey Guys & Gals, just wanted to provide a quick update. We will not post all selections until around 5 or 6 this evening, just to allow everyone to enter that wants in/was too lazy to enter earlier/didn't really want to enter but eventually caved to peer pressure. The only meaningful game that will tip before this is Utah v Washington in the Pac 12. So, if you want to pick Utah or UW make sure to have your pick in BEFORE 3PM.
DISCLOSURE: Both David and Philip Crone are taking Utah in the Pac 12, wanted that to be out there before this game tips to ensure no one accuses these honest to a fault brothers of any possible wrong doing. Though, I'm sure no such thing would ever enter your mind. And, why would it really? Aside from running gambling pools the Brothers Crone spend most of their free time helping old ladies cross roads, getting cats out of trees, and writing product reviews on Amazon to help others make wise decisions. Giving, it's just something we do.
DISCLOSURE: Both David and Philip Crone are taking Utah in the Pac 12, wanted that to be out there before this game tips to ensure no one accuses these honest to a fault brothers of any possible wrong doing. Though, I'm sure no such thing would ever enter your mind. And, why would it really? Aside from running gambling pools the Brothers Crone spend most of their free time helping old ladies cross roads, getting cats out of trees, and writing product reviews on Amazon to help others make wise decisions. Giving, it's just something we do.
Tuesday, March 11, 2014
Conference Tourney Pick'em: Deadline Extension & Some Fun Stats!
Hey everyone,
We've already got quite a few entries - I'm pretty sure we're gonna soar past the 31 entry total from last year. Keep 'em coming!
Second, I didn't look too closely at the schedule when I made the deadline Wednesday at noon. The first meaningful game does not occur until 3 PM, and that is a Pac-12 game - Utah vs. Washington. Just to give people a little more time, I'm going to extend the deadline until Wednesday, March 12th, at 7 PM EDT! Four teams will have played before that - Utah, Washington, Colorado, & USC. If you intend to use any of those four teams, I need your pick before they start (Utah/WA is 3 PM EDT, CO/USC is likely around 5:30 PM EDT).
Lastly, a few stats to keep in mind from last year:
We've already got quite a few entries - I'm pretty sure we're gonna soar past the 31 entry total from last year. Keep 'em coming!
Second, I didn't look too closely at the schedule when I made the deadline Wednesday at noon. The first meaningful game does not occur until 3 PM, and that is a Pac-12 game - Utah vs. Washington. Just to give people a little more time, I'm going to extend the deadline until Wednesday, March 12th, at 7 PM EDT! Four teams will have played before that - Utah, Washington, Colorado, & USC. If you intend to use any of those four teams, I need your pick before they start (Utah/WA is 3 PM EDT, CO/USC is likely around 5:30 PM EDT).
Lastly, a few stats to keep in mind from last year:
- Last year's winner, Heather Knauf, won with 30 points.
- Every conference tournament in this contest was won by a 1, 2, or 3 seed. Nobody used either 3 seed that won (Oregon & Ole Miss).
- Only one four seed (Wisconsin) & one five seed (Syracuse) even made their tournament's finals last year.
Monday, March 10, 2014
2014 Conference Tournament Pick'em Rules & Seedings
Hey everyone!
Guess who's back... Back again.... Tourney Pools.... Tell a friend (and get a referral bonus). Uh, anyway...
We are bringing back the conference tournament pool this year! First, here are the seedings for quick reference...
Next, for anyone who needs a refresher, the rules. Good luck everyone!
Guess who's back... Back again.... Tourney Pools.... Tell a friend (and get a referral bonus). Uh, anyway...
We are bringing back the conference tournament pool this year! First, here are the seedings for quick reference...
Next, for anyone who needs a refresher, the rules. Good luck everyone!
Conference Tournament Pick’em
You know, EVERYONE loves the NCAA Tournament. The pageantry, the “anyone can beat anyone”
aspect, the 15 million times The Neon Trees needed to tell us that it did
indeed start with a whisper, etc etc etc.
(I know that’s a 2012 joke. I
left it in consciously b/c I still need to know what “it” started with.) All that means the REAL best week in
basketball, Conference Tournament Week or “Championship Week,” gets lost in the
shuffle. Seriously, there’s no better
week to go to Las Vegas if you ask me, but I digress.
Here at Tourney Pools, we have set a precedent of creating
better ways to “flex your college basketball acumen” than that lame old bracket
pool in the tournament itself. So it’s
time to expand to the next logical place – Championship Week! Aren’t you excited?! No?! I
don’t care, you will be.
Look, I did this last
year – Just tell me what changed so I can get on with my day.
Fine, you pushy jerk.
There are only three real changes:
1)
Mountain West is out, American Athletic
Conference is in
2)
Entry fee went up from $10 to $15. Inflation I guess.
3)
New paypal account: steelcard30@gmail.com
The Rules
·
Participants each pick one team from each of the
8 conference tournaments specified below.
Who you can pick will be based on seed in the tournament. Participants can pick only one 1 seed, 1 2
seed, 1 3 seed, 1… you get the idea.
Here’s the conference tourneys we will be choosing from:
o
A-10 (which has 13 teams)
o
AAC
o
ACC
o
Big Ten (which has 12 teams)
o
Big 12 (which has 10 teams – huh???)
o
Big East
o
Pac-12 (The only conference that knows how to
count)
o
SEC (had to throw a mid-major in right?)
·
You may replace a better seeded team w/ a worse
seeded team in your 8 team entry if you so choose. For example, if you do not like any 3 seeds
in any conference tournament, you can replace your “3 seed” slot with any other
team seeded 4 or higher. Likewise, this
also means that teams higher than an 8 seed are eligible to be used in any
slots. You wanna pick the Fightin’ Frank
Martins of South Carolina in the SEC? Go
nuts. (Can someone introduce Frank
Martin to a tailor? He is constantly
wearing giant suit jackets that look like he stole them from his dad’s closet
or something. Anyway…)
·
Scoring will be as follows:
o
Championship win – 4 points
o
Semifinal win – 3 points
o
Quarterfinal win – 2 points
o
“Quarterquarterfinal”? win – 1 point
§
This scoring means that only four games maximum
will be counted. This affects the 12 vs.
13 A-10 game, the Wednesday ACC games, & the Wednesday SEC games.
Entry Fees &
Payouts
·
Buy-in price is $15
·
Multiple entries are allowed
·
Pool will be paid out 100%. The only way the moderators make money is if
we are smart enough to beat you fools down.
Which we aren’t. Seriously, we’ve
never won money in any of our pools. I
have no idea why we do this.
·
The number of places to be paid out and the
allocation of the prize pool in those paid out places will be determined by the
moderators once numbers are final and published before the end of the first day
of the contest.
·
If you refer one or more
friends/co-workers/hobos on the corner to the game, you will be entered in a
side “referral” pot which is winner take all.
The total in this pot will be equal to 25% of all the “referred” entry
fees.
o
Hey guys, if I buy two or more entries for
myself, it’ll be like I “referred myself”!
Does that get me in the referral pool too? Ugh, I guess you crazy bastard. But there’s a catch. If you have multiple entries, you must designate
one entry as your “referral pool entry” for its scoring. Sorry, you don’t get to overwhelm the
referral pool and buy yourself a better shot at it too.
·
In the event of a tie, participants will split
any winnings evenly. I know I’m famous
for my obtrusive tiebreaker rules – I’m taking the lazy way out until someone
complains and I fix it next year.
Deadlines
·
All entries & $$$ must be submitted by Wednesday, March 12th, 2014 at
12 PM EDT
·
All entries should be emailed to tourneypools@gmail.com
·
$$$ can be sent in one of two ways
o
You hand it to a moderator in cash or check form
o
Send it via paypal to my account at steelcard30@gmail.com – this is by far
the easiest method for all involved. If
you don’t have a paypal account, sign up for one. I set up an experiment where I asked a
dimwitted chimpanzee to sign up for a paypal account, and it took the chimp 2
minutes and 28 seconds. I bet you can
easily finish under 3 minutes. Or are
you dumber than a dimwitted chimpanzee?
I don’t know, I guess it’s possible.
o
No IOU’s will be accepted. This isn’t a charity. Maybe when UNICEF gets into the tournament
pool business, you can go there and give them your IOU. Until then, we’re the guys to talk to.
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