A Brief Update on the Tourney Challenge

[dlgood]

We have now made it all the way to the Final Four. With all four #1 seeds out, the Control Bracket is in utter shambles. Indeed, we're going to have the lowest scoring winning bracket in pretty much ever.

There can be three possible winners:

1) hjcallipygian wins if Florida wins the National Title
2) thelastgoodname - wins if UCLA defeats LSU AND does not lose to Florida in the title game.
3) stars91 - wins IF UCLA loses to LSU AND Florida does not win the National Title.

Notes. This year's final four features no #1 seeds, and #11 seed George Mason of the Colonial Athletic Association. Mason is the lowest rated seed in the Final Four since the 1986 LSU team which featured John "Hot Plate" Williams. The only other minor conference final four team was 1979 Penn of the Ivy League. And this is only the second time there were no #1 seeds in the Final Four. In 1980, the Final Four was #2 Lousiville, #5 Iowa, #6 Purdue, and #8 UCLA. Like 1980, all four regional finals were upsets.

And: Out of 3 Million entrants into ESPN's Challenge, only 4 people had the exact Final Four. More than 2 million entries have NONE of the remaining four teams...

Also - a big rah rah for the University of Maryland Terrapins womens' team, which plays tonight to return to the Final Four for the first time since 1989.

Comments

[cactuswatcher.livejournal.com]

George Mason may not make it any farther. But, I'm still officially impressed!

[dlgood.livejournal.com]

They're very impressive. Particularly as, this isn't a team getting lucky - they didn't have a lot of upsets in their bracket, and they weren't going against teams with injuries. And they aren't living off super-hot shooting. They just play solid offense and defense.

[thelastgoodname.livejournal.com]

Yay for homerism! (My bracket has been fucked since Day 1; I find it highly amusing that I'm in the running at all at this point.)

[hjcallipygian.livejournal.com]

Hee! I did the same thing -- I'm a UF grad.

[dlgood.livejournal.com]

And I am sort of rooting for your UCLA pick, since they've got a member of the tribe (Jordan Farmar) running the point.

[cactuswatcher.livejournal.com]

It said in the paper this morning that one of those four people with the correct Final Four accidently confused George Mason U with George Washington U. Better lucky than good!

[dlgood.livejournal.com]

No kidding. Very amusing. I just like the footnote that 66% of the entries had NO final four teams correct. (including myself)