Final Four Familiar Faces
After two consecutive years featuring newcomers to the Final Four, this year’s crop marks a return to the old guard. In fact, this year’s Final Four is made up of four of the top seven in terms of number of all time appearances in the Final Four with a combined total of 48 appearances! Cinderella? Not even close. These guys smashed the glass slipper, made her eat it, banished her from the ball, and beat up the fairy godmother on the way out just for good measure.
- Thunder Cats – Lions, Tigers, and Bears, oh my? Hmph. These little kittens from Kentucky scoff at such things. Not only did they feast on the Baylor Bears, but also on Hilltoppers, Cyclones, and Hoosiers (whatever those are). Conventional wisdom says neither birds nor nuts are going to fair any better.
- Rock Chalk, Jayhawk – You know, I’ve never done the research to determine if the Jayhawk is an actual bird, but it is of little consequence, since I’m fairly certain a Tarheel is not an actual species of goat, either. UNC were certainly the goats in this contest. It was 68-67, Kansas, with 3:34 to play, and UNC would never score again. Anyone doubting the impact of the absence of Kendall Marshall need doubt no more.
Final Four Awards
Being midnight with much to do not relating to March Madness, I present the traditional Final Four contest awards.
- The Fantastic Four award goes to Kristin “Special K” Detamore, the only contestant out of 531 to correctly pick all four Final Four teams with original picks. Kristin will receive one of the actual costumes worn by Jessica Alba in the first Fantastic Four movie.
- The Beasts of East award goes to three contestants who picked all 15 games in the East Region correctly with original picks: Dennis Helke, Colleen Bradley, and Sam Bowen.
- The Wild, Wild West award goes to Wyatt Boswell, Eric Shelton, and Grant Keller, each of whom picked 13 out of 15 games correctly in the West Region with original picks. These gentlemen will each receive an autographed copy of Will Smith’s soundtrack to the movie after which this award is named.
- The Southern Comfort award goes to Sam Brauen for going 14-1 in the South Region. Sam, who is from New England, will receive a southern accent.
- The Great Lakes award goes to Russell Jones and Andrew Bolin for picking 13 of 15 games correctly in the Midwest Region. Andrew and Russell have chosen to commemorate their award by going over Niagra Falls in a barrel.
- The Upset Stomach award, sponsored by Pepto Bismol, goes to Kasiah Hand and Julia Harper, each of whom correctly picked 13 upsets in this year’s contest, more than any other contestants. I’m not sure why it’s the ladies who are so upset this year. Maybe I should just stop right there.
Looking Ahead
With Sam Brauen still leading the contest, there are some interesting scenarios brewing next weekend. While Kentucky and Ohio State were very popular picks for national champion, Louisville and Kansas were not. In fact, a Louisville victory over Kentucky is almost certain to drastically change the top ten in the standings, and a Louisville national championship will likely produce a brand new top ten altogether. A Kansas national championship, likewise, will shake up the standings considerably. This is all because of the coveted Scategories bonus, which is especially lucrative for the National Semi Finals and Final games. Kentucky and Ohio State wins are also worth a lot of points, but won’t impact the standings quite as much.
Check your standings, do your calculations, and say your prayers. Next weekend will conclude this year’s March Madness and determine our contest winner. Until then, I step back behind the curtain.
Yours truly,
The Wizard of Whiteland