So it does, Moira. So it does.
Took us a little longer than anticipated to get here (a whole year, but who’s counting?) but, at long last, I am pleased to finally welcome you all to Great American March Madness XXVIII (aka “GAMM XXVIII”). Yes, you read that right, this thing’s been kicking around since 1993. And let me tell ya, I’m thrilled to be back doing this again after all the COVID chaos of the last 12 months.
Know what I’m not thrilled with though? CBS Sports dot com, that’s who. Of course, anyone who read my blog entry from a couple of days ago about it is already aware. For those who didn’t read it, here’s the TL/DR recap in GIF form:
Artist’s rendering of CBSsports.com’s “Bracket Games”
There were A LOT of really inconvenient, annoying changes they made to their platform since the 2019 pool, but the biggest one was no doubt allowing people to click “submit” on partially completed brackets. This caused many folks to think they had successfully filled the entire thing out, when in reality I found numerous brackets where even the Championship Game hadn’t been picked. I tried to catch as many as I could and contact folks beforehand but, if I missed yours and, as a result, your bracket turned out to be ineligible, my apologies.
Oh, and get this, after one of my many complaints to them about their raging dumpster fire of a website, the fine folks at CBS Sports dot com made the mistake of sending me a customer service survey to complete. Yes, I went “full Karen” on them, as the kids like to say these days.
The Commish getting ready to bring the thunder down
Meh, enough of all this “dwelling on the negative” crap. It’s bad for pool morale. Okay, here’s some good news for ya … no, I’m not referring to the news that it turns out that J-Lo and A-Rod are still very much in love and that the marriage is still on. No, just that your beloved Commish ended up getting his 1st dose of the COVID vaccine yesterday. I’m experiencing some mild side effects today, but I’m
sucking it up and powering through my duties as Commish like a champ though. All for you guys, of course. Many people are even saying my current situation is very reminiscent of the famous Michael Jordan flu game in the ’97 NBA Finals.
Yeah, I get it now, MJ.
Wait a minute, Commish. Did you … did you really just compare yourself to Michael Jordan??
Michael Jordan reading today’s blog
Okay, look, *I’m* not saying it. *People* are saying it. Whatever, guys. History will have to decide, I guess. Not to brag, but I did end up passing a pretty impressive milestone the other day in my “working from home during the pandemic” career …
Safety first, guys.
So, anyhoo … despite the one year layoff (in which, not sure if you heard, I managed to stay injury free) I’m pleased to report that we’ve once again broken the record for most entrants, with an even 500 participants!
At an inflation-proof $5 per entry for a 28th straight pool, this year’s total cash haul comes in at … (drumroll please) … an eye-popping $2,500! Payouts, of course, will be made on the following time-honored basis:
- 1st Place – $1482 (60%)
- 2nd Place – $741 (30%)
- 3rd Place – $247 (10%)
- Best 1st Rd – $25.00
- Last Place – $5.00 Refund (aka “The Nancy Burns Award”) ← iykyk
(Reminder: The tiebreaker for “Best 1st Round” is whoever picked the biggest upset)
As you saw in your email invite, all entry fees must be paid via Venmo. Venmo, for those who are new to it, is a fairly common app that’s owned by PayPal and allows you to easily transfer funds electronically. It can be found in both iTunes and the Google Play Store.
So, any questions about this whole Venmo business before we move along? Yes, you in the back …
Oh, crap! Almost forgot that part, Jimmy! Good lookin’ out, bro. A link to my Venmo can be found by clicking → here.
Okay, with that out of the way, let’s get down to some actual basketball stuff. This year, your beloved Commish went with a Final Four of #1 Gonzaga over #2 Alabama on one side of the bracket, and #1 Illinois over #6 Texas Tech on the other side, with Illinois knocking off Gonzaga in the Championship Game. A lot of “chalk,” but my Sweet 16 does have #11 UCSB, #7 Oregon, and two #6’s, Texas Tech and San Diego State (← shout out Nora Dennehy).
As for the other members of my immediate family, here’s who they went with in the Finals (well, at least this is what they had when I last checked):
- Mrs. Commish – Gonzaga over Illinois
- Lauren (2010 Champ) – West Virginia over Gonzaga
- Lauren #2 – Kansas over Baylor
- Jack (2015 runner-up) – Gonzaga over Baylor
- Jack #2 – Gonzaga over Illinois
- Matthew – Illinois over Florida State
As you may have noted, and as people often like to remind me, two of my kids, Lauren and Jack, have actually won money in this thing (and by “people,” I mean just Lauren and Jack). Lauren, of course, was the 2010 champion, the year Duke beat Butler, and Jack took 2nd place in 2015 when Duke beat Wisconsin. What’s that, you say? You want to know how The Commish has fared in his 28 years of running this thing? Look, I don’t see why that’s important. And besides, I feel like the fact that my kids won something, means I kind of won too.
Exactly! And remember, there’s no “i” in Family!
In any event, here’s what I went with for 1st round upsets this year:
- #12 UC-Santa Barbara over #5 Creighton
- #12 Georgetown over #5 Colorado
- #12 Winthrop over #5 Villanova
- #12 Oregon St. over #5 Tennessee
- #11 UCLA over BYU
- #11 Drake over USC
- #10 Rutgers over #7 Clemson
- #9 Missouri over #8 Oklahoma
- #9 Wisconsin over #8 UNC
And finally, here’s your annual look at a whole bunch of stuff you needed to know before now:
- Only 3 times since 1979 has a #1 seed not reached the Final Four. (☑ Got 2 of ’em)
- At least one #12 beats a #5 every year. If you didn’t pick a #12, then you’re doing it wrong. (☑ Okay, I picked all 4 of them. I may have gone just a tad overboard)
- Only twice since 1996 have all the #2’s made it to the Sweet 16, one of which being the 2019 tournament. (☑ I’ve got Iowa bowing out in the 2nd round)
- At least one #11 seed has won a game in 15 straight tournaments, with Ohio St in 2019 the most recent. (☑ I’ve got UCLA and Drake)
- 37 double-digit seeds in the last 35 tournaments have made the Sweet 16. (☑ I’ve got #11 UC-Santa Barbara)
- 2008 is the only year that all four No. 1 seeds have made the Final Four. 2019 featured a #1, #2, #3, and a #5. (☑ I’ve got two #1’s, a #2, and a #6)
- Only 10 #1 seeds have made the Final Four in the last 9 tournaments. (☑ Kept it to a minimum with just 2)
- In the last 21 tournaments, 15 #1 seeds have won the National Championship. In addition, there’s been one #2, three #3’s and a #7 in that same time frame. (☑ I’ve got #1 Illinois to win it all)
Really, Phoebe? I mean, really? I post this stuff every (bleep)ing year, for crying out loud! Do better!
Any questions, anyone?
Oh, good question, Wanda! Thought for sure you’d be watching “The Falcon and Winter Soldier” on Disney Plus, but whatevs. In the interest of customer service though, here’s how the tournament TV schedule shapes up for today:
FRIDAY TV SCHEDULE:
12:15 p.m. (10) Virginia Tech vs. (7) Florida (CBS)
12:45 p.m. (14) Colgate vs. (3) Arkansas (truTV)
1:15 p.m. (16) Drexel vs. (1) Illinois (TBS)
1:45 p.m. (11) Utah State vs. (6) Texas Tech (TNT)
3:00 p.m. (15) Oral Roberts vs. (2) Ohio State (CBS)
3:30 p.m. (16) Hartford vs. (1) Baylor (truTV)
4:00 p.m. (9) Georgia Tech vs. (8) Loyola Chicago (TBS)
4:30 p.m. (12) Oregon State vs. (5) Tennessee (TNT)
6:25 p.m. (13) Liberty vs. (4) Oklahoma State (TBS)
7:10 p.m. (9) Wisconsin vs. (8) North Carolina (CBS)
7:15 p.m. (15) Cleveland State vs. (2) Houston (truTV)
7:25 p.m. (13) North Texas vs. (4) Purdue (TNT)
9:20 p.m. (10) Rutgers vs. (7) Clemson (TBS)
9:40 p.m. (11) Syracuse vs. (6) San Diego State (CBS)
9:50 p.m. (14) Morehead State vs. (3) West Virginia (truTV)
9:57 p.m. (12) Winthrop vs. (5) Villanova (TNT)
That’s a wrap for today, everyone! Look for more updates throughout the tournament! And, hey, let’s get those entry fees in.
Good luck!
The Commish
