2016 Conference Championship Pool Final Standings

Here are the FINAL STANDINGS through Selection Sunday, along with a summary of the results and payouts.

1st Place:  The Judge
2nd Place:  Andrew
3rd Place:  Jenn
4th Place:  Safka

Refer to the spreadsheet for the full payouts, many people are getting something.  I'll take the next 24-48 hours to review the spreadsheet to ensure its accuracy before sending money.

Thank you everyone for playing this year, it was a crazy year for the conference tournaments, and should continue to be crazy with the NCAA Tournament.  Many of us in this pool end up going to Vegas Wednesday - Monday for the tournament, so we'll spend the next few days figuring out our bets!

It's Selection Sunday!

Last day of the pool, and then on to the real tournament.

   

Here are the current standings through Saturday's games.

• 10 people are fighting for the top 4 spots going into the 5 conference championship games today
• The combinations are endless for the order, so I am not even going to try and outline all of the scenarios
• If you have been mathematically eliminated from the top 4 spots your name has been grayed out

Remember we do have Bonus Pots for different categories, including the final score of the B1G championship game today, so everyone can still win money today.

Additionally with the Bonus Pots, they are designed for multiple people to win, the idea is that at the end of this pool everyone has the opportunity to win a little bit of money.

Today's Championship Games (3/13)

Atlantic 10  - 11:30 am CST

• (4) Saint Joseph's vs. (2) VCU
• The 1st championship of the day is such a key game for our pool, so it's a great way to start out
• Bonus point are at stake here!
• For the players that are still in the running for the top 4 spots, 3 have St. Joseph's and for have VCU
• This is also where, no matter what the outcome is, the players that picked Dayton or St. Bonaventure will get passed

SEC - 12:00 pm CST

• (2) Kentucky vs. (1) Texas A&M
• Only 1 person in our pool that is in the running selected Texas A&M, everyone else is rolling with Kentucky
• No bonus points are at stake
• Again, no matter what the outcome is, the players that picked Vanderbilt will end up get passed in the standings

Sun Belt - 12:00 pm CST

• (2) Louisiana Monroe vs. (1) Arkansas-Little Rock
• Many people selected the 1 seed Arkansas-Little Rock, no one went with Louisiana Monroe
• Unlike the first 2 conferences, we can have an outcome in this game where nobody is awarded points
• No bonus points are at stake

 B1G - 2:00 pm CST

• (4) Purdue vs. (2) Michigan State
• Many people selected the 2 seed Michigan State, no one went with Purdue, so again, unlike the first 2 conferences, we can have an outcome in this game where nobody is awarded points

American  - 2:15 pm CST

• (6) Memphis vs. (5) UConn
• The very last conference championship game, and this could decide the pool
• Bonus point are at stake here!
• Many people selected the 5 seed UConn, no one went with Memphis
• LOT'S of people that are towards the top of the standings can get passed by with this game
• The other very interesting thing with this game is that UConn is a 5 seed, this would be the lowest winning seed if they win, so everyone that is currently getting money with their 4 seed, this will knock them out of the money.

27 of the 32 automatic qualifier tickets have been punched, the last 5 will be punched by later this afternoon.

As games complete, I'll post updated standings (No Blog), so save the link.  After all the games are complete I will need some time to check the standings for accuracy, and then later tonight will update Blog the final standings.

The Last 24 Hours of Games

We are now coming down the stretch of the final 24 hours of games, 5 conference champions will punch a ticket tomorrow.

But we're not finished today, still have a long way to go tonight!

Here are the current standings through most of today's games, along with some of the highlights.

Let's look at our pool to determine who is still in the running and who has been eliminated.  If you have not already made arrangements with me, please send your money so I can pay people our quickly.

Some of you will be looking at the standings right now like that bitch Grayson Allen, wondering where it went off the rails.

I'll have a more comprehensive update tomorrow morning before the last 5 conference championship games begin.

14 Championship Games Saturday

Here are the current standings through most of today's games, along with some of the highlights.  The past few days have just been all of us piling up losses.

Get excited for tomorrow, we have 14 championship games being played in 1 day, this is our version of moving day in the standings!

UConn vs. Cincinnati was probably one of the best basketball games of the season, going into 4 overtimes, with UConn ultimately winning.  Not only was the game fun to watch, but our picks we're evenly split between UConn and Cincinnati.

In one of the crazier upsets of the day, Michigan knocked off the 1 seed Indiana in the B1G.

Tomorrow's Championship Games (3/12)

Here is what we know so far, still many West Coast games left to be decided tonight.

ACC

• (2) Miami vs. (1) North Carolina
• 48% of us picked Virginia, but a good amount do have North Carolina
• No Bonus points are at stake

America East

• (3) Vermont vs. (1) Stony Brook
• 74% of us picked Stony Brook, only B.I. and Rabitoy have Vermont
• Bonus point are at stake with Vermont

Big 12

• (2) West Virginia vs. (1) Kansas
• 48% of the pool picked Kansas, but a few West Virginia's are mixed in
• No Bonus points are at stake

Big East

• (3) Seton Hall vs. (1) Villanova
• 70% of us picked Villanova, but we do have a couple people with Seton Hall
• Bonus Points are at stake with Seton Hall

Big Sky

• Pending Tonight vs. (1) Weber State

Big West

• Pending Tonight vs. (1) Hawaii 

Conference USA

• (5) Old Dominion vs. (2) Middle Tennessee
• 2 people have Old Dominion and 2 people have Middle Tennessee
• Bonus point are at stake with Old Dominion

MAC

• (3) Buffalo vs. (1) Akron
• 52% of the pool has Akron, but 1 lone guy has Buffalo
• Bonus points are at stake with Buffalo

MEAC

• (3) South Carolina State vs. Hampton
• 39% of us have Hampton, but we were all over the board in terms of picking a champion
• Bonus point are at stake with South Carolina State

Mountain West

• Pending Tonight vs. (1) San Diego State

PAC 12

• Pending Tonight vs. (1) Oregon
• Most of us were wiped out by Arizona losing to Oregon

Southland

• (2) Texas A&M CC vs. (1) Stephen F. Austin 
• Every one of us has Stephen F. Austin, except Rabitoy, he had Sam Houston State
• No Bonus points are at stake

SWAC

• (4) Southern vs. (3) Jackson State
• A few people have each of these teams, this could be a key conference in determining who wins this pool!
• Someone will get Bonus points

WAC

• Pending Tonight vs. (1) vs. New Mexico State

Selection Sunday is Approaching

Here are the current standings through most of today's games, along with some of the highlights.  

I will continue to post standings throughout the night as things change, but with no championship games tonight I figure might as well get the blog out early.

Young is going to be really hard to catch at some point, he is just not racking up losses like the rest of us are.  Honestly, everyone is still in the running to finish in money, we still have 19 championship games yet to be decided.

Notre Dame and Duke played early this afternoon, they ended up going to overtime, and then Notre Dame smacked down Duke in OT.

In another early afternoon surprise in the B1G, Illinois knocked off Iowa, which made many people happy in our pool.  We'll celebrate with a picture of Lovie Smith -- Get those Football Tickets!

We again have 0 championship games tomorrow night.  Get ready for 19 championships over the weekend.

And the countdown to Selection Sunday has started!

Patriot League Champion Crowned Today

Here are the current standings through most of today's games, along with some of the highlights.

I truly feel bad for all the sinners that picked Lehigh today, I hope that pick was worth an eternity in hell.

Today we only had 1 more teams advance to the NCAA Tournament:  Holy Cross (Patriot)

Tomorrow's Championship Games (3/10)

Yeah, that's right, sadness, no championship games tomorrow.  No tickets punched.

The updated cool graphic of all the teams that have punched tickets, compared against the conferences that are still in play.

A UNC (Insert Name) School Did Not Punch a Ticket Today

Here are the current standings through most of today's games, along with some of the highlights.  

A North Carolina affiliated college did NOT win a championship today for the first day in a while (Asheville, Wilmington, etc.).  Get it?

Even though tomorrow only has 1 championship game, I'm sticking with the same format that I have used for the past few days, I think it's working well to summarize everything that is going on.

Today through Sunday is literally basketball all day, games start as early as 11:00 AM CST, and end as late as 1:00 AM CST.  And Chris Iannuzzi probably has not watched 1 game.

Today we had 4 more teams advance to the NCAA Tournament:  Wisconsin Green Bay (Horizon), Fairly Dickenson (Northeast), South Dakota State (Summit), and Gonzaga (West Coast).

Tomorrow's Championship Games (3/9)

Patriot - 6:30 pm CST

• (9) Holy Cross vs. (2) Lehigh
• A couple people chose Lehigh, nobody chose Holy Cross, so most of us will be rooting for Jesus
• No Bonus points are at stake

Let's look at the top 10 in our pool:

• Young is winning at a rate of  > 50% accuracy, Andrew is not far behind him winning at a rate of  > 40% accuracy
• Tina is in 8th place, but she has the 3rd highest accuracy % so she has the potential to keep moving up - this is why accuracy % is a metric!
• B.I. is doing well, even with a strategy of having 21 teams that are 3 seeds or lower
• Not in the Top 10 Highlight - Rabitoy is the only person with 0 points

The updated cool graphic of all the teams that have punched tickets, compared against the conferences that are still in play.

Women's NCAA Basketball Conference Tournament Update

Just kidding, no one cares about that.

Here are the current standings through most of today's games, along with some of the highlights.

• Andrew is on fire with 6 points already!  
• 4 players in the pool are still are being shutout
• Young is in great position to take 1st place over the next 48 hours

These next few days are my favorite, we all start lose teams so fast I can't even keep up with the updates.  I would encourage EVERYONE to check your scores for accuracy, if you notice anything wrong let me know and I'll get it fixed.

Today we had 3 more teams advance to the NCAA Tournament:  Iona (MAAC), UNC-Wilmington (Colonial), and Chattanooga (Southern).

Tomorrow's Championship Games (3/8)

Horizon - 6:00 pm CST

• (4) Wisconsin Green Bay vs. (3) Wright State or (2) Oakland
• Most people are eliminated, more people in the pool selected Oakland, but we do have a few people with Wisconsin Green Bay and Wright State
• Bonus point are at stake here!

Northeast - 6:00 pm CST

• (2) Fairleigh Dickenson vs. (1) Wagner
• 61% of us selected Wagner to win this conference, only Young has FDU, and a win would put him in great position down the stretch 
• No bonus points are at stake

Summit - 8:00 pm CST

• (5) North Dakota State vs. (2) South Dakota State
• All of us remaining have SDSU, nobody selected NDSU
• No bonus points are at stake

West Coast - 8:00 pm CST

• (3) BYU or (2) Gonzaga vs. (1) St. Mary's
• 70% of us selected Gonzaga, however a few BYU and St Mary's picks are scattered throughout the pool
• No bonus points are at stake unless BYU wins tonight

Below is a updated pretty cool graphic of all the teams that have punched tickets, compared against the conferences that are still in play.

We Have Real Standings Now & Money Update

Only 6 days into the conference tournaments and it has already provided some craziness, no 1, 2, or 3 seeds have won a conference tournament yet.

This is the first Blog that I have e-mailed since 3/1, I wanted to ensure that for those that don't read the Blog can at least see the standings.  If you're not following the Blog for updates, you should save the link below in your favorites!

http://2016conferencetournamentchallenge.blogspot.com/

Here are the current standings through all of today's games, along with some of the highlights.  I have also attached the excel document of the standing.

So far, we can say that Rabitoy's "3-seed strategy" is not working as expected, should have used the "4-seed strategy" this year.

All games from here on out will be conference championship games, so for most teams this is the last game they will play.  All seeds in our pool have been updated and are officially finalized.

Money Update:  If you have not yet paid, or made future arrangements to pay, please get your money to me.  This pool ends in 1 week and I want to make sure I can pay out the winners quickly.

Today we had 3 more teams advance to the NCAA Tournament:  Northern Iowa (Missouri Valley), UNC-Asheville (Big South), and Florida Gulf Coast (Atlantic Sun).

Tomorrow's Championship Games (3/7)

Very chalky tomorrow, huge change of pace from what we have seen over the past few days.

Colonial - 6:00 pm CST

• (2) UNC-Wilmington vs. (1) Hofstra
• 4 people selected UNC-Wilmington and 6 people selected Hofstra
• No bonus points are at stake, but this game will help shake up the standings a little more

MAAC - 6:00 pm CST

• (2) Iona vs. (1) Monmouth
• Most of us have Monmouth, but a few people did pick Iona, an Iona win can really cause some chaos in the standings
• No bonus points are at stake

Southern - 8:00 pm CST

• (2) Eastern Tennessee State vs. (1) Chattanooga
• Most of us have Chattanooga, but a few people did pick ETSU, a ETSU win can really cause some more chaos in the standings
• No bonus points are at stake

Below is a pretty cool graphic of all the teams that have punched tickets, compared against the conferences that are still in play.

Sunday Morning Update and 3 Championship Games Today

My head is freaking killing me from Prairie Madness last night, but I was still able to pull this together before today's games tipped off.

Here are the current standings through all the games played last night.

Additionally, the majority of the conference tournaments now have finalized seeding and it is updated on the spreadsheet.

Some 2 seeds are now 3 seeds, and 3 seeds are now 2 seeds in some conferences, so this has impacted our max points.

After today, all conferences tournaments will be underway and I'll update the spreadsheet with the finalized seeding.  Let the madness begin!

Last night gave us our 1st team to punch its ticket to the NCAA tournament, Austin Peay, from the Ohio Valley Conference.  Amazing that an 8 seed won that conference, no one in our pool picked Austin Peay, so no points for anyone.  Let's Go Peay!

For those not following the Ivy League, we also had another ticket punched last night, but not through winning a conference tournament.  Yale secured the Ivy League automatic bid and are headed to the NCAA Tournament.

We will have a few winners in our pool today from the 3 championship games being played, so we'll really start to see some actual standing formulate.  I'll post an updated Blog and Standings tonight after all games have been played.

Afternoon Update, Losses Piling Up, and Current Standings

Here are the current standings through this afternoon, I will not have a Blog or updated standings tonight, but I will have one Sunday morning.

Hofstra, Green Bay, and Chattanooga all won during the morning round of conference championship games.  Chattanooga struggled really bad with Samford, but ended up pulling out the win.

In one of the better games of the afternoon, unless you're Tina, was High Point vs. UNC Asheville, which ended in UNC Asheville knocking off the 1 seed High Point.

Late in the afternoon, James Madison lost to the William & Mary Tribe, many of us has James Madison as a upset pick.  Similarly, Mount St. Mary's lost to FDU, more bonus points down the toilet.  The Shockers are out as well, sadness all around for most of us in the pool!

Tomorrow's Championship Games (3/6)


Atlantic Sun - 6:00 pm CST

• (7) Stetson vs. (4) Florida Gulf Coast
• 4 people selected Florida Gulf Coast, so an opportunity for bonus points and a huge advantage for only 4 people
• Interesting note, Stetson is ineligible for the NCAA Tournament, so if they win this game, North Florida ends up going to the NCAA Tournament

Big South - 1:30 pm CST

• (4) UNC Asheville vs. (2) Winthrop
• 7 people have UNC Asheville, while only 4 selected Winthrop
• If your team is not in the championship, you're rooting for Winthrop due to the fact that they wouldn't be a bonus pick

Missouri Valley - 1:00 pm CST

• (4) Northern Iowa vs. Evansville/Indiana State Winner
• Only 1 person picked Northern Iowa, 1 person picked Evansville, everyone else is eliminated 

Almost a Shocker, Racist Governors, and some Blowouts

Here are the current standings through all of today's games, along with some of the highlights.

The day started with the Big South and Missouri Valley conference games being tipped off throughout the afternoon.  It was uneventful as teams like High Point, Wichita State, and UNC-Asheville won and moved on to the next round.

Wichita really struggled with Loyola IL, the game came down to the last few seconds, that should not happen.  I thought I was watching the 1963 Loyola team.

In the evening Winthrop, Monmouth, and Evansville all won easily.

But things didn't end well for Coastal Carolina as they were upset by Gardner-Webb.

Now that a third of the conferences are underway, I'm not going to preview each game in each conference, I'll focus on the championship games being played.


Tomorrow's Championship Games (3/5)

Ohio Valley Conference - 5:00 pm CST

In an AMAZING upset, the 8 seed Austin Peay Governors beat the 1 seed Belmont Bruins today to advance to the championship game against Tennessee Martin.  Austin Peay is a pretty racist dude that doesn't believe in evolution, but he did build 4,000 miles of paved roads in Tennessee.  #historylesson #themoreyouknow

The only person with something at stake in tomorrow's championship game is Jack, with Tennessee Martin.  The rest of us will be rooting for the Austin Peay Governors!

Holy Upsets!

Here are the current standings through all of today's games, including Morehead State/Murray State, along with some of the highlights.

Many conferences were in action today, but only 3 conferences had impacts to our pool, Atlantic Sun, Ohio Valley, and Patriot League.  This entire night was full of insane upsets and now we all have at least 1 loss.

Don't get discouraged if you experienced a ton of losses today or are towards the bottom of the standings.  We have a long way to go, and remember, you win this pool with 15-16 winners, you don't need to win all 31 conferences.

• The night started out in the Atlantic Sun with 4 seed FGCU demolishing the 1 seed North Florida, so now the championship game will be between 8 seed Stetson and 4 seed FGCU
• We then moved to the Patriot League, where it was really a bloodbath, the 1 seed Bucknell went down to 8 seed Holy Cross, while 6 seed American took out Boston University
• Finally, we wrap up with the Ohio Valley conference where we saw a popular pool pick, Tennessee State, go down to Austin Peay.

As we head into Friday, we don't yet have any conference champions, 11 conference tournaments are in progress, and 20 have still not tipped off.  The first conference champion will be crowned on Saturday in the Ohio Valley Conference.

We have a whole bunch of important games being played Friday as many of these smaller conferences head into the quarterfinals, or even the semi-finals.  Below outlines what impacts our pool and we'll see many more sad basketball teams tomorrow.

The Big South, MAAC, Missouri Valley, and Ohio Valley conferences all continue, while the 3 conferences that tip off tomorrow are the Colonial, Southern, and the West Coast.  The West Coast is one of my favorites since it is played in Vegas!

The Colonial features the 7-10 seeds, which only impacts 1 of us as Jack has Elon.  Not sure why he has Elon, but he does, maybe it was a mistake.  The Southern also has the 7-10 seeds playing, the only difference  is none of us have any of those teams.

Finally, the West Coast conference tips off Friday, but it's only one game between Loyola Marymount and San Diego.  I'll end up watching it just for the shots of Vegas.