1998 PRE-NCAA CONTEST UPDATE - ROUND 2

For the first time in Pool history, nobody has been clever enough to choose a successful Wild Card. In other words, nobody’s Wild Card is still playing (in case we were too subtle the first time).

After the first round, only Wamser (South Carolina) had managed to pick a champion that had been eliminated. Now that round two is over, twenty three additional contestants can proudly claim this distinction. All of these thoughtful souls chose Kansas as champion: Manute; Baer; Brady; Brindisi; Brooks; Conte, DREG; Joe Hastings; Quasi II; D Josephs; Joyce; Kleiman; D Leach; Leahy; Maibach II; Joe Mc; Mike Mc; McGarrigel; Packer; Papalia; Peloso; Pogach; Porter.

Everybody, except Fila; Gill; S Karpp; and M Leach, chose Kansas into the Final 8 (122 misguided individuals). In addition to that, and the poor choices reported in the first Update:

39 entrants chose Arkansas into the Final 8 (Alberts; Anonymity; Brindisi; Broder; Lou C; Conte; Cowboy; D'Zuro; Dodger; J Donadio, Jr.; J Einbinder-Schatz; M Einbinder-Schatz; Fila; Flannery; FREG; Gold; Grande; GREF; Quasi II; D Josephs; Joyce; Kane; Kasprzak; I Kedson; M Leach; P Leach; Lundberg; Mastro; McGarrigel; Nannen; A Natalini; Packer; D Padilla; Riot; Schwartz; Shaw; Spitz; C Walker; Wegbreit/Arglic);

25 chose Princeton (Brooks; Clark; Claude; Connelly; Coach Doc; M Einbinder-Schatz; Fila; Joe Hastings; Henderson; D Josephs; M Leach; Leeds; Ostru; D Padilla; Post; Raps; Salus; Selig; Bill Shaid; Bobbie Shaid; S Shaid; N Sullivan; Tiger; Wamser; Warmbier);

14 chose New Mexico (Bryan; Lou C; Clark; Connelly; Gill; P Hastings; R Karpp; S Karpp; Pat O'Brien; Ostru; Peloso; Schwartz; N Sullivan; Wegbreit/Arglic);

13 chose Michigan (Alberts; A Capella; Fila; J Joseph; Kasprzak; Maibach II; Pogach; Porter; Post; Russell; S Shaid; Smith; Tiger); and

13 chose Cincinnati (Alberts; Lou C; Grande; M Joseph; D Josephs; P Leach; M Papalia; Peloso; Raps; Selig; Tiger; C Walker; Wamser).

Also, J Einbinder-Schatz chose Indiana; R Karpp chose UNCC; and Sam Karpp chose St. Louis (but he didn’t choose Kansas, so that sort of evens out, doesn’t it).

Looking at the bigger picture, Carson and Alberts have each already lost 5 of their Final 8. Ten additional entrants have lost 4 of 8: Anonymity; J Einbinder-Schatz; R Karpp; M Leach; P Leach; Leeds; Nannen; Peloso; Quasi II; and Tiger. (There may be a few others, but it’s late…)

One win away from cleverness are Dresden and Russell (each having Syracuse in Final 8), and M Einbinder-Schatz (Rhode Island in Final 8). Twenty Two contestants chose Purdue into the Final 8, fifteen chose UCLA, eleven chose Maryland, and four (Carson; Connelly; McMoose; and Pogach) chose West Virginia.

Kansas also made 88 entrants miss one of their Final 4. Eleven chose Arkansas into the Final 4 (Alberts; Anonymous; Lou C; J Einbinder-Schatz; Fila; FREG; M Leach; P Leach; A Natalini; Riot; Schwartz), four chose New Mexico (Connelly; Gill; Pat O’Brien; Peloso), three chose Princeton (N Sullivan; Wamser; Warmbier), two chose Cincinnati (P Leach; C Walker), Post chose Michigan, and S Karpp chose St. Louis.

Thus, after two rounds, Connelly has the dubious distinction of having already lost three of his Final 4 (his final remaining choice, if anyone wants to say "good bye," is Arizona. Nine other entrants have already had two of their Final 4 eliminated: AJOB; Gold; D Kedson; D Padilla; N Sullivan; S Karpp; Peloso; Riot; and A Natalini.