2007 March Madness: CP's Second Annual, Official "ESPN Tournament... " Challenge

[Tour2ma]

Welcome fellow CP'ers... This is for forum bragging rights and a possible $10,000 first prize (courtesy of ESPN... not me).

ESPN's site is now open for registration, so I have set up a 'Private' group for CP. It is imaginatively enough called "Club Polk 1". The password is "Justin". (I finally found a good use for the old SOPA technique*... ;) )

General info can be found HERE. You must have an ESPN Account to enter, but no biggie... in my experience ESPN does not bombard you with SPAM or shop your addy around.

Once you are logged in, you can go to the Rules page and click on the Registration link. It's a bit clumsy to work through all five entries using this sequence, but it's the only way I found. It seems easiest to create all five entries first and assign them to our group later.

NOTE: We are NOT a "Default Group", so do not bother looking through the list that appears in step #5 of the entry creation process.

When assigining your first entry, type "Polk" in the search window. Thereafter you can use the drop window in the upper left corner to add your other four entries.

Please use your CP screen name when you label your entries, e.g., Tour2ma 1, Tour2ma 2, etc.

The Club Polk group will start off unlocked, so if you have already created entries, you may move them into our group. However, once the tourney starts, the group will be locked and there will be no movement in, or out.

Remember you can create up to five entries.

Good Luck (from the look of this season, it will take more "luck" this year than it did last)...

Let's have some fun...

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* For those not familiar with the SOPA technique, left click and drag your pointer acoss the blank area to reveal the "hidden" password.
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[zombie boy 2000]

Lock and loaded:D

[MrNightly]

Bring it!!!

[zombie boy 2000]

Bring it!!!

Are you ready for another disappointment of epic proportions when your Jayhawks feebly bow out in yet another fine March showing?:D :p

[MrNightly]

Are you ready for another disappointment of epic proportions when your Jayhawks feebly bow out in yet another fine March showing?:D :p

I dunno... they seem a much better team this year! Let's just say, I won't pick them all the way around to win it all!! :D I feel there will be quite a few upsets though this year... it should be interesting!

Are YOU ready to meet defeat?!? Muhahahahaha.. ahem.. excuse me.

Carry on.

[zombie boy 2000]

Well best o' luck... high-ranking notwithstanding, I think Kansas has been flying under the radar all year.
Of course, the Cardinals are turning it on at the right time:)

I just read somewhere that Louisville leads all cities in Nielsen ratings for the tourney... over 85% of homes will tune in to watch a significant amount of action. It's like Carnival around these parts...

[MrNightly]

So when can we make our picks?!?

What a game with Kansas huh?

[opus]

Anyone that uses multiple entries is a sissy and shall be sacked

[zombie boy 2000]

What a clunky interface just to get your brackets printed up! Anyway, come Thursday afternoon... none of this will matter. pfffft Stanford and pffft those twin towers they rode in on.

Until then, I'm going to try to score some upper-level ticks at Rupp to watch my Cards play on a neutral site:D

[reeltrouble1]

Dang Syracuse got hosed. As much as I support the Big Ten, the absolute best conference in the country for college athletics, Syracuse should of made the tourney. Well, when your in the best conference that is what happens.

Go Illinois, I figure they took the Big East spot. Not to even mention the so called mid-majors, whatever, that means, I think its been around 20 years or so with the 64, I think it would be great to go to 80 teams, athletes have just gotten better, coaching is better, even non Big Ten athletes.:D

RT1

[shack]

65 is more than enough teams IMO. The chances of a team that did not make the field of 65 even getting past the first round is remote and winning it all is virturally non-existant. Why water down the field even more than it already is? This isn't about getting there. It is about winning it all. Adding more teams is just another "feelgood" gesture so that more teams can claim they made the "Big Dance". Pffffft.....so what.

[reeltrouble1]

Well, what about George Mason last year? They were an 11 seed, given no chance and went deep. More Teams means a better tourney, how about Drexel? Its not always about being #1 its about competing.

You could put nearly every team in if you played two more games. Its about money not athletics, even my Big Ten does it, its about power, recruiting, and in the end money, big big money.

RT1

[zombie boy 2000]

George Mason was definitely the exception to the rule. Most reports had them as the last at-large bid selected last year. A lot of debate went down in the committee's secret bunker...

Syracuse most definitely got hosed, but only because Arkansas was let in. In other words, it wasn't so much that Drexel, Syracuse, or even Air Force were snubbed, it was that Arkansas was punched a ticket. Same can be said for Stanford, except the selection committee supposedly takes into account injuries during the year.

[shack]

Well, what about George Mason last year? They were an 11 seed, given no chance and went deep. More Teams means a better tourney, how about Drexel? Its not always about being #1 its about competing.

I'm really excited about tonights "play-in game"...

Really...adding more teams does nothing but water down the competition. More "play-in" games is just like all the new college bowl games that feature 6-5 teams that no one cares about other than the participating schools.

Since the tourney went to 64 teams in 1985 (22 years):

- NO #16 seed has won a single NCAA tourney game. 0 - 88
- Four #15 seeds have won a first round game. 4 - 84
- NO #15 or #16 seeds have ever made it to the Sweet 16.
- NO #13, #14, #15 or #16 seed has ever made it to the Elite 8.
- NO #12, #13, #14, #15 or #16 seed has ever made it to a Final 4.
- NO #9, #10, #11, #12, #13, #14, #15 or #16 seed has reached a Championship game or WON the tounament.

I seriously doubt that any of the teams left out would be higher than a #12 seed if they got in.

The only value that I could see is that a lower seed team might sneek up on a team and knock them out...which only makes the road easier for another higher seeded team.

The Cinderella story makes for feel-good television something to talk about...but this isn't a fairy tale and in the end Cinderella will never become the queen.

[zombie boy 2000]

Shack... that sounds suspiciously akin to my argument for keeping the BCS intact:D

What seed was Gonzaga when it made it's back-to-back "cinderella" runs in
'99 and 2000? I could of swore they were at least a 12th seed...

If they weren't, I do find it fairly amazing that with the huge number of 12 seeds knocking out 5 seeds historically, that none of them have continued their run to the Elite 8.

edit: NEVERMIND.... I see that's for the Final Four:o

[shack]

What seed was Gonzaga when it made it's back-to-back "cinderella" runs in '99 and 2000? I could of swore they were at least a 12th seed...

Gonzaga was a #10 seed both years.

[shack]

Shack... that sounds suspiciously akin to my argument for keeping the BCS intact:D

I have no problem with the BCS.

[zombie boy 2000]

Well... while we're on the topic of upsets. Do you have an ace up your sleeve? The few times I've seen Creighton this year, I've been extremely impressed. Funk is a phenomenal and scrappy player -- the kind a team needs to make any kind of a run. If they can get past Nevada, I can see them giving fits to an arguably overrated (or at least recently unproven) Memphis squad.

[reeltrouble1]

Yes, but if it went to say 128 teams alot of #16 seeds would win games, you would get to see more schools, have more competitive games, sure a few teams are going to get upset and cry foul, poor us we played one bad game against this piss ants who beat us and no we are out, whining, whining, whining. I love the first round as the scores come in, upsets can and do happen, it makes it fun for me, besides nobody gets hosed then, you telling me Syracuse should not there at 10-6 in the Big East, I mean really they are almost the Big Ten, we confuse them by really having 11 teams in the Big Ten.

The kids from Drexel deserve to have played in this tournament, its for the athletes in my eyes, not the couch potato's we just get to enjoy it. Its about big power conferences keeping money and talent to themselves, these guys want to play on TV, show there stuff to a big time National Audience, have Vital doing his diaper dandy dance, let the athletes play, have more play in games then, I dont care but 64 has been the number for too long, I am sending my bid in, I need to be in charge of this little tournament so I can have my way.........

RT1

[shack]

Ted....You and I will just have to disagree on this one. I am a huge NCAA tourney fan. I still have brackets my buddy and I filled out and bet on going back over 20 years (analysed with statistics as to what seeds advanced and so forth). I've seen most of the GREAT games of the tournament since 1969. I saw Bill Walton shoot 21 of 22 and score 44 points defeating Memphis State 1973. In fact I believe I saw all UCLA championship games. I saw Larry Bird's Indiana State lose to Magic Johnson's Michigan State in 1979. I saw Michael Jordan score the winning basket and James Worthy steal the pass from Fred Brown when NC beat Georgtown in 1982. I saw NC State beat Houston in 83. I saw the FAB five go down to NC when Weber called the timeout they didn't have. I saw Christian Laettner's shot to beat Kentucky. And on...and on...and on. Not one memory of what I consider a great NCAA Tournament game has to do with a low seeded team. I don't watch many of the day one games and really pay attention to see who survived. I don't watch to see average teams play above their heads and maybe get lucky. I watch to see the best play each other. More teams does nothing to promote that.

I just hope you never get put in charge of the tourney.;)

You're still THE MAN, Ted. See you in October.

[petrym]

Colonel Mustard in the Parlor with the lead pipe

[opus]

anyone else having problems selecting games? When I left click to drag and drop the screen changes and the bracket vanishes.

[billbillw]

Ok, I'm in this year. I always do one with my work buddies, this year, its time to spread my dominance elsewhere!

[reeltrouble1]

How about Bucknell??? Now that was something. BTW, I was a member there, great golf course, hosted a US Open Qualifier, not a school you ever would expect do to anything the NCAA tourney, but there you go, only got in because they won the Patriot league, otherwise no dice, see you later.

Its cool Steve, we are not all supposed to think the same all the time, I am not expecting the NCAA to be ringing my phone off the hook......

RT1

[Shizelbs]

Rad. I'm in.

[shack]

Good Luck (from the look of this season, it will take more "luck" this year than it did last)...

Luck my ass!

I thought about retiring as an undefeated champion...

But I've got to go one more year.

[zombie boy 2000]

Sick Day lock and loaded with the Bossman for a 12:40 tipoff tomorrow...
Gotta love the state of Kentucky. You're more likely to be granted time off for the tournament than your own funeral:D

[MrNightly]

Luck my ass!

I thought about retiring as an undefeated champion...

But I've got to go one more year.

Watch your back Shackdaddy.. I'm on to you this year.

:D :D :D

[opus]

thanks for all your help You all were just scared to have me in. Well I'm in anyway. I guess that my browser was stopping me so I made my selections with IE

Let the good times roll

[zombie boy 2000]

WAKEY, WAKEY, EGGS N' BAKEY!!!!!!!!

ITTTTTTTTTTTTTTT'S TOURNEY TIME!!!!!!!!!!!!