March Madness 2015 Update II
April 1, 2015
Train Keeps A Rollinʼ
Kentucky vs. Wisconsin Duke vs. Michigan State
in Final Four
Kentucky poured hot gopher gravy over West Virginia, completely dismantling the Mountaineers. Down home, Jethro exulted “Eat crow pool purveyor, thatʼs what we call a “possum whippin”. There was no doubt Big Blue was unstoppable. Until Notre Dame came to play. In a heart stopping, gut wrenching thriller, Kentucky prevailed by the slimmest of margins, 68-66 thanks to those Harrison twins, to set up a final four matchup with the cheese heads, one of two representatives of the Big Ten appearing in the grand ballroom.
The other dreaded team in blue, from Durham, NC, founded by Quakers, and led by Pope K, made easy work of Gonzaga. What happened to those Zags? Duke, the real freshman team, had this game look like a warmup, awaiting the resurgent Spartans of Michigan State, who took out Louisville despite a daunted effort by Wayne Blackshear and company. In overtime to say the least. Travis Trice claimed it a “great DAY to be alive, the sunʼs still shininʼ when I close my eyes”. Rice cooking, three day beard and all that. Tom Izzo is still working out of the large suitcase he packed for the tournament.
And then there is Wisconsin. A big second half afforded them the pass to the final dance, by dispatching Arizona 85-78. All came down to who made the shots. 36 points from the 3-point line at 67% is how you get it done. Frank the Tank (29 points) is a beast and Sam (I have arrived) Dekker did it all. 5 for 6 outside the arc, 6 for 7 from the line, inside and out scorer, 37 minutes played, great D, Another gladiator team with discipline will take their shot at Kentucky this weekend.
But Kentucky is unstoppable. Of course, there was always UNLV in 1991, Georgetown in 1985, and the Houston Dream Team of 1983, who all went down to defeat in the championship game. But this team is different. No question. Mark it down. Wildcats win NCAA in 2015, undefeated season. There, we said it.
Charity Update
To date, well over 100 people have contributed extra cash to our March Madness Endowment Fund and to assist the needs of Gildaʼs Club and the United Methodist Youth Home this year. We are still getting checks in to benefit our charitable works, and remember, itʼs not too late to send in some extra coin if you think this pool is something you truly enjoy. We are in for another sensational year with charitable donations. We are hoping to surpass last yearʼs numbers. (See the website for history of charitable giving. www.garygurtcheff.com
Special thanks to the following individuals who have contributed to date, extra to the cause. And in many cases, a lot extra! If I missed anybody, let me know.
Susanna Burkhead Lance & Stacy Payton Mike McCann Les Bumm Jim Wilsbacher Tom Waits
Dan Brown
Keith Bratton Mark Erickson Ross Whitacre Nancy Drake Dennis Dewey Patty Gowdy Dave Machisko Rick Peltier Steve Warren
Steve Anderson Randy Beckort Craig Carter Carole Dixon Melanie Emge Brad Fulkerson Wayne Hurlock Cameron Jones Julie Leaf Bengal Dave John Miles
Jim Norris
Bill Papineau Buddy Rogers Keith Shipman Susan Sublett Tom Weber Lebra Winiger
Steve Carter
Patty Dewey Colleen Martin Dee Sanders Steve Gabel Bruce Baker Jim Hall
Jack Cleary Mike Cleary
Rick Martin Jon Coleman
Mike Pyferroen Rick Wepsic
Amber Anslinger Gary Bellew Dan Chancellor Jeannine Dostal Ryan Fears Steve Gillam Terry Iaffrate Paul Kainrath Michael Lightner Greg McComis Lora Mora
Deb North
Donna Rreziotti Terry Roudenbush Jay Smith
Kurt Tillman
Kevin Wetzler Elaine Zetina
Tom Rose
Don Apple Drew Bender Chad Crislip Steve Elliott Angie Field Corey Greening Chris Jesop John Lamb Steve Mank Judy McDonald Ann Morgan Mike OʼConner Vince Prop Jake Schiff
Joe C Smith
Ron Tucker Melissa Wideman
Scott Elliott Eric Miller Dale Todd Phil Gilson Mark Vickers Bill Supper
Sam Garau
Rob Wathen Greg Willming Mike Head
Fred Stutz Christina Hamby Randy Braun Lee Wagmeister
Donald Barry Tom Berkley
Lois Davidson Karen Embry Rick Friedman Todd Herrenbruck Steve Jones Mike Lauer
Ken Marshall Greg Meyer Norb Niemeier Skip Oliver
Jeff Rhymer Kevin Shinar Jonathin Smith Bethany Uhrinek John Willis
And much thanks to the following donors who did not even enter the tournament, but are happy to support a great cause!
Chris Biega Rick Zeiher Chris Combs Dave Carson
Donʼt forget to review our Charity History on the intro page. Over $ 80,000 will now have been raised by this basketball pool! Who wouldʼve thought?
Tournament Recap
The numbers to date are unofficial, Currently over 470 entries were submitted. Another tournament record! We finalize things by paid entrees, and a little generosity on the behalf of Mr. Gurtcheff and myself, but if you in arrears, please forward your entry donations at once. Donʼt be that other Rob Lowe.
Congratulations to Dale Cardinal, our loser of record. Won it by 8 points, pretty
good. 4% goes your way.
Several of you still have all of your final four picks. Congratulations. 8 people are
still in the hunt for the distinguished title of March Madness Tournament Champion. Check out the “What If” scenarios on the website (www.garygurtcheff.com) to see the possibilities
Current Leader Board after Round 4
1st Jim McDaniel (Long time radiation exposure finally allows for clear thinking. Way to go Buckeye brother)
2nd Jim Wilsbacher (Our matching and generous donor. Always great to see charity reign at the top. Go Spartans)
3rd Local Joe Smith (Must have implanted something to relieve the pain of years gone by and futility. Pay the piper or eliminate yourself from what could have been. Sorry, not you Smitty. But we always love the southern California support.)
4th Melanie Atwood (Gilda made a good choice. If it doesnʼt work out there, always a future in basketball prognostication. Glad you entered? Nothing like seeing your name in lights)
5th Nate Herman (Outsider now on the inside. Announce your presence to the March Madness community. Somebody tell me who this guy is! At least heʼs paid up) Jake Schiff (Well great record holder and golden arm makes a rookie bid. Guess it must be the Wildcat in you. R II gets a finderʼs fee and commission)
John Miles (Long time supporter of the Madness. Unfortunately the end is near for
entry. Curses to Kentucky for beating Notre Dame. Doubly sick, werenʼt you?) 8th Brandon Crane (All final picks still on the board. Driving home the cheese heads.
Highest competitor on the board to take Wisconsin to win it all)
9th Lana McConnell (Sophie lives on. She is a dream)
10th Michael Morgan (Right where your aunt was three years ago. CFO of major
Florida orthopaedic dynasty loves to pay bills on time, donʼt you?)
“The happiness of your life depends on the quality of your thoughts.”
-Marcus Aurelius
On to “In the Annapolis!!!!!
Your Tournament committee