The field of contenders mathematically alive to win has narrowed to 4, 5 and 3, respectively, in the Living Room Times men’s NCAA, women’s NCAA, and NIT pools.
In the men’s pool, we’re down to a “Final Four” of Kevin Pilz, Jimmy Smith, Joe Wright and Mike Boyd. If Syracuse wins the title, Pilz, a Newington, Connecticut resident whose brother Danny won the 2004 women’s pool, will win. If Syracuse reaches the title game but loses it, Smith, of Aurora, CO, the Executive Pastor as Stapleton Fellowship Church, will win. If Michigan reaches the title game but loses, OR beats Louisville for the title, Boyd, of Raleigh, NC, husband of long-time contestants Karen Torgersen, will win. If Michigan beats Wichita State for the title, Wright, a College of Charleston student and Mid-Majority devotee, will win.
In the women’s pool, with six teams alive (and the last two Elite Eight games tonight), we have a “Final Five” in the pool, and a set of fairly straightforward scenarios. Becky Loy, my lovely wife, will win one of my pools for the first time if Notre Dame reaches the championship game. John Curry of Charlotte, NC will win if Duke reaches the title game. Scott Fort of Warrior, AL, champion of the 2007 women’s pool, will win it again this year if UConn wins title, unless Louisville and Duke both win tonight, in which case he ties Bonnie Stone only if UConn beats Cal in title game. Greg Kagan of Rocky Hill, CT, brother of 2004 men’s champ and women’s pool co-champ Matt Kagan, will win if UConn reaches title game but loses, unless Duke wins tonight and UConn’s title-game loss is to Louisville. Finally, Bonnie Stone of Newington and Old Saybrook, CT, my high school newspaper advisor once upon a time, will win if Duke wins tonight and there’s a UConn-Louisville title game, or will tie Scott Fort if Duke wins tonight and UConn beats Cal in the title game.
Lastly, the NIT semifinals are tonight, and the pool could be decided this evening. If Baylor wins the first semifinal over BYU, Cougar fan Aaron Kinser will be eliminated, and the second semifinal, Maryland vs. Iowa, will decide the pool between Jeff Freeze (Maryland) and Ross Binder (Iowa). If BYU wins the first semi, Kinser will stay alive, the pool will be decided in the title game, either Kinser vs. Freeze (if it’s BYU-Maryland) or Kinser vs. Binder (if it’s BYU-Iowa). Freeze, of Burns Harbor, Indiana, won the 2008 women’s NCAA pool and the 2010 Oscar Pool. Binder, of Minneapolis, is an editor of the Iowa blog Black Heart Gold Pants.