And Away They Go....

March Madness is here, the Calcutta draft has now settled in and we're ready to get this bad boy underway.

After a full 24 hours to reflect on what happened last night in Amherst, New York, we'll provide our opening day eve commentary, of course highlighted by the morning lines, average seedings, post-draft analysis and potential sleepers.

We had a record turnout with 18 of the 19 participants attending in flesh and blood and only two controversial moments all evening in gavel dropping. Sorry Art.

The results will be updated daily on the right sidebar (at the top) under the 2012 Results To Date link.

So I'm sure everyone left last night wondering if I'd put the Morning Line curse on them. Prayers to the keeper of the Chalise (sic) hoping they would be left off as the morning line chalk.  After much adieu, here we go......and the morning line whammy goes to....

ELDER STATESMEN (3-1): The Elders stayed out of the can (I like getting it in the can) all night long avoiding potential jokes about social security and whatnot. After abandoning their usual Calcutta strategy last year (Alzheimers?) and still claiming the title, they reverted right back to old times and went with an evenly based team with their lowest seed, Georgetown (3) and their highest seed, Davidson (13). An incredible Average Seed Rating (ASR) of 7.5. They'll look for a big first and second round to carry them for this Calcutta, needing double wins out of Georgetown (3), Indiana (4) and alumni-inspired selection Notre Dame (7) to succeed in some fashion. Temple (5) could be the team that makes or breaks them. The four time Calcutta champion has to be reckoned with. Sleeper: St. Louis (9)

COUNSELORS (7-2): The Barristers firmly had a solid night auctioneering. Occasional moments of dissension were offset by an active night on the wheel by Baki and solid background coaching by the artist formerly known as the Saratoga Resident. Their fate is firmly square on the shoulders of Kansas (2) and Marquette (3), with decent mid-seed teams like 6-seeds UNLV and Cincinnati, Florida (7) and UConn (9) who has shown signs of life in the late goings of the season. They'll go as far as the Rock Chalk takes 'em. ASR: 7.5 and Sleeper: UConn (9).

BUNCH OF CHIEFTANS (4-1): The defending co-champs brought their A game and the sarcasm we've come to love from the Chief. After getting the Bonas (13) out of the way, it was strictly business for the Bunch. Their left bracket is certainly stronger than their right, but you know Stick is a lefty by nature so it makes sense. Anchored by top seed Michigan State and Duke (2), a win or two by mid seeds Gonzaga (7), Iowa State (9) or Virginia (10) could put them in the catbird seat again in 2012. ASR: 8.375 and Sleeper: Iowa State (9) [do you see a pattern with my sleepers yet?]

CATHOLIC BOYZ (5-1): Kept the faith by selecting Xavier (10), even if they are a bunch of thugs. Another solid draft night for Freddie and the Jets. Thinking Little Richie was feeding him hours worth of statistics pre-draft so this was probably the best prepared team at the table. Lowest seed Ohio State (2) looks to benefit from the Fab Melo 1.99 GPA debacle and a suddenly wide open East Region. Two teams that could certainly make noise in the West Region are Stevie Alford's New Mexico Lobos (5) and the Racers of Murray State (6). Needs to win one or both 8-9 games on the calendar in the opening round to have a decent shot. Looks to be a mid-pack finisher. ASR: 8.13 and Sleeper: Kansas State (8).

TAX MEN (8-1): Completely dismissed during last year's morning line commentary, we won't discount this squad again this year. Quietly (and I mean quietly) stuck to their knitting and emerged as a threat to the usual contenders. Went with an Elders-like strategy with lower seeds they are poised to strike as the tourney starts on March 15th. Is that an omen that the Tax Men can regain the magic of old, the tourney kicking off on a tax deadline? ASR: 8.0 and Sleeper: Colorado (11).

WIN-DOCS (10-1): The reigns were passed back to the Artmaster Flash and his teammates didn't seem all too thrilled with the outcome. Got a lot riding on the top-seeded Kentucky Wildcats (1) spending 49% of their allocation on the tourney favorites. Will say that Vanderbilt (6) was a terrific pickup, but it was slim pickings after that. San Diego State (6) could surprise and Alabama (9) is a must-win on day one (and that's always a bad sign). Thinking the only chirping we'll be hearing this year is from the birds returning from the south. ASR: 9.375 and Sleeper: Long Beach State (12).

TRES AMIGOS (15-1): During post-draft cleanup I noticed the Guinness were pretty well shot. That could explain the longshot position the Amigos are sitting in. Banking on the Big 12 with Missouri (2) and Baylor (3) on the left side of the bracket and Big 10 hopeful Wisconsin (4) who will have a difficult second round matchup if seeds hold with Vandy. Not out of the question, but you know how the saying goes...
ASR: 9.375 and Sleeper: Texas (11).

COMMISH & ASSOCIATES (25-1): What? Fab Melo is out? Why didn't anyone tell me? The Commish & Crew (Made Up of One Not So Silent Partner) did walk away with two top seeds (not an easy feat in any Calcutta year). Bolstered by the senior laden ACC Champs North Carolina (1) and the Cuse (1), they'll need one of their other three mid level seeds to win a game or two to make any noise (Memphis-8, Colorado State-11 and NC State-11). ASR: A whopping 9.75 and Sleeper: NC State (11).

Many thanks to my partner, KGB for running the board all night, and keeping me in line (for the most part). Happy March Madness and Good Luck to all (not really).

The Commish