Amigos End 12-year drought, say ¡Adios! to rest of Calcutta

 Since 2001, the saying within these pages has been ¡Adios Amigos! prior to the national championship game, however in a reversal of fortune, the Amigos have absconded with the 2013 Calcutta title, winning their second yellow jacket, and first outright. The results and sidebar have been updated for the newly crowned champs.

Riding the tidal wave that is the Michigan Wolverines and holding off a late rally by the Orange in the ATL, the Amigos coasted on the back of their strong first two rounds and ultra-strong work in the South region, collecting both 4-Michigan (20) and 3-Florida (24), teams that have contributed 8 of their 13 wins to date.

It wasn't meant to be for the Tax Men, who entered the Final Four with two teams remaining, the 9-Wichita State Shockers and the 4-Orange both lost in the national semis on the big stage. The Tax Men had a strong showing in this year's Calcutta, just falling short, but securing second place is still a great accomplishment for the tax guys who were looking for their first title since 2004.

The Counselors kept their third place hopes alive with a win with the lone remaining top seed, 1-Louisville, who held off a game Shocker bunch who just wouldn't go away. It was a game of streaks, and the Cards had the one the mattered most, the last one. Finishing off the Shockers (and the Tax Men) with some strong balling late in the game. Coach Pitino had an especially good day with his colt Goldencents winning the Santa Anita Derby during halftime of the first semifinal.

The Elders and Bunch will be rooting for Beilein and the Wolverines on Monday night with slight hopes or catching a share for third place.  Let's take a look at the scenarios:

If 1-Louisville wins:
Three Amigos - 1,000
Tax Men - 500
Counselors - 500

If 4-Michigan wins:
Three Amigos - 1,200
Tax Men - 500
Counselors - 100
Elders - 100
Bunch - 100

Having five teams with a possible chance at some dough ray me and slap leather is what the Calcutta is all about.

Looking forward to the Amigos in that coveted yellow jacket next March.....

Rock Shock Calcutta

Not to pat myself on the back, but my sleeper pick for the Tax Men was THE Wichita State University. So the Tax Men march into the Final Four with two teams, temporarily take over the top spot in the Calcutta and will await the Amigos Florida-Michigan auto-winner in Atlanta.

The Sweet Sixteen was anything but that for the Bunch of Chieftans, losing both top seeds in upset games in the regional semis. Posting a big goose egg (0-4) in the Sweet Sixteen was probably a 5-10% probability before Thursday night, but the Amigos were the first to wave Adios to the Chieftans. They'll hope for a Louisville loss in one of the next two games to clinch a tie for third with the Elders.

The Elders hopes ended by the Shockers with the unexpected Ohio State loss in the Elite Eight tonight and the regional semi beat down they applied to LaSalle. They, too, will root heartily against the Cardinals.

The Counselors can snake a third place prize should Louisville run the table and a tie for third should they lose in the Championship game. There will not be a repeat in 2013.

So it comes down to a two team mano y mano race that will likely be decided by the Syracuse-Florida/Michigan game winner. The Tax Men can go into the Final Four with a one game edge should Duke upset Louisville tomorrow in the biggest game of the tournament so far.

It should be interesting and it's great that it's down to two teams battling it out...fighting for the elusive yellow jacket. The Tax Men looking for their first Calcutta championship since 2004 and the Amigos since 2001. Neither team has ever won it outright...

Calcutta heads to Sweet Sixteen

We head to the Sweet Sixteen and it's still fairly wide open. As predicted, the Bunch of Chieftans have made their middle move and eyeing the leader in the clubhouse after the first two rounds, the Three Amigos. Buoyed by #1 seeds Kansas and Indiana, the Bunch rides into the 16 with two other upset winners in the under seeded Oregon Ducks and the exciting FGCU Golden Eagles. The Bunch is poised to strike and the South Region bracket pits them against the Amigos in both match ups on Friday night.  (Kansas-Michigan & FGCU-Florida)

The Amigos, set as 15-1 underdogs in the morning line are on top of the Calcutta thus far, and had this message to send to yours truly regarding the morning line:

True, I'm f'd in this Calcutta alright, and I'm blaming the refs in the Iowa State-OSU game, too!

Ok, so we know the Bunch and Amigos will be slugging it out in the South Region in Dallas Friday night, but who else is lurking around the top hoping they beat the brains out of each other?

The Elders are hanging around the water cooler and could sneak a team to the final four with wins by LaSalle and Ohio State on Thursday night in Los Angeles. That would give them 10 wins and likely a dangerous Ohio State team in the final four. Make sure you adjust your hearing aids boys, some sweet sixteen music could be playing your tune.

The Tax Men will hope to head into April with three solid shots to advance a team (or possibly two) to the final four. All three could advance in their sweet sixteen games, but the Elite Eight may get a tad sticky for the tax guys. Regardless, they've made a strong statement so far in the Calcutta and have a decent shot at cashing a check.

The Win-Docs are on life support and will need a Tom Izzo miracle to get them into the money. If they run the table they'll equal the Amigos current total. Might be time to pull the plug, docs.

The defending champs are down to their two best, Louisville and Miami, both schools playing good ball. They'll need to run the table to get to 12 wins to have the best shot at defending the 2012 chalise. The Counselors have made their case, but need a good closing argument to have a chance to dance.

The Catholic Boyz?  Not surprising. Let me sing it for ya.....



As for the cellar-dwellers. Call the cops, the Cyclones got robbed. Yeah, that's sour grapes, but the Commish & Associate are looking to get out of the basement, and that's still the goal. Until the Warriors go down, we're not...dead yet.


 Enjoy the Sweet Sixteen.......The Commish.

Amigos lead Calcutta into Sweet Sixteen, Bunch looms

Guess which one is the Chief?

We'll have a full recap tonight, but the standings have been updated and the Morning Line favorite, the Bunch is starting to make its move on the Amigos. It's crunch time next week in the Sweet Sixteen and we have three teams within two of the leader in the clubhouse. Stay tuned.

Quick Update: Amigos in Catbird Seat

 Le Tres Amigos gutted out two big wins today, and have 5 remaining teams, with 3 playing on Sunday to sit atop the Calcutta with 8 wins. It looks like the 12 year drought may be lifted, their last title coming in 2001. The results have been updated and uploaded, you can always check them at the top of the right sidebar.

The 4-1 Tax Men shocked the Calcutta by mowing down a #1 seed and added a late night win from the Cuse in unfriendly confines to secure second place temporarily.

The Elders have a big day on Sunday, with four teams looking to advance to the Sweet Sixteen and their title hopes will ride on the Ohio State University, who now has a bracket that has been blown wide open.

Received a late night text from Artie stating he won't be missing next year's draft. GONE-zaga. The Win-Docs sent reeling and could be down to Michigan State by tomorrow night.

The Bunch of Chieftans grabbed an upset win from Oregon and have three going on Sunday, with two #1 seeds lurking, the favorites are poised to make a run at the Amigos.

The Catholic Boyz settled right where I thought they would and are the first squad to be eliminated. Thanks for playing.

The defending champs still have #1 Louisville to slap the competition around and Miami goes tomorrow. The  Counselors could still make a run, but are the Amigos too far in front?

The Commish still sits temporarily in the basement, avoids all-time futility by snaking a third win and an Iowa State upset in the most wide open bracket in the tourney isn't altogether unthinkable...

Full update after the games tomorrow....

OMFG-CU!

Headline - h/t Fox Sports

The Commish was dangerously close (a Marquette buzzer beater and an Iowa State upset) from pulling an 0-fer in the first round (I refuse to call it the second round) and taking the all-time donut in the record books. Embarrassing yes, but seeing Georgetown go down to the gutty FGCU Eagles was worth bowing out of this year's contest. Alums all over the country were seen slamming the wheel on their BMWs. Plus the FGCU Coach's wife is hot. I really really thought this year was the year, back to the drawing board, I guess.

Let's move away from the self-loathing and celebrate the Amigos dominant first round with six victories. While not totally unexpected, a good ride by Florida or Michigan and sneak a win out of one of the other four schools and maybe, just maybe, a certain team will be saying Adios to the rest of us. Looking down the way a bit, the loss by Georgetown also opens up the road to a regional final game for Florida, likely to be against Kansas and the Chieftans in a mammoth game.

The rest of the pack is quite tight...

The Elders always seem to pull off that first round upset, and the LaSalle Explorers answered that bell for the old guys holding off a late charging K-State (4 seed). Their major team, Ohio State held serve and two mid-level seeds Memphis and Illinois pulled off impressive victories. The late win by Minnesota in a mild upset over UCLA catapults them into second heading into the next round.

The favored Chieftans did exactly what they needed to, by pulling off two upsets in Oregon (called it as a sleeper pick) and the aforementioned FGCU Eagles. Not only that, but Davidson had Marquette on the ropes and they could easily be sitting atop the Calcutta with a record-tying performance. Only a disappointing loss by Notre Dame cost them a shot at second place.

The 50-1 Catholic Boyz (4 wins), served up a cup of STFU to morning line maker Sheridan, by splitting its four games. However, only one of its remaining teams will be favored going into the next round and St. Louis will have to go through Louisville. Oof.

The Win-Docs are solidly sitting with four wins, with top seed Gonzaga escaping the 1-16 game, and getting wins out of 7 (Creighton) and 8 (UNC) seeds. Michigan State is always dangerous, so the Docs could still be operating well into the Sweet Sixteen.

The Tax Men (4 wins) took a big hit with third-seeded New Mexico's upset to the Crimson, and will have to ride Duke and Syracuse through the next few rounds for a shot at hitting the board. Wins by Wichita State and San Diego State help the cause, with SD State's cause helped by the G-Town upset.

The defending champs, the Counselors, big dawgs looked good, both Louisville and Miami winning in blowout fashion.  They pick up a bonus win by Harvard so their defending title hopes stay alive another day.

The next round usually separates the men from the Commish (I mean boys). We'll have a recap up on Sunday evening or Monday morning.

Morning Line: Bunch of Chieftains Set Pace in Draft

He walked in the room effortlessly. He let a sophomoric Bonaventure welding joke roll right off his back. He sat down, perused the room and quickly and decisively nabbed two number #1 seeds. He stood up, nodded at his partner and the Commish, and in a low voice said "My work is done here."

The 15th annual Calcutta is off and running and Danny Sheridan after an agonizing three hours of study has set the morning lines after one of the strangest, most bizarre draft nights in Calcutta history. Peeps hanging on to their dough til nothing but teenager seeds were left, peeps spending early.

The teams are already listed in the "Results To Date" tab on the right sidebar and will be updated nightly after each day's games.

Our usual team-by-team analysis, with Sheridan's morning line, average seed ratings, and likely sleepers will follow. Last year's morning line fav, the Elders, finished dead last, so the whammy is still live and kicking. The second choice last year (the Counselors at 7-2) edged out the Catholic Boyz who reached the record books with record-tying 7 first round victories, but petered out in the stretch.

And the morning line favorite is........

Bunch of Chieftains (3-1, 9.3 ASR). The Chief was not effing around on Tuesday night. He quickly grabbed 1-Indiana and 1-Kansas and within the first 15 minutes he had the top two seeds on the right side of the bracket. If things go according to Hoyle, they could guarantee 9 points and a shot at the national championship. If they pick up a first round victory out of Big East brethren 7-Notre Dame or 8-Pitt out of the West Region, they could run away with this thing. Of course, the NCAA tourney never goes according to Hoyle. I really like their chances. Sleeper: 12-Oregon. Last team in has proven its worth in the last few tourneys, playing with a chip on their shoulder, the Ducks could sneak a win in the vaunted 5-12 game.

Tax Men (4-1, 7.8 ASR). The Tax Guys had the second lowest average seed rating on draft night and came away with some solid teams. Their top seeds 2-Duke, 3-New Mexico and 4-Syracuse are all capable of cutting down the nets in Atlanta and could pile up some lower seeded wins. Not having the Calcutta in a pre-3/15 scenario had this squad fresh and ready to roll. Sleeper pick: 9-Wichita State.

Commish & Assoc. (6-1, 7.4 ASR). The Commish & Co came out of the Calcutta feeling as good as they have in the past. Generating the lowest ASG in the Calcutta means they'll be counting on some mid-level seeds to win a game or two. Top seeds include Big East partners, 2-Georgetown and 3-Marquette and Big 12 challengers 4-Kansas State and 5-Oklahoma State. If the Commish can avoid some early upsets they'll be in the mix next weekend. Sleeper pick: 10-Iowa State.

Win-Doctors (6-1, 8.3 ASR). The banter just isn't the same without Artie in da house. His teammates did him proud (I think) and will challenge to continue their run on national champions (4 of last 5 years - incredible) with 1-Gonzaga. But are they tournament tough? Lots of marbles in the 3-Michigan State basket, but coach Izzo has always thrived in the tourney. This is the one morning line that could totally fall apart. Sleeper Pick: 7-Creighton.

Elder Statesmen (8-1, 8.0 ASR). Is there any surprise that the Elders were a) first to hit the bathroom or b) right on the average of 8 in their average seed ratng? They held tight to the purse strings for most of the night, but ended up with a decent 2-Ohio State team that could go a long way. They'll need some upsets to make any noise, but can't see them doing any better than the back end of the trifecta. Sleeper Pick: 10-Oklahoma.

Three Amigos (15-1, 7.8 ASR). Don't let that low ASR fool ya. They may cash early, but it may not be often enough. Their lowest two seeds, 3-Florida and 4-Michigan are in the same region and although they have no seed higher than 13, they'll need a sleeper to make a 2 or 3 game run to make any noise. I'm not seeing it. Sleeper pick: 12-Ole Miss.

Counselors (40-1, 10.4 ASR). The defending champs struck early with 1-Louisville, then sat on their cash, decided to pass on Ohio State, which was ripe for the picking and settled on 2-Miami (FL). The problem here is other than 6-UCLA, they have nothing lower than a 14 seed and that spells trouble with a capital T. Sure, they can make a run with their two top seeds, but I saw a dejected duo that walked out of the Calcutta on Tuesday. Only the Tax Men (2006, 2010, 2012 - do you see a pattern?) have had a higher ASR. Sleeper Pick: Grab a dart board.

Catholic Boyz (50-1, 9.6 ASR). This team obviously inhaled too much white smoke from last week's Pope festivities. Freddy's gonna go Krueger when he sees this sorry lineup. Lowest seed is 4-Saint Louis. Ouch. Paid $18 for 15-Pacific. That tells the whole story. Sleeper Pick: 8-Colorado State.

Many thanks to Kelly for helping me with the Big Board, we couldn't have sailed through the draft as smoothly as we did without his help.

Good luck everyone!

2013 Calcutta Kickoff

Three Amigos or Caballeros?

It's that time of year...no Cinco de Mayo...that's the Three Amigos celebrating the last time they held up the Calcutta Chalise (sic) in 2001.  A lot of unanswered questions linger after the beatdown that the Counselors applied on the rest of the Calcutta last year. Will the Elders revert back to their age-old strategies? Will the Commish finally get off the schneid? Is Fred a possible commissioner for the new Catholic 7? Will Fanch feign bids to honor his alma mater?  Will the Tax Men revel in a post 3/15 Calcutta drafting scenario?

Just the facts, ma'am.....

When: Tuesday March 19th, 5:30 p.m.

Where: CTB&K Conference Room

What: Annual Calcutta

What's At Stake?: The Coveted Yellow Jacket and Engraved Championship Chalise (plus a few bucks)

Rules: See linkage on right sidebar

2012 Champions: The Counselors (I hear they are already bickering amongst themselves)

Cost: 250 dineros (bring it witcha)