Hail to the Chieftans

Record Breaking Performance by Bunch Tops 2014 Calcutta

Amazing GIF showing Aaron Harrison's game-winning shots at the same time.
Click on the picture to see the GIF.

That just about sums up the Bunch of Chieftans run to the title as the Kentucky Wildcats pulled out two big wins en route to the Championship Game only to fall to the talented and driven Huskies who took down their fourth National Championship. If you missed One Shining Moment last night you can find it here.

This sums it up for the Bunch

Records for Most Wins [16], Most Teams in Final Four [3], Most Wins in Regional Finals [5] set the record books back for years.

Let's take a look back at the Morning Line Prognosticator and see if he said anything valid:

"It was trial by fire for the newcomer, but he held his own and has the top seed in the tourney (1-Florida) who could waltz right through this thing for 6 wins which is halfway home in most years. 8-Kentucky could awaken at any moment and go on a run for Coach Cal, so it wouldn't be a bad bet to throw a few shekels at the Chieftans at those odds. Cincinnati will have to avoid the 5-12 first round upset that happens every year and 7-UConn likely has a reunion with old Big East date Villanova in the B-Lo."

Don't say so myself (other than setting putrid odds)...while not so right on Florida...not a bad comment on my old Kentucky home. Oh yeah, check out this dunk one more time.

The Bunch also grabbed their record sixth title and second outright title, as they have shared four others [see sidebar].

The Counselors. The morning line favorites did not disappoint, taking second place and hitting the board for the third straight year since the payouts were increased to the top three spots.

The Elders. Give the old guys some respect tying for the show spot. A couple bounces here or there and they are in the thick of it. Almost pulled off a record tying first round but an OT loss and a last two minute meltdown by two of its teams left them with 6 wins.  I also heard one of them was barking because they weren't getting enough press....

Wyn-Doctors. Tied for third trying to recapture the glory of old. The Docs last title was in 2010 (shared) after sweeping the 2007 and 2008 editions of the Calcutta. The reaction of the Wyn-Docs after the Elite Eight and the Bunch's cream rising to the top can only be described as...

Congrats to all who cashed and for those of us left behind....there's always next year....

Hope you enjoyed Calcutta 2014!

Final Four Report: Chieftans Clinch Title

Bunch captures Calcutta, eyes record books

Zack "Attack" Wagner - ROY

Some of us have been doing this for 15 years and have nothing to show for it (looks in mirror). Then a young buck walks into the auction room and pulls off one of the most impressive draft nights in history (hindsight is 20/20).

It appears he's etched himself into Calcutta lore and the possibility of making the record books for most wins in a single Calcutta is alive and waiting. A guaranteed victory in the Final Four by winning both regional finals on the left side of the bracket puts them at a hearty 13. Only the Counselors' Badgers can derail them from history with a Wisconsin national championship, who locked up a second place finish for the morning line favorites. I'll have to do some digging in the record books to see if any team in history has advanced three teams to the final four. Hats off to the Bunch of Chieftans with the sixth championship in Calcutta history.

The scene in the Bunch's locker room after Sunday's games were captured by this hidden video....

Meanwhile at the Barristers HQ....the second place legal beagles were only left to ask....

Seemingly in control of the Calcutta after five second round wins, team Counselors were sucking wind in the Elite Eight and the Bunch basically just ran over everyone...including their fierce rival....the newly-named Wyn-Doctors.

The Wyn-Doctors took it on the chin with consecutive losses to the Bunch as the clock tolled midnight on Dayton and Michigan State was greeted by a UConn Garden party in the Big Apple.  The Wyn-Docs were last seen screaming....

It was fun while it lasted in trash-talk land, but the Chieftans did their talking on the court and can only offer the Wyn-Docs a safe landing.

As for the defending champs, the Dos Amigos, it appears that a new name will be etched on this year's trophy. Stuck in fourth place and out of the money with the Michigan last second loss to Kentucky, the Amigos failed to hit the board.

When reached for comment...Coach (Bill the) Cat  only could say he was utterly....

And what would a Calcutta be without the traditional.....

Final Standings:
Bunch - 1st
Counselors - 2nd
Wyn-Docs/Elders - share 3rd

The national champion dough ($200) is still up for grabs for the weekend....

Well it was a fun Calcutta all around...thanks for playing.

Elite Eight Report: Chieftans on the warpath

Bunch makes its move on Counselors; Win-Docs looming

That hissing sound you hear is the air coming out of the Counselors' tires.

The 2014 Calcutta is down to a four-team race with The Bunch of Chieftans capturing three big wins in the Sweet Sixteen with the chance to advance all of them into the Final Four. The New Guy's beginner's luck looks to be more in the way of astute handicapping as the Chieftans vaulted into a first place tie with the sagging Counselors.

Let's take a look at each of the remaining Calcutta squads and what the Elite Eight has unfolding for them....

The Bunch of Chieftans. The Bunch just Shabazz'd all over this Calcutta as he carried 7-UConn in an upset victory of 3-Iowa State, which sent the Elders packing.

Not only did they get the upset win at the Garden, but a 8-Kentucky Wildcat team that trailed for over 38 straight minutes took over in the last minute and a half to defeat in-state rival Louisville giving the Bunch two mid-level seeds in the regional finals. Nice work.  Not to mention top-seeded 1-Florida took care of business on Thursday night setting them up with a matchup with 11-THE University of Dayton this afternoon.

Counselors: How we felt before the Sweet Sixteen.

Counselors: We're still scary cuz we
have big pointy ears like this!

Counselors. The Barristers arrived on the Sweet Sixteen scene with four teams, the most of any other squad, but went a measly 1-3 and are limping into the Elite Eight. However, the team they limp in with the 2-Wisconsin Badgers still look scary and will face their biggest test in 1-Arizona this afternoon. The wind went out of the sails for 4-UCLA, 11-Tennessee and most importantly ACC champion 1-Virginia, costing the Counselors an easy waltz to the crown. Big games remain, but this train looks close to derailment.

Dayton Flyers, Clap, Clap, Clap, Clap-Clap

The Win-Doctors. They just won't go away. Will Cinderella's run end at midnight? They are about to run into the big, bad 1-Florida Gators and a huge (let me repeat, HUGE) matchup with the Bunch. Not only do they trail the front-runners by 2 points, but they get a Sunday matchup with 4-Sparty taking on the Chieftains' Huskies. Whoa. If Louisville had held on this thing would be even tighter as they would be tied at 9 with the two big Elite Eight matchups deciding who moves on. Buckle your seat belts, this could get interesting and let the trash talking begin. Let's just say (for the New Guy's sake) that these two teams just don't like each other.

Don't sleep on the Amigos.

Dos Amigos. Quietly looming in fourth, the Amigos sit with 7 points, three out of the lead, but with two teams left. Unfortunately they are on the same side of the bracket so the best they can muster is an additional 4 wins bringing them to 11, but crazier things have happened. They may have napped a little too much in the early rounds, but the possibility of heading to the bank is still alive. They do somewhat control their destiny as they can take down a few teams on the top of the leaderboard over the weekend. Both 1-Arizona and 2-Michigan are playing inspired ball. Don't ignore the Amigos.

Dear Elders, Commishioners and Catholic Boyz. 

It'll be ok....and.....

Thanks for coming!

To the remaining teams...good luck on the weekend.

Third Round Update: You Fought the Law and the Law Won

Counselors dominate Calcutta heading into Sweet Sixteen

On to the Sweet Sixteen!

The Calcutta heads to the Sweet Sixteen and the Barristers head into the regional semifinals in great shape after dominating the third round with four teams advancing. Benefiting from some first round upsets, the Counselors took full advantage of teams that won emotional upsets in the first round (SFA, Mercer) only to get spanked in the court of law on Sunday afternoon.

Here's a capsule look at all of the Calcutta squads, even the one we've lost going into the round of 16....

Counselors roll into Sweet 16

The Counselors. The Counselors threatened to tie the second round record of five wins [Catholicz - 1999 & 2009], but Gonzaga could not hold on late against 1-Arizona and had to settle to match their 2012 effort when they last won the crown. The damage was already done by the lawmen earlier in the day when 4-UCLA and 11-Tennessee took care of business against double-digit seeded teams. The Morning Line favorite's powerhouse team 1-Virginia took care of 8-Memphis with relative ease sending them to the next round in terrific shape and with nine wins notched on their dance card. Unless everything falls apart in the regional semis, it looks like the Counselors will be sipping from the Chalise in two weeks.

Elders looming

Elder Statesmen. Right behind the Counselors are the Elders who were terrific in round one. I was remiss in my last column to mention they were a couple moments away from an unprecedented first round sweep. New Mexico State lost in OT and Manhattan took Louisville deep into the night. The next round had them come back to earth going 2-4, with 3-Iowa State advancing (barely) along with 6-Baylor. Neither of those two teams look to be a major threat to win the national championship, but if Baylor knocks off the Counselors' 2-Wisconsin Badgers in the Sweet Sixteen they could make things interesting. Another solid Calcutta performance by the old guys.

The Bunch's squads are all hot entering the Sweet Sixteen

The Bunch of Chieftans. Of any Calcutta squad, this one probably has the three teams playing the best hoops in the tournament. 7-UConn was impressive in Buffalo disposing of second seeded Villanova and 8-Kentucky came into the NCAAs with a chip on their shoulder. Add top-seeded Florida and the Chieftans could roll in some Calcutta dough before this thing is over. They'll have a say in this thing going forward as matchups with the other three teams in the top four await in the next round. Always a threat.

The Win-Docs. I give Artie credit for not texting me after the Cuse loss, that's class or he lost my number. The Win-Docs marched on through the third round going undefeated with their remaining three teams. 4-Michigan State had a brief scare from Harvard, but ultimately prevailed and will take a big swing at the Counselors top team in the regional semis. 4-Louisville will battle with the Bunch's Wildcats in the battle of Kentucky where there is no love lost between the teams or coaches. The Flyers get somewhat of a break having to face 10-Stanford instead of 3-Kansas, but at this juncture of the tourney, everybody can play. They may sit in fourth, but the Docs are ready for major surgery in the Sweet Sixteen.

The Commishioners: Is there any other way to describe them?

The Commishioners. Team Futility continued its historical ways losing both 3-seeds and advancing a 10-seed in the Stanford Cardinal. If a tree falls in the woods and nobody is around, does it make a noise? They sit in fifth with 5 points, but are on the road to Nowheresville. Thanks a bunch, Creighton.

Catholic Boyz: Took the collar in round 3.

The Catholic Boyz. When 2-Villanova went down late Saturday night, so too did the hopes of the Catholic Boyz. Mathematically eliminated from title contention, they can only hope to run the table with the 4th-seeded Aztecs from San Diego State. Good luck with that.




Dos Amigos. They may sit on the bottom half of the Calcutta today, but with 1-Arizona and 2-Michigan still alive and many of the top seeds faltering in the first two rounds may provide the defending champs with a little bravado. The Amigos with a run of the table could be singing La Cucaracha song before this Calcutta is in the books. An AZ-Mich title game gives them 12 points and some dough-ray-me.

   

The Tax Men. It's never fun to be the first team out, but someone always gets the honor. The Tax Men's championship drought hits the 10-year mark. Thanks for coming, It's been real.

Unfortunately--not tax deductible.

I did receive this video link from the Tax Men's captain this morning in my inbox (click skip ad at beginning)....

 

 Sweet Sixteen recap next Saturday. Good luck!

Second Round ends - It's Anybody's Ballgame

Elder Statesmen, Counselors lead Calcutta into weekend

As one of my favorite broadcasters from my childhood used to say...."It's anybody's ballgame."

If you were a fan of Saturday afternoon's Game of the Week, you'll know what I'm talking about and this Calcutta is there for the taking. The New Guy is obviously muttering to himself. "Who's Joe Gar....?" He's also savoring his final selection of 14th-seeded Mercer who pulled the biggest upset of the second round (I really hate calling it that...you all know it's the opening round). If you think I'm not a fan of the First Four, check out Gregg Doyel's take.

So let's take a spin around each Calcutta squad with a capsulized look at the twists and turns of the first two meaningful days of this year's tournament that each franchise experienced.

Who doesn't love a golden Coach K Face?

The Commishioners. Wait, what? We're not out after the first day? Duke lost a first round game for the second time that they have been part of Commish Central. Two strikes and you're out, Dook.

Despite the loss of a major 3-seed the Commishioners (like our new name?) still pulled out four first round wins highlighted by 2-Kansas and 3-Creighton, both who had their hands full with lesser seeded opponents. A solid win by 7-Oregon and upset win by 10-Stanford propels the usual basement-dweller into contention. A guaranteed win in the Kansas-Stanford game on Sunday means this team will live to see another day.  Oh yeah...one more Dook picture.

Ain't that the truth?

The Win-Doctors. So Artie had the wheel of Team Win-Docs on Tuesday night, and the bus is still rolling down Highway 4 (seed). Both Louisville and Michigan State advanced on Thursday amid upset hopes by Manhattan and Delaware. Tough beats by higher seeded 5-Oklahoma and 8-Colorado have reduced the Docs chances to pick up valuable points. With a split on the line on Friday night after 11-Providence gagged the Carolina game, 8-Kentucky was just too much to handle for 9-Kansas State, so the Win-Docs are limping into round three with exactly that many survivors...

They call him Dr. Love.

Catholic Boyz. Three wins on Thursday and a big ole goose egg on Friday for the Boyz. When I saw the Villanova priest head up the tunnel before their game on Thursday night I thought it might be a good omen for the Catholics. Then again, it was right after 6th-seeded Ohio State coughed up a win against in-state rival Dayton (check out the headline in the Dayton Daily News). Will the Catholic Boyz take the collar over the weekend?

Dos Amigos. And a one, and a two and a.....five that barely escaped. The defending champs didn't have the best opening two days, but with Duke out of the picture in the Midwest, Michigan's chances to reach the Elite Eight got a big push. Sitting tight with Zona still rambling towards Anaheim, it's way too early to even think about wishing this team those dreaded two words.

Slow and steady wins the.....

Elder Statesmen. You know what they say about the ole tortoise when he takes on the hare. It brings straight to one's mind the strategerie of the Elders when it comes to the Calcutta. Their top two seeds 3-Texas and 3-Iowa State both held serve and impressive wins by 6-Baylor and 9-Pittsburgh have them hunting wabbit. The icing on the cake was the mesmerizing upset by Stephen F. Austin over VCU late Friday night. While pocketing a Calcutta leading SIX wins over the first two days of the tourney has them right in the thick of things going into the weekend. Slow and steady, bros.

Bunch of Chieftans. The Chieftans became lifelong Mercer fans on Friday pulling off one of the biggest upsets in the history of the NCAAs and looked damn good doing it. Call it beginner's luck, call it new blood, call it anything you want, but the Bunch is threatening again in the Calcutta. They've won or shared a record five Calcutta victories in their storied past and looking to add one more to the mantle. In the next round however, they'll be the underdog in all but the Florida game.  Stay tuned.

By the way. BEST. VIDEOBOMB. EVER.



The Tax Men. They would have sat atop the Calcutta with five wins over the first two days but for a crazy VCU meltdown in the final moments. A valuable point slipped away and knowing that wins over the opening weekend are so important when it comes down to the nitty gritty of the Calcutta. Strong performances by 1-Wichita State, 3-Syracuse and late game heroics by 6-North Carolina and 12-North Dakota State (Geno sleeper pick) still has the IRS helpline all abuzz. Was looking like the team to beat heading into the weekend....  You've heard of bracket busters.....

Who ya gunna call for a 4-point play?

The Counselors. Anyone notice the Counselors on Tuesday night, not sparring as usual. Messrs. Seashells and Balloons. I don't get it. They always argue. Sometimes bad words are uttered. The morning line favorites had a brief scare from the Miami Dolph...I mean Coastal Chanticleers who held a lead into the second half in an auto-win game versus 1-Virginia.  Routine wins by 2-Wisconsin, 4-UCLA and 8-Gonzaga has the Counselors approaching the bar with confidence. They held serve and sit alone in second on the leader board with five wins and three higher seeds favored to win over the weekend.

Sleeper Central. The Commish's sleeper predictions in the morning line column went 5-3 with wins by 10-Stanford, 11-Tennessee, 12-Harvard, 12-Stephen F. Austin, and 12-North Dakota State. Not too shabby.

Next update after the third round on Monday. Will try to keep the standings up to date in the meantime. Good luck!

And they're off.....the 2014 Calcutta is ready to roll.

Dos Amigos

The 2013 Calcutta champions, the Three Amigos celebrated their second championship and first in 12 years on Tuesday evening at Calcutta HQ. The coveted yellow jacket was looking just fine on Bill the Cat who wore a nice light yellow polo to accentuate the coveted garb. Partner in crime DSS held the Chalise with pride as a tear glistened in his eye.

The 16th annual Calcutta kicked off in fine fashion with the usual pomp and pageantry in a way that only a long-standing event like this can. Freddie the G returned to steer the Catholic Boyz ship after a rough effort in last year's tournament. Newcomer Zack "Attack" Wagner bid with authority all night as the Bunch's newest member. In a last ditch effort to win their first Calcutta the Commish switched strategies and sat down to let assistant "Shooter" Besaw run the picket fence and handle drafting duties all night long.

As expected, Artie took over the lead for the Win-Docs, who quietly spent the most money on two four seeds in Calcutta history. The Elders did not hit the lavatory until the 1:45 mark in what was probably the most unlikely occurrence of the evening.

In looking at the data from the last 15 years, the average wins for the Calcutta champion is 12.2, so having two to three low seeds that can carry through to the Elite Eight can get you in the money...this is what has set the stage for this year's morning line. The ASR for 2014 was very close as the range went from 7.9 to 9.0, hardly a big spread. For comparison purposes last year's spread went from a low of 7.4 to a high of 10.4. The champion Amigos had a 7.8 ASR, 2012 champion Counselors had a 7.5 and the 2011 co-champs were at 7.8 (Bunch) and 8.1 (Catholic Boyz), respectively

So without further adieu.....the morning line, Average Seed Ratings (ASR) and your morning line favorite is.....drum roll.....

The Counselors are our morning line favorite

The Counselors (4-1, 9.0 ASR). So why after explaining that an ASR around the upper 7s, low 8s do we make a 9.0 ASR team the morning line favorite? Because I can of course. What I like about the Counselors, other than that sharply-dressed Modeas fellow, is they are the only squad with a 1 (Virginia for a paltry 31 ) and 2 (Wisconsin) seed other than the defending champs. If they run both to the final four that's 8 wins and 4-UCLA picks up a couple wins, they are just two wins away from that magic 12 number. A win by 8-Gonzaga would be huge-ah and the 11-seed out of the Midwest Region is no slouch. Sleeper pick: 11-seed MW (Iowa/Tennessee)

Shooter and Commish

The Commish & Associate (6-1, 8.0 ASR). With a two seed (2-Kansas) and two three seeds (Duke and Creighton), Shooter did the Commish proud, who sat out the bidding for the first time in 15 years. A couple of wins out of 7-Oregon or 9-George Washington both who came cheaply could propel the Commish into the upper division for the first time in years. Sleeper Pick: 10-Stanford who has a 36 BPI rating at ESPN, is a sneaky good high seed.

Dos Amigos (7-1, 8.3 ASR). The Amigos seemed to be off-kilter all evening. Could it be the loss of the third Amigo will take its toll on the defending champs? Were they out too late drinking out of the Chalise last night? They came in like a lion and went out like a lamb, although taking St. Joseph's on St. Joseph's Day has to count for something, no? Went big early on 1-Arizona (42 big ones) and 2-Michigan, but after those two only 5-St. Louis and 7-New Mexico can help this squad. But they could ride the coattails of their big two to some serious wins, so don't count them out to quickly. Sleeper Pick: 10-St. Joe's.

Win-Docs (8-1, 8.5 ASR). Don't be fooled by the high ASR.  The #4 seeds in this tournament are very dangerous and the Win-Docs are counting on 4-Michigan State and 4-Louisville to run deep in the tourney.If they don't this squad is toast. Will need wins out of 5-Oklahoma, 8-Colorado and 9-Kansas State to make any noise whatsoever. Could grab a piece of the show if one of the four seeds makes the final. Sleeper Pick: 11-Providence is playing good hoops and coming into the tourney on a roll wherein UNC could be vulnerable.

He's baacck (for the Catholic Boyz)

Catholic Boyz (8-1, 9.1 ASR). It was good to see Freddie back in the saddle leading his squad through the winding road of draft night. He has a sneaky good squad that doesn't look so hot on paper, but that's when Fred can go all Krueger on us. 2-Villanova is his anchor and has a pretty decent draw in the East and will likely head to the familiar environs of MSG for the regional semis. 6-Ohio State has a decent draw and could feast on a poor shooting Syracuse team although it will likely feel like a road game. 4-San Diego State is not as well known in these parts, but they're as good a team as any in the tourney. They're ranking one spot higher than Michigan in the BPI's, so there's that.  Sleeper Pick: 12-Harvard. Stone cold lock to steal a win.

Tax Men, Wichita State, Love Affair

Tax Men (10-1, 7.9 ASR). It's deja vu all over again as they'll ride the 1-Wichita State train for the second straight year. They also sport the lowest ASR in the draft and relish the long shot role on Calcutta eve. With four teams in the 4-6 seed range, two wins from each of those four teams could put the Tax Men right back in that Catbird seat they know so well. 5-VCU is a well-coached squad and 12-North Dakota State is very underrated. It wouldn't surprise me if the tax guys are drinking out of the Chalise come next March. Sleeper Pick: 12-North Dakota State.

Thank you for being a friend. ~The Elders

Elder Statesmen (10-1, 8.4). The Elders was busy finishing their early bird dinner and didn't win a bid until halfway through the Calcutta. With plenty of money to spend late they gathered two very good 3-seeds in Iowa State and Texas, although I like Iowa State a whole lot more. Will need help from mid-level seeds 8-Memphis and 9-Pitt to make any noise in this year's Calcutta. They've been in this spot before so it's hard to count them out completely. Sleeper Pick: 14-Western Michigan (reverse jinx at work here).

Zack Attack did well in his first Calcutta (thanks for the donation)

Bunch of Chieftans (15-1, 8.5 ASR). It was trial by fire for the newcomer, but he held his own and has the top seed in the tourney (1-Florida) who could waltz right through this thing for 6 wins which is halfway home in most years. 8-Kentucky could awaken at any moment and go on a run for Coach Cal, so it wouldn't be a bad bet to throw a few shekels at the Chieftans at those odds. Cincinnati will have to avoid the 5-12 first round upset that happens every year and 7-UConn likely has a reunion with old Big East date Villanova in the B-Lo. Sleeper Pick: 9-Oklahoma State. Saw them play a couple times and when they are playing together....watch out.

So that's a wrap on the morning lines, folks. The listing of all of the teams is on top of the right sidebar under the "2014 Results to Date" link which will be updated after each day's results. It looks like one of the most evenly-matched Calcuttas in recent years and this NCAA tournament is wide-open.  Hope everyone enjoyed themselves and Good Luck!

2014 Calcutta Around the Corner

It's that time of year to start thinking about the Madness.  And after last year's remarkable effort by the Three Amigos, who celebrated their first title since 2001 and ended a long drought, they're ready to repeat last year's championship efforts.  So here we go as we head down the path of the 2014 Calcutta:

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

When: Tuesday March 18th, 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

2013 Champions: Three Amigos (2-time champion with 13 wins)

Cost: 250 dineros (bring it witcha)