Final Four Report: Going down to the wire in Calcutta

Amherst, N.Y. (UPI) -- Trying to figure out this year's Calcutta has been tougher than a one-eared alley cat.

With four teams advancing to the Final Four, three sit one spot behind the idling Tax Slayers and one sits two back, all capable of having an engraving ceremony the Calcutta Chalise.

Incredible games with three of the four Elite Eight games going down to the wire and the fourth had a 3-ball that could have tightened up the Zags game. The only top seed to advance is the Amigos' Virginia, who had to be rooting hard for the Dukies who fell hard to Sparty in the waning moments.

Let's look at the capsules and probables as we head to the Twin Cities for the Final Four.

Tax Slayers (9 points). Must be rooting hard for the Cavs at this point and the 3-way tie to claim a slice of the title. Sweeps by any of the other three teams puts them in a tie for second, but the weekend worked out pretty well for the Slayers, who watched the weekend at home.

Tap Tap Tap....

Win-Docs (8 points). Biggest disappointment of the weekend, losing a 1-Gonzaga and 2-Kentucky both favored and wins would've slipped them past the Slayers and with two teams in the Final Four with 10 wins. Welp. There's always next year.

Woulda coulda shoulda (emphasis on shoulda)

Elder Statesman (8 points). Heartbreaker when Virginia hit the buzzer beater to send it into overtime and kept the Elders from sending two teams to Minny. They'll take the red hot 3-Texas Tech squad into the Final Four and a big matchup with the Commish and Sparty to see who will cash the bigger check. Great drafting by the Elders who once again surprise with a late run.

Elders dancing into the Final Four

Catholic Boyz (8 points). War Eagle muther-effers. They just took down Kansas, North Carolina and Kentucky in succession. That's some blue blood damage right there. Prayers answered and two wins away from an outright title. Divine intervention helps sometimes.

High Five!

The Commish (8 points). Down goes Duke. Down goes Duke. This was so good on so many levels. Now to get focused to make a run to a second title in three years. It's all on a focused veteran Sparty squad, but now they face defensive lockdown Tech in what should be a terrific game. Buckle your seatbelts for this Calcutta conclusion.

Two more.....

Amigos (7 points). Revived by a terrific play at the end of regulation, you know we were humming that tune, but these Amigos said Hola instead. The Hoos showed they mean business and will be favored in the national semifinal and the only representative left from the ACC. Two wins and they take the top dollar honors.

Who said we were dead?

The Bunch (6 points).

Never gets old.

Here's a look at the eight probable combinations for next weekend's games....

Virginia over Texas Tech:
1 - Amigos $800
1 - Slayers $600
1 - Elders $600

Virginia over Michigan State:
1 - Amigos $800
1 - Slayers $600
1 - Commish $600

Auburn over Texas Tech: 
1 - Catholic Boyz $1,200
2 - Elders $400
2 - Slayers $400

Auburn over Michigan State:
1 - Catholic Boyz $1,200
2 - Commish $400
2 - Slayers $400

Texas Tech over Virginia:
1 - Elders $1,200
2 - Slayers $500
3 - Commish, Boyz, Win-Docs, Amigos $75

Texas Tech over Auburn:
1 - Elders $1,200
2 - Catholic Boyz $400
2 - Slayers $400

Michigan State over Virginia:
1 - Commish $1,200
2 - Slayers $500
3 - Elders, Boyz, Win-Docs, Amigos $75

Michigan State over Auburn:
1 - Commish $1,200
2 - Catholic Boyz $400
2 - Slayers $400

Lots of different combos, but if you take care of business next Saturday you cash. Good luck to all.

Elite Eight Report: Slayed and dismayed

Amherst, N.Y. (Reuters) -- What was supposed to be a cakewalk for the Tax Slayers turned into Black Friday as the top-seeded North Carolina walked right into a War Eagle buzzsaw. The Slayers sitting in the catbird seat for most of this year's Calcutta are now Tiger Woods sitting in the clubhouse after posting a 65, but with only a one-shot lead and the world's best on the first tee.

It was an exciting round of Sweet Sixteen as the Jack Nicklaus-Arnold Palmer twosome made a charge with some very scary 3-seeds that have emerged on the back nine.  The Elders are here and they're not going away without a fight.

The Win-Docs, of all teams, look positioned to strike with favored 1-Gonzaga and 2-Kentucky headed into wins that will vault them into the lead heading to the final four.

Here's a capsule look at a Calcutta going into regional final weekend with only 3 points separating the top and bottom teams. Pete Rozelle would be proud of the Commish and the parity he's created in the 20 plus years of ye olde Calcutta.

The Yellow Jacket awaits....

Tax Slayers (9 points). Way to ruin my morning line brilliance, fellahs. They got caught counting the benjamins and ended up with Kelvin. Now they'll have to sit back and root for a Duke-Virginia final and a share of the title, which isn't totally out of the question. The dance is no longer in their control and they have a front row seat.

Just sayin...

Win-Doctors (8 points). Took sole possession of second place in a tightly-contested Calcutta. The Win-Docs move forward two squads (along with the Elders) into the Elite Eight and if they can ward off the upset bug, they could be looking at their seventh overall title and fourth outright. They go toe-to-toe with the Elders and Boyz to see who stagnates and who moves on.

Familiar Calcutta sight for the Win-Docs

Elder Statesmen (7 points). The old guys aren't exactly riding in Cinderella's coach, but they jumped in a slicked up Tesla in 3-Texas Tech and 3-Purdue in reaching the Elite Eight. Without an outright title since 2005, and a share since 2011, the Elders have cleared their voice and jumped into the thick of things ala Jack in the 1986 Masters. They're baaack.

Much love...

Commish & Assoc (7 points). Biggest Elite Eight tilt of the night and a two-point lead with the ball and 30 seconds left would have traded places with the Win-Docs, but 3-Houston's season ended on a 7-0 Kentucky run and left the Commish with only a Sparty title run with hopes of capturing their second ever title and second in three years. 1-Duke lays in wait after two tough games.

A guy can only hope...

 Counselors (6 points). First complete casualty of the 2019 Calcutta. I'm sure the Va Tech's player's face looked exactly like Baki's after missing the chippy at the buzzer. Sayonara, legal boys.

Thanks for coming....

Amigos (6 points). 1-Virginia playing solid ball, but the waters start to get deeper now with a big matchup with 3-Purdue tonight. Need a championship run and a bunch of other stuff to happen. Will be rooting for Duke, Texas Tech and Auburn this weekend, while taking care of their own bidness.

We're still shootin, pards...

Bunch of Chieftans. (6 points). Similar to the Amigos, they'll be rooting for the same squads this weekend and a Duke-Virginia ACC matchup in the national championship game. Two nail-biters for Coach K's Zionists have CBS's team poised for a title run. Like the Amigos, they can only share the title, but you know they'll do anything to try and keep the Win-Docs at bay.

Peace out, Duke haters...

On to the Elite Eight......Final Four report and probables on Sunday night.

Slayers hold serve and 3-point edge on rest of Calcutta

Amherst, N.Y. – We head to the Sweet Sixteen, with all eight teams alive and in unprecedented fashion, each team carries two squads into the regional finals.

The Slayers hold a commanding 3-point lead with a 1-seed remaining, which should all but sew up the title with a couple of sweet sixteen wins in the favorite role.

A logjam for second has four teams looking to pick up a check by getting a team into the Final Four. Some major Sweet Sixteen matchups will determine who is still around on the final weekend in one of the more evenly matched Calcuttas in recent memory.

Here’s a capsule look at all eight remaining teams……

Slayers (9 points). Bringing a record-tying seven teams to the weekend dance, didn’t dish up any upsets and only their top two held serve. But that was al they needed after the first round mastery put a number of points on the board. Both 1-Carolina (Auburn) and 2-Tennessee (Purdue) face formidable foes, but this tournament has held to form so far. Our morning line pick still looks pretty solid.

Sitting on top of the Calcutta....Rocky Top, that is.

Win-Docs (6 points). Oh, what might have been if 9-UCF didn’t get the CBS-Duke annual screw job. They still will be pressuring the Slayers with 1-Gonzaga and 2-Kentucky sashaying into the Sweet Sixteen. Is anyone really surprised that the Docs are right in the middle of things?

All the other teams be like.....

Catholic Boyz (6 points). I thought they’d be dangerous, but some early upsets kept them out of second place. If this were a football pool they’d be the top seed with SEC powers 3-LSU and 5-Auburn leading their Sweet Sixteen charge. They’ll take the first shot at the slayers with a bombing Auburn squad and will try and knock out the Commish with the Bayou Tigers. They’ll be in the underdog role here on out.

Still dancin...ya'll

Counselors (6 points). Like the Boyz, they’re stuck with lower seeds going into the regionals with two 4-seeds surviving the weekend. Both are playing good basketball though, but the waters start to get deeper next week. 4-Florida State and 4-Virginia Tech both take on top seeds and will need to play their best games versus Duke and Gonzaga.

You're out of order....and we're still alive.

Commish & Assoc. (6 points). In the last game of the weekend, they could’ve snatched the second spot to stay on the Slayers’ heels, but 12-Oregon had other thoughts. Both Cinderellas (12-Murray State and 13-Cal Irvine) struck midnight and the Commish is down to 2-Michigan State and 3-Houston. Paging Clyde Drexler and Magic Johnson.

Commish is in the house...shhhhhh Counselors

Elder Statesman (5 points). Left with a couple of 3-seeds both looking good in the second round. The old guys could only wish that Gene “Comb-over” Keady was still coaching the Boilers. 3-Texas Tech stopped the running of the Bulls in North Lubbock..err Tulsa. There’s something to be said for experience, and the old guys got it. Need to go on a big run.

Hello? 

 Amigos (5 points). The Amigos could slide right by everyone into the Final Four with 1-Virginia and 2-Michigan (against the weakest top seed). There’s been no sense that the annual Adios has even been thought about. The team that really could come out of the clouds and steal the whole thing. Only downside is they are a full game behind the Win-Docs who also have the 1-2 combo left.

It's possible, really, it is.

 Bunch of Chieftans (5 points). Some late night heroics by morning line sleeper pick 12-Oregon kept the Chieftans looking forward to next weekend. The Ducks were almost the only team to make it through for the Bunch before the Duke “miracle” occurred in South Carolina. A Duke run of the table and one more Oregon upset puts them at 10, which would be right in the mix. Can’t count them out yet.

We are a very happy Bunch

On to the Sweet Sixteen.....

Slayers out to fast start, tie opening round record for wins

Amherst, N.Y. – The post time favorite did not disappoint, tying a first round record with seven (7) wins in the first round, becoming the fifth squad to tie that mark. The Tax Slayers came out slicing and dicing as expected and rode a late night upset victory by 12-Liberty to keep the Commish (4 wins) at bay.

The first round was rather formful as the second choice, the Catholic Boyz did their usual early round damage on the way to four victories and a four-way tie for second.

Three teams lay in wait with 3 wins, which means everyone is still alive with championship hopes heading into the opening weekend.

Here’s a capsule look at each squad as we head into the weekend and the Second Round of action which will likely separate the men from the boyz.

Tax Slayers (7 points) – It was an awesome onslaught of terror that the slayers unleashed on the rest of the Calcutta. They were one 15-Montana upset away from becoming the first team to ever sweep the first round. With all three 9-seeds holding serve, and 1-North Carolina in the house, this Calcutta may be over before we hit the Sweet Sixteen. Then again, the three 9-seeds face top seeds on the weekend so we will see. Regardless, a job well done.

Slayers making the Commish look like Jimmy the Greek

Commish & Assoc. (4 points) – The Commish was looking at a 5-point first round boosted by upset wins (calculated, I might add) by 12-Murray State and 13-UC-Irvine. The top two seeds held serve, but a damaging 5-Mississippi State loss took the wind out of the Calcutta’s fearless leader’s sails. Lots of eggs in the 2-Michigan State and 3-Houston baskets. Can the Cinderellas keep dancing at the ball? We’ll see. Survive and advance.

It's the name of the game, y'all.

Catholic Boyz (4 points) – Solid first round performance by the Boyz, but the waters get deeper here on out, which is what we forecasted on draft night. Will need a couple 6-seeds to step up, and both are very capable of keeping the Boyz in the thick of things. When all is said and done, Freddie will by looking squarely at costly losses by 4-Kansas State and 5-Marquette.

The Boyz looking for some divine help this weekend

Win-Doctors (4 points) – After a nice 3-win Thursday, they were stuck on three until after midnight when 4-Virginia Tech finally notched win No. 4. A damaging late Friday night loss by 6-Iowa State kept them out of the second slot all by themselves. As usual though, they are in the thick of things, and balanced with 1-Gonzaga and 2-Kentucky in opposite brackets unlike the Slayers with their 1-2 on the same side.

The Win-Docs have patience and big dogs on their side

Counselors (4 points) – With nothing higher than a 4-seed left, it looks like they’re up against it. But 4-Fla State looks strong and if 4-Kansas survives, they head to Kansas City and home court advantage. They sit right about where you would expect them to be. The weekend is going to be big for them, especially if they can sneak 10-Florida through.

I wanna re-draft

Elder Statesman (3 points) – A disappointing couple of days for the old guys. The Wisco loss stings. With two 3-seeds and a 6-seed remaining, the fat lady could be warming up and they go into Sunday rooting against hometown 6-UB in Tulsa. That's bad karma, man. 

Ruh roh, rastro.

Amigos (3 points) – The Amigos escaped Friday with a 10-Iowa upset win to keep them out of the basement by their lonesome. They will need the big dogs (1-Virginia and 2-Michigan) to go deep to have a shot at their first title in six years.

Amigos, be like...

Bunch of Chieftains (3 points) – Upset wins by 11-Ohio State and 12-Oregon were big as a run of the table by Duke gets them to 9, which usually can get you close to the money. Another win by one of the underdogs would be huge.

Chief Motto at Bunch HQ

Sweet Sixteen report will be up after Sunday's games.

Calcutta Morning Line: Slayers tabbed as 2019 chalk

2018 Champs (Catholic Boyz) don the coveted Yellow Jacket (photobomb by the Chief)

Amherst, N.Y. -- The 2019 Calcutta was off with a bang with the 1 seeds flying out early and in a big way. A donning of the Yellow Jacket, a toast to our late counselor colleague and a welcome to our newest counselor got the ball rolling.

The Tax Slayers avoided Chapter 11 by making a big push with late money to artfully pick up some solid squads at bargain basement prices. It was the first year that the Bunch of Chieftans brought their analytics to the draft with Bradley "Billy Ball" Hall putting the metrics to work all evening long as supplied by his long time partner. They may just end up in the closet after surveying their picks post-draft.

The defending champs maintained their low ASR strategy that propelled them to last year's championship and gave a nod to the team that got their name engraved on the Chalise (sic) with 6-Villanova.

A gentle reminder that the results are posted in the upper right hand corner where you can see all of the teams. Recaps after every round will be posted here with a link emailed out to the group.

Over the past five years Average Seed Ratings (ASR) for the Calcutta champ has been 7.1 (Catholic Boyz - 2018) 9.6 (Commish - 2017), 9.9 (Win-Docs - 2016), 7.3 (Tax Men - 2015) and 8.5 (Bunch - 2014, record 16 wins). So it's been all over the board, but the morning line maker tends to lean towards the lower ASR.

So let's get the morning line rolling....without further adieu.....

The Tax Slayers. (3-1 ML, 8.4 ASR) Heavily slanted to the right hand side of the bracket, the Slayers will need their top dogs in 1-North Carolina and 2-Tennessee to do reach the Final Four to have their best shot. Picking up wins by any of their 9 seeds (Baylor, Oklahoma and Washington) in the vaunted 8-9 games would only push their agenda forward. Sleeper:12-Liberty

Slayers hoping Carolina is #1 and not #0

The Catholic Boyz. (4-1 ML, ASR 7.4) Was a tough decision not to tab them as the morning line favorites, with the low ASR, the artful draft strategy for the squad looking for the repeat. Looking to be the first repeat winner since the Bunch of Chieftans in 2010-11, the Boyz once again drafted low-to mid-range seeds. Lowest seed is 3-LSU, who struggled down the stretch with on and off the court issues. With 5 teams seed between 4-6, they could easily walk into the weekend with 6 wins on the board. I really like 5-Auburn, but they may have shot their wad (sorry, Father) in the SEC tourney.
No longshots of note. Dangerous.

Who remembers the Flying Nun? 

The Win-Docs. (9-2 ML, 9.4 ASR). Sky high ASR, but look no further than 2016 when they took the crown with a 9.9(!!) with the go big or go home strategery. They may have done it better than the Slayers by being cross bracketed with their two top seeds (1-Gonzaga in the West and 2-Kentucky in the Midwest). Man, it was quiet in that corner this year. I'm guessing they mean business and Smytty is drafting for next year's honors again after last year's top rate performance. They need 7-Wofford to be the real deal to hit the board, I see them plodding along with their fate to be determined in the second weekend. Sleeper: 9-UCF. Always a threat.

The Win-Docs were in sync together all night

The Counselors. (5-1 ML, 7.1 ASR). Complete change in draft strategy with Baki at the wheel (you could almost hear "don't do that!"). A team that usually holds the change until the end of the night, it was strike early and strike often by the barristers. A lotta eggs in teh #4 seed basket though. Three of them if you're counting at home (Kansas, Fla State and Va Tech). Counting on the ACC second tier squads to show their big conference muscles. Snazzy 7-Cincinnati pick with them playing the opening weekend in nearby Columbus (less than 2 hours away). Sleeper: 15- Colgate. Don't throw the book at the legal beagles.

Snappy start by the Counselors

Elder Statesman. (6-1 ML, 8.6 ASR). This team's like clockwork with the middle seed strategy and pray someone goes deep. If they can sneak three wins out of their #3 seeds (Texas Tech, Purdue) they could be a nuisance come the regional finals. Fate likely decided if 5-Wisco or 6-Maryland can pull off a second round upset. Quiet at the far end of the table, probably a Notre Dame thing. Last Calcutta share of the title was in 2011, last outright championship was 2005. Time's running out on the Elders. Sleeper: Yale. Don't count them out.

Caption this...

Bunch of Chieftans. (7-1 ML, 9.1 ASR). They have Duke.

Not much else...

Amigos. (8-1 ML, 8.9 ASR). We bid them adios after day two last year when they set the all-time mark for futility with only one (!) calcutta win. Total "go big or go home" draft with 1-Virginia and 2-Michigan. Breathing easier that UMBC did not qualify for the tourney, but the Cavs are vulnerable and they'll need one of their two 8-seeds (Cuse and/or VCU) to win the 8-9 and upset a 1 seed. Good luck with that. Sleeper: St. Louis. The fat lady loosening her vocal cords early should one of the big dogs fall.

Lone Amigo draft night

The Commish & Assoc. (10-1 ML, 9.1 ASR). A miserable ASR, but some lower seeds (2-Mich St and 3-Houston) and some Cinderella types (12-Murray State, 13-Irvine) are the Commish's only hope for a longshot upset. Fell to post-championship syndrome in 2018, and could be sitting on another 17-year drought. Don't @ me. Sleeper: 14-Old Dominion (they beat Cuse in the Dome y'all). Thanks for coming.

Commissioner Gordon, get it.

That's a wrap on the morning line. Enjoy the tourney and may your March be mad.