2016 Calcutta Kicks Off with Bunch as Morning Line Favorite

JP accepts (and it fits) the Yellow Jacket from
2014 champ SRB (Bunch)

AMHERST, N.Y. -- It’s hard to believe we’ve been at this since 1999, but the 18th annual Calcutta got off to a great start with the annual donning of the Yellow Jacket by the 2015 winner the Tax Men, presented by the 2014 winner (Bunch).  A toast to our lost Amigo and dedication of the 2016 edition of the William A. Karin Memorial Calcutta got us off on the right foot and away we went.

RIP Amigo (circa 2013)

When a team has won or shared a piece of a third of the total Calcuttas since inception, it’s not too difficult to make them the morning line favorite.  The Bunch of Chieftans (3-1) had a solid draft, coming right out of the gate and grabbing top seeded 1-Kansas. With an Average Seed Rating (ASR) of 7.3, it seems to be right in the Chief’s wheelhouse. 3-West Virginia is a dangerous team and if the Chieftans can squeak a win or two our of mid-seeds Oregon State, Texas Tech or 10-seeds VCU or Pitt, it could be clear sailing into the Final Four.  Sleeper pick: 10-VCU.

The Bunch of Chieftans studied hard for this Calcutta.

The Counselors (7-2) went into “Moneyball” mode early and grabbed possibly the lowest ASR of all time with a 6.6. Taking a page out of the Elders ledger, they sat patiently and gathered five teams with seeds between 3-6, and their highest seed is 12-Yale, who is basically playing a home game in Providence. Billy Beane was in the house and will need wins through the Sweet Sixteen to survive.  On the flip-side, their lowest seed is 3-Miami, who was the third best team in the ACC and will have to get through Villanova and Kansas in the East. Only one team disagreement (“I don’t endorse this selection”) bodes well for the legal beagles.  Sleeper Pick: 9-Providence.

The Counselors all night long

The defending champs, the Tax Men (4-1) are certainly part of the equation, coming right in on a perfect 8.0 on the ASR scale. They’ll ride the coattails of top-seeded 1-North Carolina and will need 3-Utah and 4-California to make some noise in order to advance deep into the Calcutta. Both 7-seeds (Dayton and Iowa) come into the tourney struggling, but can easily turn things around to where they dominated earlier in the year. Sleeper Pick – 7-Iowa.

Where is that Chiampa fellah?

The Elder Statesmen (5-1) uncharacteristically went deep in a few bids tonight and it showed in their ASR rating of 7.9, which is high for this squad.  They’ll need some upsets to make noise, but 3-Texas A&M, 5-Maryland and 5-Purdue are all playing good basketball.  The 4-5’s will be likely be facing a top seed in the sweet sixteen which could put the Elders behind the eight-ball if they don’t get rolling during the opening weekend.  The two 8-9 games they are involved with in the first round loom large. Sleeper Pick – 9-UConn.

We hosed those young bucks, again Fanch!

Bid big, bid early was the motto for the Amigos (7-1) have three solid teams that could advance deep into the tourney. With a god-awful ASR of 10.1, they’ll need 1-Virginia, 4-Kentucky and 4-Duke to keep on keeping on in order to sniff a check in this year’s Calcutta.  An upset win by Temple could be the difference if this squad’s top three come through.  Sleeper Pick – 10-Temple.

Come at me, bro.

They didn’t get Villanova, but the Catholic Boyz (8-1) upheld tradition and team name by taking 9-St. Joe’s, 11-Gonzaga and 2-Xavier.  They’ll need some upsets and a strong performance from the Musketeers to be a contender after the opening weekend. Two big 8-9 games will determine how competitive this team will be.  Looking to end a 10-year slide since their last title in 2006, the Boyz’ top seeds are in the same East Region, which could be costly down the road.  Sleeper Pick – 9-St. Joe’s.

We got 3 Catholic teams!!!

If history is any indicator, 1-Oregon or 2-Villanova will be your 2016 NCAA champs. The Win Docs (10-1) have nailed five of the last eight champions in the Calcutta and six overall. With five of their teams with seeds of 12 or higher, they need 6-Texas to get past in-state rival A&M, and their big two to not stumble to be around in April.  Sleeper Pick – 12- Arkansas Little Rock.

You're telling me I got a shot?

Trailing the field is the Commish (15-1), the lone squad who has never drank from the Chalise (sic) in the 18-year history.  The Commish definitely went with the “go big or go home” mantra spending big cash on 2-seeds Michigan State and Oklahoma. A couple stolen first-round wins by Syracuse and USC and maybe, just maybe, the long shot will pay off. Doubtful, though.  Sleeper Pick – 13-UNC-Wilmington.

Update after the first round. Results can be found in the upper right hand margin of the blog.

Good luck to all.