Calcutta: Final Four Report

Amherst, N.Y. -- And then there were four.

As in, Calcutta teams holding on for a chance at the coveted Chalise (sic). The Win-Doctors are gone, but not forgotten, sitting tied for the top spot with the Bunch and needing Michigan to run the table. They both are assured of cashing, now it's a matter of playing for history, record books and bragging rights.

The Docs lead has evaporated

The national semifinal between top seeds Villanova and Kansas will be a knockout game for the Slayers and Boyz, the winner capturing at least third and the loser goes home empty.

Catholic Boyz off life support and in the picture

The Bunch's potential clinching win was Slayed in the Elite Eight

It's rare that four teams still have a shot at the title and it's possible that a three-way tie for the title will occur for only the second time in the 18-year history of the Calcutta (2011).

Let's take a look at the potential national championship scenarios:

Kansas beats Michigan:
Tax Slayers  $800
Win-Docs    $600
Bunch          $600
(Three way tie for title)

Kansas beats Loyola:
Bunch     $1,000
Slayers      $600
Win-Docs $400
(Bunch wins title)

Villanova beats Michigan:
Catholic Boyz  $800
Win-Docs        $600
Bunch              $600
(Three way tie for title)

Villanova beats Loyola:
Bunch     $1,000
Boyz         $600
Win-Docs $400
(Bunch wins title)

Michigan beats Kansas:
Win-Docs $750
Bunch $750
Slayers $300
Counselors $200
(Win-Docs, Bunch share title)

Michigan beats Villanova:
Win-Docs $750
Bunch $750
Boyz $300
Counselors $200
(Win-Docs, Bunch share title)

Loyola beats Kansas:
Bunch $1,200
Win-Docs $500
Slayers $300
(Bunch wins title outright)

Loyola beats Nova:
Bunch $1,200
Win-Docs $500
Boyz   $300
(Bunch wins title outright)

The Bunch is looking to be Chief of the Calcutta with a little divine intervention

Calcutta Elite Eight Report: Battle of the Titans looming

Amherst, NY -- A battle of Calcutta titans is brewing as the front-running Win-Docs look to hold off the charging Chieftans as we settle into the Elite Eight.

Battle of Titans looming (Godzilla v Rodan)

With upsets galore, the Docs set the pace early and have led throughout, holding a slim one-game margin over the Chieftans.  The Bunch kept pace and gained a game on the leaders in the Sweet Sixteen and are poised to make a run at their seventh Calcutta title.

The Win-Docs are starting to wobble as they head for home at the quarter pole of this year's tournament. Going 1-2 in the Sweet Sixteen and left with 3-Texas Tech to face off with mighty Villanova.

Here's a capsule look at the remaining teams.

Win-Docs.  The Doctors head into the Elite Eight with the Ramblin' Wreck of 3-Texas Tech who manhandled a wounded 2-Purdue squad to eliminate the Commish, last year's defending champion (see how I worked that in). The Wildcats looked good, so they could be the leader in the clubhouse watching TV the rest of the way rooting for the Chieftans to get beat. Can they hold off the Chieftans to secure a record-tying sixth championship?  Time will tell.

The Win-Docs are hanging on to the lead.

Bunch of Chieftans. Rallying late, but not exactly a cinch to cross the wire first, the Chieftans are a length back with two teams in the Eight. Both teams will face tough, physical opponents from the Big 12 in hopes to advance to the Final Four with a chance at Calcuttian glory. 2-Duke's bigs looked great last night eliminating the Cuse (to stymie the Tax Slayers, for now). 11-Loyola is the Cinderella story of the tournament, but rugged 9-K State can ball and will try and outphysical the Ramblers.  Not a Sister Jean fan, sorry.

The Chieftans are on the warpath

Catholic Boyz.  You say Catholic, I say Nova. Catholic-Nova, Catholic-Nova. Anyways the top seed in the East played like it to send home the Chieftans' Mountaineers and stay within striking distance. They need tons of help, but can stagnate the Win-Docs, hope for wins by Kansas, K-State and Michigan as their optimal Final Four. A win in a Michigan-Nova final in that situation can catch them a piece of the title. Lot of ifs in there.

Lots of praying in Catholic Boyz headquarters

Tax Slayers. With two bites at the apple and top seed Kansas still flourishing, an all Slayer final with 9-Florida State would produce 13 wins and the yellow jacket in hand. It's obvious who the Slayers are rooting for. Some big games ahead for the Jayhawks, as they'll have to put away 2-Duke to get to San Antonio and then 1-Nova in the Final Four.  Not out of the question, but daunting.

Yellow Jacket fashion for the Slayers?

Elder Statesmen. Can get to max 10 (second-place) with a 9-K-State run to glory. I'll admit they look tough, but improbable given the teams remaining.  Along with the Wildcats from Manhattan, they'll be rooting for Tech, Duke and Michigan this weekend, which gives them a solid chance at show money.

Elders be like...yeah I'm a Michigan man.

Counselors. Best scenario is sweeps by Win-Docs and Chieftans and a Beilien-led run by the Wolverines. Were set up nicely heading into the Elite Eight, but 5-Kentucky took the pipe and the Counselors best hope is likely national championship dough.

Sorry, but it's not looking bright.

Good luck, if you're still alive heading into the weekend.

Calcutta: Win-Docs take 2-point lead into Sweet Sixteen

Amherst, N.Y. - After a historic first round, the Win-Docs cooled off going 3-4, but still control the 2018 Calcutta heading into the Sweet Sixteen. The Docs have accumulated double-digit wins and lead the Bunch by two with both squads carrying three teams into the second weekend.

Several teams sit behind the top two, bunched together in the middle of the pack, within striking distance but needing help knocking off the top two.

Every squad advanced a team to the Sweet Sixteen, although two teams are left with a lone survivor (Elders, Amigos).

Let's take a swing around the Calcutta to see where everyone sits....

Win-Doctors. The five-time champs sit in the catbird seat advancing 3-Texas Tech, 4-Gonzaga and 7-Texas A&M. Ironically, A&M looked the best of the three in their Round of 32 matchup, drilling the 2-seed Carolina in Charlotte. Tech gets a wounded Purdue squad and Gonzaga catches a break with 1-Xavier getting upset. The Docs are poised for victory, but need a couple more wins to start the celebration.

Win-Docs: It's not time to start gloating, yet.

Bunch of Chieftans. The maroon and gold of 11-Loyola (Chi) vaulted the Bunch to the upper echelon of the Calcutta. They get a break with 7-Nevada beating Cincinnati in an epic choke game, and have a shot to advance to the Elite Eight. 2-Duke gets and 11-seed who they've beat in the conference and 4-West Virginia will look to take down 1-Villanova. The Bunch is sitting chilly at the top of the stretch looking to pounce on the rival Docs.

Loyola (Chi) cheering section

Catholic Boyz. The Boyz from the altar are alive with 1-Villanova and miracle workers the 7-Nevada Wolfpack, who will be wearing the home whites in the crazy south regional in Atlanta next week. Wolfpack look hungry on They came through St. Patty's Day better than past years and have a shot to still make some noise with 7 wins heading into the Sweet Sixteen. The soft East Region could be the route to cash money.

Wolfpack heading to Atlanta

Tax Slayers. Taking advantage of Black Sunday, the Slayers re-entered the picture with a 3-0 weekend, including two huge upsets. With ACC also-rans 11-Syracuse and 9-Florida State pulling major upsets, they slide into the Sweet Sixteen with 1-Kansas, who looks to be the best remaining team left (apologies to Villanova). The Slayers be slaying.

With 4 more wins.....

Commish & Assoc. The total Cincinnati meltdown was like watching a train wreck in your backyard. The Commish was set to waltz into the Sixteen with three squads, including two deuces. Insteadthey threw craps and has to hope that a wounded 2-Purdue and an overmatched 5-Clemson can sneak through their respective regions. Best shot is third at this point.

Are you kidding me, Cincinnati?

Elder Statesmen. Caught a break facing a 16 seed, but suffered a dismal 1-4 record over the weekend. Not looking good with lone remaining 9-K-State facing high flying Kentucky in Cat-lanta.

No caption necessary

Counselors. How is a 5 seed the top team in the South? If not for a miracle shot by 3-Michigan on Saturday night (simply incredible btw), they would be down to the Cats. Actually they look to have a clear shot to Monday night with the West falling apart on Sunday. They're not dead yet.

Don't count them out just yet.

Amigos. Not sure that record will ever be broken. Total Calcutta wins: 1. Have to admit, I'm kinda speechless here. Well accept for that one thing.

Wait for it....

Wait....

Here it comes....

¡Adios Amigos!

Calcutta: The Doctor is IN

 Albany, N.Y. -- The Win-Docs looked to achieve the unthinkable and had their sights on an unprecedented sweep of the first round. With major upset wins by 16-UMBC and 13-University at BUFFALO, only 13-College of Charleston kept them from a record that would likely stand for eternity.

The Docs joined the Bunch (2002) and Catholic Boyz (2012, 2016) in the record books with seven first round victories. They will have their sights set on the next round record of five wins (see sidebar) and possibly a first weekend record of 11 or 12 (currently consulting the Elias Sports Bureau).

Win-Docs strolling into the Round of 32 like...

The major coaching change in the offseason looks like it was a brilliant move by Doc management, with the Smytty-led squad riding their 3-seeds and upsets into a near record-breaking performance.

The Docs saw the Amigos to the Help Desk

Let's take a capsule look at where the other seven squads stand heading into the weekend....

Catholic Boyz. In typical first-round fashion, the Boyz sit in a three-way tie behind the Docs with five wins over the first two days. 1-Villanova in a soft bracket should add some easy wins through to the regional final in Boston to anchor the Boyz championship run. The road does get a little rockier now with mid-level seeds having to win in the Round of 32. But this is the path the Boyz take every year.

The Boyz scoot through to the Round of 32

Bunch of Chieftans. Do you think the Bunch wants the Docs sharing anything with them. The record holding Bunch (six Calcutta titles) still has some dry powder in the keg with 2-Duke and 3-Tennessee on opposite esides of the bracket and Huggy Bear's Mountaineers looking good. Whilst sad to see the Brown Indians bow out in the main draw, it was good for local hoops and the Bunch are still dancing.

PSA from the Bunch to the Docs

Elder Statesmen. The lack of pee breaks on Calcutta Wednesday didn't thwart the drafting skills of one John Fancher. The Statesmen shunning the 8-1 tag placed on it by the Commish (see Rodney Dangerfield) waltzed into the weekend listed officially in the "in the hunt" section of the Calcutta. With 2-North Carolina appearing to be the real deal, the waters get deeper over the weekend and some of the Elders mid level seeds will need to win.

How do you like me now?

Commish & Assoc. 2-seeds alive. Big upset win by 13. All going according to Hoyle. Big 4-5 game with the Elders on Sunday may determine the direction of both squads.

Current Commish battle cry

Tax Slayers. The Monty Python "bring out your dead" gif was all teed up ("I'm not dead yet"), but some late night Friday heroics by 9-Florida State and 11-Syracuse (!) kept the Slayers off life support. Maybe too focused on the TJCA than the RPI on draft night...this team has some major work to do. 1-Kansas is the meal ticket, but they need some rocket fuel and quickly.

Slayers need some rocket fuel.

Counselors.  And then there were two. With the annual kiss of death tag (morning line favorite) squarely placed on them in a tradition unlike any other, the Counselors are down to 3-Michigan and 5-Kentucky and a max of 10 wins. The 538 guys have them at 1.5% chance of Calcutta glory. They'll need to file a few more motions and need the Slayers and Amigos to do some damage to the upper echelon to make anything happen. It's not looking good.

Counselors: We don't want to hear it.

Amigos. It's teed up, boys. You know it's coming. Oh, by the way the futility record is in sight, just sayin. You don't get a picture.

Good luck in the Round of 32!

Win-Docs poised for history?

Thursday was the Win-Docs big day

Amherst, N.Y. - Quick first round post, because you know you can't sweep the card without winning the first four. The Win-Docs swept their dance card last night to go 4-0. Can they be the first Calcutta team to sweep the first round?  Unlikely with 16=UMBC having to pull a mammoth upset, but you gotta be in it to win it (see University at BUFFALO).

The record first round wins is seven set by the Bunch (2002) and equaled by the Catholic Boyz in 2012 and 2016.

The Catholic Boyz and Bunch of Chieftans are right there after 4-2 on the opening day. The standings are updated in the upper right hand corner. How prophetic was the Commish about the Boyz historical opening round success and the Chieftans sleeper (Loyola) and steal (Houston).

Good luck on Friday!

2018 Calcutta Ready to Rock, Morning Line Set

Amherst, N.Y. -- The 2018 Calcutta, unofficially the 19th year of the annual auction, kicked off in pursuit of the coveted yellow jacket (that was mysteriously absent this evening). The festivities moved along all night with nary a controversy or chippy conversation. The ole' Calcutta has mellowed as we all get another year older and can't hear or see as well as we used to.

The 17 year drought (sound familiar) ended last year with the Commish engraving his name on the Chalise (sic) for the first time. The question of back-to-back came up during the evening and yes, indeed the Win-Docs captured titles in their glory years in 2007 and 2008. The Bunch did it twice, albeit sharing titles in 2001-02 and 2010-11. Good times.

So let's get right to it and the morning line for 2018 in a wide-open tournament with no team looking like it's going to waltz through this field. Over the past five years Average Seed Ratings (ASR) for the Calcutta champ has been 9.6 (Commish - 2017), 9.9 (Win-Docs - 2016), 7.3 (Tax Men - 2015) and 8.5 (Bunch - 2014, record 16 wins).

This year's lowest ASR belongs to the Catholic Boyz (7.1 ASR) and the highest went to the Amigos (a gaudy 10.0). Looking back to 2006, when the ASR emerged as a key metric in the Calcutta, no 10+ team has captured the Calcutta, only the Tax Men have hit the board with a double digit ASR.

So who's our morning line favorite?

The Counselors (3-1, ASR 7.5). The legal beagles always look strong on draft night. Of course an upset or two could knock them right out of the competition. B1G tournament champ 3-Michigan and SEC tourney champ 5-Kentucky will try and rule the left side of the bracket for the dynamic duo. They could easily come out of the first round with six wins (five lower seeds) and play catch-me-if-you-can with the rest of the group.  Sleeper: 12-South Dakota State. Steal: 7-Arkansas for $7.

The Counselors are the morning line favorite - got that!

Bunch of Chieftans (4-1, ASR 8.0). A perfect score on the ASR is 8.0 and the Chief ran a very efficient and no-nonsense draft. High off the big 11-Bonas win on Tuesday night to get into the main draw, the Chief dusted off his drafting skills moth-balled for several years and he came to play. Solid selections in each region, 2-Duke (Midwest), 3-Tennessee (South), 4-West Virginia (East) and 6-Houston (West) should put him right in the mix heading into the weekend. Looking for a record extending seventh Calcutta title. Sleeper: 11-Loyola (Chicago). Steal: 6-Houston for $9.

Let's Go Chief-tans!

Tax Slayers (5-1, ASR 9.5). Don't let that high ASR fool you. Two teams that could run the table on both sides of the bracket will steer this ship to hit the board. 1-Kansas and 4-Arizona anchor the Slayers. They added some solid higher seeds in 9-Florida State and 10-Texas that could add some valuable W's on their ledger. Sleeper: 10-Texas. Steal: 9-Florida State for $5.

The TaxSlayers were ferocious bidders all night long

Catholic Boyz (6-1, ASR 7.1). The good news is the low ASR. The bad news is the low ASR. Five 7 and 8-seeds is a dangerous mix. The 8-9 games look like toss-ups and the 7 seeds get the 2 seeds over the weekend. First round damage (which is historically the Catholic Boyz specialty) is the answer to Calcutta glory. 1-Villanova has a soft bracket and should coast to three easy wins before having to face their first real challenge. This team could be dangerous. Or flame out early. Sleeper: 8-Seton Hall. Steal: 7-URI for $7.

Catholic Boyz are coming in hot!

Win-Doctors (7-1, ASR 8.1). The docs will look to tie the Chieftans with a career sixth championship in this year's edition. With Artie being benched after his record tying two-win Calcutta in 2017 for Smytty, the Docs will look to regain its form. Lot of pundits like 3-Michigan State to win it all and they'll need as much to claim Calcutta fame in '18. Last year's runner-up 4-Gonzaga will be the stud in the West, and they'll need big East Region performances by 3-Texas Tech and 6-Florida to be a factor. It's not out of the realm of possibility and they're probably the longshot play of the day. Sleeper: 13-College of Charleston. Steal: 3-Texas Tech for $16.

Smytty draft moves

Elder Statesmen (8-1, ASR 8.8). After thwarting off a seat controversy when the Counselors tried to move on the Elders long time spot, it was all business for the Elders. A higher than normal ASR compared to historical numbers could've been due to the absence of Fanch's second chair or the lack of bathroom breaks. 2-UNC will have to carry the day for them to have a chance as 4-Auburn looks to be the weakest of the four seeds. They'll need some higher seeded wins to be a factor. Sleeper: 8-Missouri. Steal: None.

Try and sit in my seat next year, fools!

Amigos (9-1, ASR 10.0). You already heard the stats surrounding a double digit ASR. After corralling two top seeds (on the same side of the bracket, nonetheless), the Amigos went quiet for about an hour (has to be a record). Go big or go home was the mantra for the Amigos on Wednesday night with 1-Virginia and 1-Xavier secured early on. Will need 4-Wichita State to win a couple games and the ones to run the table to win it all (that's the magic number of 13 wins). Sleeper: 14-Bucknell. Steal: None.

After landing the top seeds, it was siesta time for the Amigos.

Commish & Assoc (10-1, ASR 9.0). It was a rough night for the defending champ, too much hesitation and wanted sleepers slipping through his grasp all night. A couple 2-seeds in Purdue and Cincinnati will have to work both sides of the bracket for a chance to repeat. 5-Clemson and 10-seeds Oklahoma and Providence will need to steal wins to have a shot. Sleeper: 10-Providence. Steal: None.

Not that yellow jacket!

Good luck to all, first report on Friday night after the first round. The teams are posted and the results  will be updated nightly located in the upper right hand corner of the blog.