2017 Calcutta Kicks off with a Bang

Amherst, N.Y. - As the snow from an angry Stella dumped on the Western New York region, there was plenty of twists and turns in a lightning-fast round of auction bidding at Calcutta headquarters Tuesday night in Amherst. The night kicked off with a celebration of the Yellow Jacket donned by the Win-Doctors for winning the 2016 title. The Tax Men's Jon Pellish, the 2015 champion, did the honors in passing the torch to the Win-Doctors, who won their fifth Yellow Jacket in the storied history of the Calcutta. Last year's Calcutta also featured a record-tying first round by the Catholic Boyz, tying their own record of 7 wins (2012) and of the Bunch (2002).

After the ceremony, the bidding started hot and heavy with some No. 1 seeds being thrown to the wolves right off the bat. Let's get right to business and the setting of the 2017 morning line....

The Counselors will ride their low seeds early on.

The morning line favorite this year goes to The Counselors (3-1), in one of the more competitive Calcuttas in recent years. The legal beagles quietly landed two #3 and #4 seeds, that if played out correctly gives them 8 wins out of the box with two squads. Add wins by 6-Cincinnati and 8-Wisconsin in the first round and they will have a solid opening weekend start if form holds. As we all know, the NCAA tournament isn't always formful.  But with the lowest ASR (7.3) in the Calcutta, the 2017 Calcutta goes through the court room.

Scotty brought his secret weapon and he was gunning all night long.

The Amigos (4-1) garner the second favorite role with some very good teams playing good ball at the right time. Pac-10 tourney champ 2-Arizona could get through a fairly weak West Region and solid mid-seeds 5-Iowa State and 6-SMU could do some early damage. With an ASR of 7.8, they are poised to win some early and hang late with the Wildcats. Dangerous. Sleeper Pick: Seton Hall.

Freddie was working the table early in the Calcutta.

The Catholic Boyz (5-1) are co-third favorite with perennial contender The Bunch of Chieftans (5-1) getting anointed with the same odds. The Boyz went right to work early in the 'Cutta grabbing big-time contender 1-North Carolina. Other solid selections of 5-Virginia (dangerous defensive ball club), underseeded 10-Wichita State and 11-Xavier. If they nail a couple upsets, look out for the boys in cloth.

It was go big or go home for the Bunch.

The Chieftans went full mojo top-seeds, with 1-Nova and 1-Kansas in opposite brackets. A strategy that can be feast or famine and requires a low seed or two to spring an upset to Make it happen. That's why the morning line is middle of the road, because this one could be fabulous or roadkill. I really like 11-Rhode Island to spring the upset, but with four seeds over 13, this team will lean heavily on its big name talent. If 13-Winthrop wins a game, it will be the steal of the Calcutta.

The Elders (6-1) were true to form, hoarding dollars and looking for value. The only slip up was overpaying for 5-Notre Dame, but a relentless Calcutta group wouldn't let them off the hook driving up the Irish's price. They could make a run, but a big Buffalo matchup with West Virginia looms. It's not surprising they sit with the second-lowest ASR with 7.6, only bested by the morning line favorites. Lowest seeds are 2-Louisville and 4-Florida so will need the Irish, Maryland and Arkansas to win games to stay in the hunt. Looking for their first title since 2011 and sole championship since 2005.

The Slayers are all in on the PAC-10 says Jon "Malkovich" Pellish

The Tax Slayers (yeah, I'm changing their name, we haven't had a good name change in a few years) come in at 7-1 on the morning line with a heavy 8.6 ASR. They love the PAC-10 with 3-seeds UCLA and Oregon on the right side of the bracket. Super guard play by 4-Purdue and solid high seeds that could sneak a game in 9-Vanderbilt and 10-VCU in a soft West region could put the Slayers on the map. Sleeper Pick: 9-Vandy

Here we go again.

The Bills drought is 17 years, the Commish's drought is 17 years. Do I need to go on? Shifting Calcutta duties to stellar teammate and associate, was the game plan. Similar to the Bunch, the Commish & Associate (10-1) went big with 1-Gonzaga and 2-Kentucky. Will need help from Old Rocky Top with 13-ETSU and 12-MTSU  and a win or two from 7-South Carolina to make any noise. A horrid ASR of 9.6 could spell doom for the Commish and year 18 of the drought.

That moment Geno made you the longshot....

The defending champion Win-Docs (12-1) are your longshot play of the day for this year's Calcutta. An ASR of 9.5, only better than the lowly Commish. Don't count them out for having the national champion (the Docs have had an amazing six of the last nine National Champs on their roster. So go to the bank with 2-Duke. Will need 7-seeds Dayton and St. Mary's to win a game and they're definitely counting on the 5-12 upset, with three 12 seeds (UNCW, Nevada and Princeton).  Still have to be respected.  Looking to tie the Bunch with a sixth title.

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.

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.

Final Four Report: Tax Men lead Elders and Win-Docs heading to Indy

Amherst, N.Y. -- The Tax Men, behind Frank the Tank and the West Regional's top-seeded Wisconsin Badgers maintained its Calcutta lead heading to the Final Four at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

The race is down to three teams, all who will cash in this year's Calcutta. The Tax Men (12 wins) have a slight lead over the Elders (11 wins) who rode the Michigan State Spartans into the Final Four with hopes of overtaking the front-runners. The Win-Docs (10 points) loom in third and can only tie for the title, and can do so via a Duke national championship over Kentucky.

Let's breakdown the scenarios from the most likely to the least likely based on Vegas and the likely favorites:

Scenario 1:
Kentucky and Duke advance to the title and Kentucky wins:
Tax Men (12)
Win-Docs (11)
Elders (11)

Scenario 2:
Kentucky and Duke advance and Duke wins:
Tax Men (12)
Win-Docs (12)
Elders (11)

Scenario 3:
Kentucky and Michigan State advance, and Kentucky wins:
Tax Men (12)
Elders (12)
Win-Docs (10)

Scenario 4:
Kentucky and Michigan State advance, and Michigan State wins
Elders (13)
Tax Men (12)
Win-Docs (10)

Scenario 5:
Wisconsin and Duke advance, and Wisconsin wins:
Tax Men (14)
Elders (11)
Win-Docs (11)

Scenario 6:
Wisconsin and Duke advance, and Duke wins:
Tax Men (13)
Win-Docs (12)
Elders (11)

Scenario 7:
Wisconsin and Michigan State advance, and Wisconsin wins:
Tax Men (14)
Elders (12)
Win-Docs (10)

Scenario 8:
Wisconsin and Michigan State advance, and Michigan State wins:
Tax Men (13)
Elders (13)
Win-Docs (10)

So basically the Tax Men can claim (4 scenarios) or tie for (3 scenarios) a Calcutta title in all but one scenario (a Michigan State title win over Kentucky), so they're looking pretty good heading into Indy, but congrats to all three teams for having a shot at the title on the final weekend and good luck.

Elite Eight Report: Tax Men vault to catbird seat in '15 Calcutta

Amherst, N.Y. (Reuters) -- The Tax Men surged to the top of the 2015 Calcutta behind top-seeded Wisconsin and fourth-seeded Louisville with 11 wins through the Sweet Sixteen. They are seeking their first Calcutta Chalise (sic) since the 2004 tourney, trying to put the 10-year drought to bed. They shared that 2004 title with the Bunch and the way this one is going, they may not be caught. Time to light up.

The tourney has been rather formful so far with three of four top-seeds still alive heading into the weekend. We lost our first team of the Calcutta on Friday night when Oklahoma went down in the late game at the Dome, sending the defending champs packing. Thanks for coming!

Saturday's match-ups focuses mostly on those teams still hoping to cash a tourney-winner check with only the Tax Men's Badgers involved out of the top three teams. Here's a preview of the Saturday tilts:

1-Wisconsin (Tax Men) v. 2-Arizona (Catholic Boyz)
1-Kentucky (Amigos) v. 3-Notre Dame (Commish)

Chasing the Tax Men are the usual suspects, the Elders Statesmen (10 pts) and Win-Docs (9 pts), both with three Calcutta belts on their mantles. They both are in position to hit the board heading into the Elite Eight games. A big Sunday match-up in Syracuse between the top two teams could go a long way in deciding this year's champion.

The Win-Docs, with a little help, could sweep its remaining games and still grab a piece of the crown. Dr. Mark's draft skillz were like....

The Counselors still are alive to capture a placing should the Zags run the table, but will have a tough matchup with the Win-Docs and Coach K in Houston on Sunday. But that Mark Few sure knows how to coach...

Johnny don't like to lose

All of the record books appear safe, a 16-win mark by the Tax Men would require a Wisconsin-Louisville title match and Big Blue Nation is probably standing in front of that possibility.

The Sunday games look this way:

1-Duke (Win-Docs) v. 2-Gonzaga (Counselors)
4-Louisville (Tax Men) v. Michigan State (Elders)

Good luck in the Elite Eight....Final Four report on Monday morning.

Tax Men, Elders race to lead heading into Round of 32

Don't worry about me, nothing to see here.

AMHERST, NY (AP) -- The Tax Men stormed into the Round of 32 validating their favorites role by chalking up four wins on day two of the opening round. With Louisville and Maryland both holding off upset bids by lower-seeded squads, the Tax Guys roared into the next round with six teams still standing. Anchored by top-seeded Wisconsin in the West, this team came with its pencil sharpened.

As George W. would say, when you imply your strategery, good things can happen. The Elder Statesmen stuck to the program and their bidding ways of old to rack up early wins and with some 8-9 magic in NC State and San Diego State, they tied the Tax Guys. Problem is they only have one higher seeded team going into the weekend and will face two No. 1 seeds, two No. 2 seeds and a No. 3 seed (Notre Dame, haha) to survive with any gunpowder.  Fanch's teammate, however, was celebrating the late night San Diego St. win....

Looming large in third place and stalking the leaders is the ever-present Counselors. They quietly churned five victories in the opening round boosted by upset winners Dayton and UAB. Their anchor teams, Arizona and Gonzaga made quick work of their opponents and this team should be hanging around to catch at a minimum a piece of the trifecta. The Counselors were all about being in unison at the draft and you can see by their late night celebration, they have come to play....

 Sitting in fourth are the mighty Win-Docs, the mighty, mighty Win-Docs with your ho-hum four wins over the first round. All the marbles are on Coach K, and moving into the Round of 32 with four teams is big, but will need an upset win out of lower seeds over the weekend to even sniff the top spot.



Tied for sixth are the 2013 champion Amigos and yours truly, who's tournament ended on Thursday for the 17th straight year when Iowa State suddenly forgot how to shoot. The Commish will need Northern Iowa and the Ohio State University to dot their I's in order to crack the money. For the Amigos who stormed out on Thursday like a lion, they went out like a lamb on Friday, losing every contest. Some backroom smack-talk was being had behind the scenes and one team who will not be named (let's call him Voldemort) posted this picture next to the water cooler on Thursday morning...

 Rounding out the basement (check the morning line odds) is the Catholic Boyz who have two teams, albeit a #1 and a #2 remaining. They max out at 11 wins if we get a Arizona-Nova final. Not saying their done, but....

 

 Enjoy the round of 32.

2015 Calcutta Kicks Off: Tax Men installed as chalk at 3-1

AMHERST, NY (Reuters) - The 17th annual Calcutta kicked off in fine fashion with a record-breaking bid on No. 1 seed Kentucky by the Amigos. The Tax Men were installed as the 3-1 favorite as the morning line was released several hours after the conclusion of this year's draw.

In one of the more interesting drafts in recent memory, half the field took the mid-level selections approach and the other four went with "go big or go home." At evening's end, half the field's ASR (Average Seed Rating) was below the mid-point of eight and the other half well over that total.

Looking back on the past 16 years, the average winning score for the winner is 12.5 wins. If you scored at least 12 in the last 16 years, you would have won nine of the contests in that span. So in establishing the morning line I judged the difficulty in arriving at 12 wins based on the seedings and the possibilities in hitting double figures.

Early on in the proceedings, the famed Yellow Jacket was presented to the Bunch of Chieftans by the Amigos (2013 champion) after their record sixth title with a record-breaking 16 wins in last year's bloodbath of a Calcutta. Based on draft night, this year's Calcutta looks to be wide-open with more than half of the field with a fighting chance to bring home the Chalise (sic) in 2015.

Without further adieu, let's get to what you've been waiting for....the morning line odds and commentary.....with the Tax Men leading the way.


Capsule: Tax Men (3-1)
ASR: 7.3 
Highest seed: 1-Wisconsin 
Sleeper: 5-Utah

Installed as this year's jinx chalk by yours truly, this squad did its homework and while I was looking over my shoulder I noted how every team had been handicapped pre-Calcutta ala Jimmy the Greek. They emerged with the second lowest ASR (you can never top the Elders) and a solid No. 1 seed in Wisconsin. A couple wins by No.4 seeds Maryland and Louisville and if they hold serve alone, they'll head into the Final Four with Wiscy and 10 wins. That makes them the fav.

So it went to 50, 51, 52, 52, 53, 54, really, 55, 56, 57, 58!!!!!



You have to give the Amigos credit, they definitely bid high and bid hard at last night's Cutta.

Capsule: Dos Amigos (4-1) 
ASR: 8.9 
Highest Seed: 1-Kentucky
Sleeper: 10-Davidson

The Amigos have hitched their wagon to Coach Cal and the one-and-dones in this year's contest. They have a great shot at the 200 beans and six wins right off the get-go. But the rest of the squad has some work to do. They have the big dog so they get some love on the morning line and with old Big East pals G-town and Providence could scrap a couple wins each, they could head into the final weeks threatening to steal a chaotic Calcutta if parity starts to show its ugly head.

Next up is the defending champs, who you can never count out and tonight's jacket ceremony brought a tear to my eye...



Yeah, that's so inappropriate...but sue me.

Capsule: Bunch (6-1)
ASR: 7.4
Highest seed: 2-Kansas
Sleeper: 11-Ole Miss

The Bunch after letting young buck Wagner carry the flag at last year's draft, went back to Old Faithful and the Chief for it's bidding pleasure. Always a treat to watch under pressure, that old Bona grad welded his way through this year's draft with extreme precision. Going with sentimental selection UB (called for the first time in 17 years) and staying the course with mid-level seeds and no pick under a 12-seed, they are more than dangerous to repeat. With Kansas and Oklahoma both threats to go on a run and a solid Tar Heel squad, this team is poised to keep inking the record books with their logo.

Trying to break out of a major Calcutta slump and with its main spokesmen out putting out PR fires, the Win-Docs will try to return to its winning ways in 2015. The good doctor made a solid showing as the front man and this squad hopes to threaten the upper echelon and seek their fifth title.

You're damn right I ordered the Code Red

Capsule: Win-Docs (7-1)
ASR: 7.1
Highest Seed: 1-Duke
Sleeper: 6-Xavier

I played a 3-team parlay in January and made the mistake of playing against Xavier at home against the nationally ranked Butler Bulldogs. They waxed them thoroughly and I've had my eye on the Musketeers since. I hate Duke. There I said it. The good doctors needs some mid-seed wins/upsets out of West Virgins, VCU, Georgia and Indiana to go anywhere. Duke will likely carry them into the later rounds, but the second round will determine this team's fate.

The Elders were missing half of its element and strategic thinker at last night's draft, but Fanch stuck to the program they've followed for 17 years which has put them on the right side of the ledger more than not.

Capsule: Elder Statesmen (8-1) 
ASR: 7.1 
Highest Seed: 3-Baylor 
Sleeper: 7-Wichita State

Fanch stuck to his guns (and his money) most of the evening, but emerged as usual with the lowest ASR in the land (7.1). The problem is those 7 and 8 seeds (there's four of them on the roster) have to tee up the #1 and #2 seeds in the second round. Good chance to set the first round record of seven wins, but it may be difficult hitting double figures with the big guns that they'll be facing over the weekend.

The most entertaining squad of the night was the Counselors who were all over the place in their bidding, but who am I to criticize a team that has enjoyed some success as of late, finishing second last year and winning the Chalise in 2012.

 

Capsule: Counselors (10-1) 
ASR: 9.6
Highest Seed: 2-Virginia, 2-Gonzaga
Sleeper: 11-Texas (they'll tell you its 8-Oregon)

The Counselors went hard with two No. 2 seeds on the right side of the bracket, looking to avoid the Big Blue Nation (#BBN) until the championship game. Villanova and Duke are probably the more vulnerable No. 1s of the four, so their strategy, while unrefined may come to fruition. And no Ryan Fitzpatrick (14-Harvard) is not walking through that door. The Longhorns could be a dangerous 11, if there coach stays out of the way. Dangerous, possible long shot play.

Another year, another rough performance by the Commish. Will the drought ever end? It's not easy being the Commish...ask this guy.



Capsule: Commish & Associate (15-1)
ASR: A whopping 10.3
Highest seed: 3-Notre Dame, 3-Iowa State
Sleeper: 13-Valpo

The Commish was focused on one thing tonight and that was not being outbid (or moving things along, not sure which). Success obtained. For 7-of-8 bids made, they were done in one selection without a counterbid When that happens you end up with three 16-seeds and I know that's never happened. Riding three ponies and hoping the I-States, Indiana (Notre Dame and Valpo) and Iowa (Northern Iowa and Iowa State) come through. There' no I in lost cause.

Well if Freddie gave the Catholic Boyz instructions to grab the Catholic teams he done good with St. John's and Villanova part of the mix.



Capsule: The Catholic Boyz (20-1) 
ASR: 9.9 
Highest Seed: 1-Villanova 
Sleeper: 12-Wofford

Ok, so they have two highly seeded teams. No one else is seeded higher in the opening round. So if they hold serve, unless they hit a homerun with Nova and Zona, they are looking at 11 wins max, that 1.5 under the average champ and all has to go right. Sorry, not buying it. Now I just have to finish ahead of them to not eat crow.

Well gang, it was a fun draft night and as always they still have to play the games, so good luck and we'll have an opening round recap on Saturday morning. I'll try and keep up the results in the upper right corner of the right margin at the end of each evening.

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.

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....