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.

Final Four Report: Commish clinches first-ever Calcutta title

Amherst, N.Y. -- I've waited 19 years to write that headline.

The drought is finally over. After 18 years of futility, the Commish & Associate finally will wear the Yellow Jacket and see "Team Commish" inscribed on the Chalise.

Tears of Joy at Team Commish Headquarters

A passionate 7-South Carolina squad survived a thrilling final two minutes against 4-Florida to put the 2017 Calcutta on ice for the ole Commish. With 12 wins heading into the Final Four and an automatic win in the Gonzaga-SC semifinal, it's all over except for deciding the national champ and the runner-up spots.

Not having to sweat out the 2-Kentucky game and the buzzer beater loss to the Catholic Boyz' 1-UNC Tar Heels, the Commish got their business done early on both Saturday and Sunday.  On Saturday, 1-Gonzaga showed why they deserved a one-seed by taking out a game Xavier team.

The Boyz will continue to march on with a chance for a sole shot at second place with a win over the Tax Slayers' 3-Oregon Ducks in the semifinal.

The Catholic Boyz Concession Speech did not go as planned.

A tough loss by 10-Xavier on Saturday night cost the Boyz a shot at a potential title and when So Carolina continued their winning ways on Sunday, it was time to throw in the white robe.

The Tax Slayers can still claim a tie for second/third with a sweep of the Final Four, the gutsy team from the PAC-12 is playing good ball right now and could catch UNC off guard in Phoenix.

A Slayers sweep would be mind-blowing

The Counselors early success puts them in the money, but they are sitting on the sidelines rooting for an Oregon loss in the national championship for their best case scenario.

After Black Friday, it's been wait-and-see for the Counselors

Here are the scenarios:

Scenario #1: If North Carolina beats Gonzaga
Commish 1,000
Catholic Boyz 700
Counselors 300

Scenario #2: If North Carolina beats South Carolina
Commish 1,000
Catholic Boyz 700
Counselors 300

Scenario #3: If Oregon beats Gonzaga
Commish 1,000
Tax Slayers 467 
Counselors 267
Catholic Boyz 267

Scenario #4: If Oregon beats South Carolina
Commish 1,000
Tax Slayers 467 
Counselors 267
Catholic Boyz 267

Scenario #5: If Gonzaga beats North Carolina
Commish 1,200
Catholic Boyz 500
Counselors 300

Scenario #6: If Gonzaga beats Oregon
Commish 1,200
Catholic Boyz 400
Counselors 400

Scenario #7: If South Carolina beats North Carolina
Commish 1,200
Catholic Boyz 500
Counselors 300

Scenario #8: If South Carolina beats Oregon
Commish 1,200
Catholic Boyz 400
Counselors 400

Scene in my living room after the SC game

Elite Eight Report: Counselors suffer "Black Friday" collapse

Amherst, N.Y. - The Elite Eight is set and the morning line favorites have run their course. They still sit atop the perch, but a late night three-jack by 3-Florida, added to their three-team collapse in the Sweet Sixteen. With visions of record book glory going out the window in double-digit losses by 3-Baylor and 4-Butler, The Counselors will sit back and root for Kansas to defeat Florida in Phoenix, to hold onto third-place finish.

For the Commish and Associate, it's been a Cinderella Story, led by the charging Gamecocks of 7-South Carolina. Big matchups with the Catholic Boys loom over the weekend, that will vault one of these two teams in front of the Counselors. Ironically, each team has a 1-seed and the UNC-Kentucky game could be the game that determines the owner of this year's Yellow Jacket. Team Commish sends three teams to the Elite Eight for the first time in Calcutta history and today's Zaga-Xavier battle will either vault them to the lead or create a three-way tie atop the standings.

It's been a Cinderella Story so far for the Commish.

The Catholic Boyz enter the Elite Eight with 1-UNC and 10-Xavier in position to capture their first title since 2009 and outright since 2006. Fueled by a nice run by the surprising X-men from Cincinnati, a win over the Zags could be the icing on the cake.  The Boyz strut into the Elite Eight with a quiet confidence shown best by George's father looking to tar and feather the Commish and bring home the Chalise (sic).

Tar Heels and Musketeers 

The Tax Slayers took it on the chin in a very entertaining 3-UCLA-Kentucky game Friday night, but the wizards from Westwood ran out of gas and succumbed to late game Ball-hogging. The remain in the hunt for National Champion and a piece of the exotics with 3-Oregon, but a big battle with the team that has looked the best so far in the tournament, Kansas, is on the horizon.

The Slayers need help, but survive and advance is the name of the game.

The Elders just won't die. 4-Florida evaded a late game collapse to knock the Counselors out of the '17 Calcutta and will need to reach the Final Four for a chance at cashing. The GIF below could have easily been Jason from Friday the 13th, but we settled on Monty Python.



The Bunch sit at five wins with 1-Kansas and can only max out at eight, tops. So the Chieftans are out of the money in this year's Calcutta, but for the National Champ prize, which they have claimed four times over the years, the last in 2014. They get to play spoiler the rest of the way and will have more than one Calcutta squad rooting them on in Elite Eight, and possibly the Final Four.

One more look at last night's buzzer beater....

Good luck and Final Four report on Sunday night.

¡Adios Amigos!

BREAKING Amherst, N.Y.- Upset City in San Jose, as the Catholic Boyz (11-Xavier) claim a tie for second-place with the Commish (1-Gonzaga) at 8 wins and start breathing down the necks of the Counselors.

As it is with tradition, the ¡Amigos! have left the building with losses by 2-Arizona and 7-Michigan, so without further adieu.....

 

Things are starting to get interesting in Calcutta land with some big tilts tonight between UCLA-Kentucky (Pickem), UNC (-7.5)-Butler, Baylor(-3.5)-So Carolina and Wisconsin-Florida (-1.5).  All three remaining teams for the Counselors will be in action, favored in one of the three (Baylor).

The Slayers could sweep all three of their games and the Commish will have to go back in the record books to see what the record is for Sweet Sixteen wins, which is currently undocumented.

Good luck, all. Here's a little Jim Reeves to wish our good friends the two-time champion ¡Amigos! a good night.....until next year.

via GIPHY

Counselors sprint out to early Calcutta lead

The Counselors having the traditional first round Red Auerbach stogie

Amherst, N.Y. -- The Counselors waltzed through the first round capturing six big wins to sit atop the leaderboard heading into the tournament's first weekend. As expected, with the low Average Seed Rating, the morning line favorites jumped right out on Thursday, running the table in all four games.

Led by 3-seeds Florida State and Baylor, 4-seeds West Virginia and Butler, the barristers held serve with all six of their higher seeded squads. Helping themselves to some home cooking, by winning two games in the Buffalo region (WVU and Wisconsin), the Counselors sit pretty with hopes of hitting double digits after the first two rounds.

Freddie's Gang

The Catholic Boyz put together a 3-win streak and are right in the thick of things once again after a crafty draft. Riding upsets by 11-Southern Cal and 10-Xavier, the Boyz of the cloth are once again a threat to win the Calcutta for the first time since 2009. With big dog 1-North Carolina taking care of business, the Catholic Boyz on St. Patrick's weekend is the hunch play in Vegas.

The Elders laughed all the way up the leaderboard

After openly questioning the morning line, the Elders shrugged off the odds snub and reeled off five wins over the first round to tie the Catholics one game back of the Counselors. 2-Louisville led the charge for the Elders and after a couple scary moments in the 5-Notre Dame game, the old guys sit right in the thick of things once again.

It was a streaky two days for the Amigos

The Amigos started on a 4-0 tear heading into the Seton Hall-Arkansas game, and after some unfortunate Pirate turnovers, the skid started. After the Hall went down, SMU and Marquette gagged both of their games and Northern Kentucky was overmatched against 2-Kentucky. They're not out of it by any stretch of the imagination with mighty 2-Arizona and red-hot 7-Michigan playing solid ball, but what could have been a 7-1 start, turned into a .500 record.

Well, well, look who's hanging around

For the first time in years, the Commish can sniff the leaders and sends four teams into the first weekend, including two big seeds. Two late night Friday wins over the Amigos (Kentucky, South Carolina) thrust him right into the hunt. How will the perennial bottom-dweller deal with the pressure of being in a Calcutta race? A big 12-Middle Tennessee State win over Minnesota set the stage for potential bigger things to come. Is this the year?

Breathe, Chief, Breathe

The Bunch are still hanging in there with their two kingpins 1-Villanova and 1-Kansas. An upset win by 11-Rhode Island helped the cause, but they will have no time to catch their breath, as a run of the table will be required to keep up with the deep teams on the top of the leaderboard.

UCLA held off a game Kent State for the Slayers

The Tax Slayers toughed it out through the first two days with three wins coming from 3-UCLA, 3-Oregon and 4-Purdue. The road will start getting rougher for the Slayers, but if they send three teams into the Sweet Sixteen, you can't count them out.

She's warming up for the Win-Docs

It was an abysmal performance by the Win-Docs over the first two days of the tourney. Nothing went right for the defending champs and it looks like a Duke run will be the only thing keeping the fat lady quiet. St. Mary's as your wing man, just isn't going to get 'er done. Thanks for coming.

Next report on Sunday night/Monday morning. Enjoy the games over the weekend.

Final Four Report: Docs Clinch Tie, Commish Closing Late

Fat lady is humming

Amherst, N.Y. -- The Win-Doctors (11 points) clinched a tie for the overall title, capturing their fifth title, they'll attempt to win it outright for the fourth time with either a Villanova or North Carolina win on Saturday in the Final Four. The Docs' title run was aided by an impressive performance by Villanova on Saturday night taking down the overall No. 1 seed, Kansas sending the Bunch to the sidelines.

The Commish (8 points) is at the quarter pole and is making a late closing move, taking two teams to the Final Four and moving to the outside eyeing the three teams in front of him. Riding a wave of Orange and Maroon, Team Commish will need another upset of a #1 seed to even sniff a first ever Calcutta title. The Catholic Boyz (9 points) clinched a tie for at least third after a record-breaking first round.

The Counselors (9 points) Billy Ball strategy flamed out in the Elite Eight when 6-Notre Dame was ousted by the Tar Heels, leaving them saddled in a tie with the Catholic Boyz and rooting against the Commish on the weekend to maintain the currrent second-place status.

The Tax Men have the lowest seed remaining in the tournament and prohibitive favorite to win it all in Carolina.

And with the big 10-Syracuse, upset...it's that time of the year that we inevitably get to, albeit rather later than usual this year.......

Adios Amigos

So here's what we have and the eight possible national championship scenarios starting with the favorites and working down to the underdog:

Scenario #1: If North Carolina beats Villanova
Win-Docs 1000
Catholic Boyz 400
Counselors 400
Tax Men 200

Scenario #2: If North Carolina beats Oklahoma
Win-Docs 1000
Catholic Boyz 267
Counselors 267
Commish 266
Tax Men 200

Scenario #3: If Villanova beats North Carolina
Win-Docs 1,200
Catholic Boyz 400
Counselors 400

Scenario #4: If Villanova beats Syracuse
Win-Docs 1,200
Catholic Boyz 267
Counselors 267
Commish 266

Scenario #5: If Oklahoma beats North Carolina
Win-Docs 1,000
Commish 700
Catholic Boys 150
Counselors 150

Scenario #6: If Oklahoma beats Syracuse
Commish 950
Win-Docs 750
Catholic Boys 150
Counselors 150

Scenario #7: If Syracuse beats Villanova
Win Docs 1,000
Commish 466
Catholic Boyz 267
Counselors 267

Scenario #8: If Syracuse beats Oklahoma
Commish 950
Win-Docs 750
Catholic Boys 150
Counselors 150

There you have it...it's still up in the air, and up to five teams can cash going into the Final Four.

Good luck!

Elite Eight Report: Calcutta Tightens Up

The Counselors are making a strong run at the 2012 Calcutta title and with an early morning victory by 2-Kansas over The Commish's 11-NC State.  They've pulled even with the front running Catholic Boyz with 10 wins apiece heading into Elite Eight weekend.

The Counselors send two teams into the Elite Eight, hoping for an upset by 7-Florida in the West Region on Saturday.

The Commish had a see-saw night that saw 1-North Carolina barely survive with an elimination win over The Bunch's game 13-Ohio Bobcats in overtime. A NC State victory would have put them in excellent shape, although they still control their own destiny. A 1-Syracuse win today would stagnate the Boyz at 10 and a huge matchup with the Counselors looms on Sunday between esteemed programs Kansas and UNC.  A sweep of the weekend puts the Commish in the catbird seat with 11 wins, but easier said than done.

The Boyz, after a torrid start have faded in the stretch going 3-6 since their first round record setting 7-1 performance.  Their hopes are squarely pinned on 2-The Ohio State University. They can keep pace with the Counselors with a win over the Cuse tonight and severely hamper the Commish's chances at glory for the first time.

The Tax Men and Tres Amigos stayed alive with wins by 4-Louisville and 3-Baylor, respectively, and still have a shot at running the table and finishing with 9 wins that could catch a piece of the exotics.  The Hi-liters run into a tough 1-Kentucky squad that kept the Win-Docs out the basement.  The Tax Guys can cause all kinds of trouble for the teams at the top with a win over Florida today and should be favored in doing so in a game that features a coaching matchup between former coach (Pitino) and former player (Donovan) who played in the 1987 Final Four for Providence.

The Win-Docs avoided a last place finish winning an elimination game with the Elders' remaining squad, 4-Indiana. With only 5 wins to date, the best they can finish with is 8 with an outside chance at a tie for third.

Things should start falling in place by Sunday night and some huge Final Four matchups on the right side of the bracket are imminent and should decide the Calcutta.

Enjoy and good luck.

The Commish