A Real Barn Burner!
What a second half! Seems like Houston won the game everywhere but the scoreboard. But a scrappy Gator team hung around long enough to come out on top. We really wanted to see the Houston coach get the win…what a great guy! And how heartbroken is the young man for Houston who went up for the final shot and came down unable to grab the ball???
It looks like we’ve got a tie between Scott and the Commish.
The brackets have been handed over to KPMG who will be crunching numbers overnight to ensure we arrive at a sound final Decision.
All procedural questions and any protests will be handled by the law firm of Dewey, Cheatham & Howe who has informed us that any protests must be lodged via certified mail no later than 11:45 pm EST April 7, 2025.
Stay tuned as we announce the winner of the 2025 Ritchie Family Bracketology Classic tomorrow morning.
Final Four, Finally!
Wow! How about that Houston/Duke game? Houston erased a 14-point defecit in the final eight minutes of the game to post a 70 – 67 win over the Blue Devils. Something about Houston’s killer instinct was revealed, albeit subtly, during the post-game interviews. Just after the Houston coach said, “we didn’t go 34-4 in the Toy Poodle League”, I noticed that one of the starters for Houston had an interesting tattoo. Did anyone else see it? it was A PILE OF SKULLS! Just guessing that Cooper Flagg wasn’t sporting a similarly deadly motif with his ink. Holy Cow!
And a big hat tip to Barb! The Ritchie Family Bracket continues to show glimpses of perfection.
And sometime – either during or shortly after the game, I can’t remember – last night, we received our first protest. In clear and sober tones, Rusty informed me that HE’S PROTESTING THE OUTCOME! There you have it…the Commish has been called out to adjudicate a very legitimate claim. Stay tuned.
Given that the next game is worth six points it looks like we could be forced to pull out the Ouija Board to figure out who wins this thing!
However this thing ends up, Florida v Houston should be a doozy!
Emil Schaffhaussen. Calling Dr. Emil Schaffhaussen.
If you’ve ever seen the movie Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, I’ll bet you’re laughing, even if you’re bracket is Steve Martin. That was maybe the funniest scene in one of the funniest movies ever. If you haven’t seen it, here’s a link to the above clip. Trust me, it’s worth a look.
The movie is a remake. Can’t remember the name of the original, but it starred David Niven and…Marlon Brando!
Updates on the way.
First Time Since 2008!
…that all four top seeds have made it to the Final Four. If this holds up, Auburn should be our winner. If that turns out to be the case, there will be joy in your humble scribe’s household. (I’ll leave you guessing as to who actually brings the joy, because we have different winners.)
How many times has the overall #1 Seed won the Tourney? 25 times. Stay tuned ladies and gentlemen because it ain’t over until the nets are cut down.
I guess from a gambling perspective, this hasn’t been the most exciting Tourney ever. However, I haven’t done a bracket in a while and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed watching the games. Shelley and I watched the Houston/Tennessee game with several friends, one of whom had on garish Tennessee creme-sickle (sp?) orange pants. She’s an alum, so that’s almost forgivable. She “had” to leave at halftime.
The new standings have been calculated and posted. I’m not going to do the math, but let’s just say that The Ritchie Family Bracketology may not be a lock for Scott. Especially with three of his picks being reviewed by the Commissioner!
What was all that nonsense about SOFR? Frank and I used to go around and around about how to calculate interest on pool funds that were in escrow. We finally decided on LIBOR. God only knows why. However, LIBOR was put out to pasture in 2023!
Again, I feel it’s almost certain that it’s 50-50 for anything to come of this bracket review.
In the moderate to severely unlikely event that it does, all funds at issue will be placed in escrow at an appropriate institution, to be determined at the sole discretion of the Commissioner. Upon such placement, interest will be calculated using SOFR as calculated by the United States Federal Reserve Bank and as published in the Wall Street Journal.
In the persistently unlikely event that the bracket at issue is found to have been subject to disqualifying actions, the total interest calculated commencing upon the initiation of the disqualifying action and running until one business day after said disqualifying action has been fairly “adjudicated” and said “adjudication” has been published in the Ty Ty (Georgia) Business Journal, shall be added to the ultimate payout.
Good to have that cleared up, no let’s play some hoops!
It's Probably Nothing
No matter who you’re rooting for, it’s refreshing to see so much good sportsmanship on display during the Tourney. Shelley and I were really impressed with how the players and coaches handled themselves after the Michigan State/Ole Miss game yesterday.
It all comes down to fairness…even handedness…keeping an open mind… Essentially it’s just a commitment to fair play.
This morning I was tallying the standings when something caught my eye on Scott’s bracket. I wasn’t sure what it was…if indeed, it was anything at all!
Each of the teams circled above somehow looked a little, I don’t know, funny, I guess. As some of you may know, my eyesight is a little less than perfect, so I asked a friend of mine to take a look at the circled selections.
FULL DISCLOSURE: That’s Scott’s bracket above. I redacted his picks in order to keep things interesting for the rest of us, and to make our non-biased and even handed approach to this (potentially devastating) issue perfectly clear.
Anyway, my friend put the bracket under a scanning electron microscope and below are the results.
Now you can see my concern. It’s almost jumps off the bracket. Picks which at first glance seem pretty straightforward, are actually very blurry when you just look at them a bit more closely.
Anyway, with the commanding lead Scott has, his bracket probably doesn’t even need Auburn, Florida and Houston (who may have been picked to lose to Georgia based on this look).
More importantly, it’s probably nothing at all. Just a minor glitch that will all come out in the wash.
And Suddenly Things Became Clear
The standings have been updated. Look and behold the perfect bracket! That’s right, Scott has 8 teams left…in the Great 8! Well done!
While there really haven’t been many upsets, there were some interesting moments in the Sweet 16.
Auburn and Michigan mistakenly thought the team with the most turnovers got the win. Once disabused of this idea, The Plainsmen showed us exactly why they’re the #1 seed overall and buried the Wolverines in the second half.
Many thanks to Michigan State for preventing the extreme congnitive dissonance that would have accompanied the statement, “…and Ole Miss has made it to the Elite 8.”
For all the jokesters in the crowd there’s still hope. It would wreck pretty much everyone’s bracket but it’s still possible that the NCAA Men’s Division One Basketball Championship game could be…wait for it…THE IRON BOWL! God help us all.
There’s nothing left to do but sit back and enjoy a weekend that promises to offer up some great games!
We Weren't Informed
Unbeknownst to me, the Cincinnati Reds Opening Day was scheduled on the same day as the first round of Sweet 16 games. So when the Brothers Wilkinson invited me to Opening Day, I went. It’s possible that I was overserved; a possibility reinforced by a degree of uncertainty surrounding whether and how the Reds lost.
We’ve got some catching up to do, so let’s get to it.
Every group has one.
For years, a friend of mine would start with the Bearcats winning it all and work backward from there. The fact that the drink of choice for the Bearcats coaching staff was rumored to be red wine not Gatorade wasn’t part of his analysis. His bracket was some sort of personal loyalty test/suicide pact that never quite worked out.
Probably everyone favors “their” school now and then. We certainly did. Georgia, Colorado State and Iowa State got a little more love from the Ritchies than they deserved.
My friend could’ve learned a lot from Paige.
She did Kamikaze the right way. There are hearts, stars and happy cheers on her bracket near the Rams. I really did LOL when I saw it. And who did the Rams sqare off against in the Final Four? That’s right – first round loser Louisville.
Who had the temerity to throw down with the Rams in the Final? The Cagin’ Cougars from SIU…EDWARDSVILLE, buddy, and don’t you forget it!
Having already taken down 1 seed Houston, 8 seed Gonzaga, 13 seed High Point (emphasis on high) and 10 seed Utah, the Fighting Cougars gave Duke short shrift before squaring off against the Rams in what was a truly titanic struggle…in one of the endless parallel universes mentioned earlier.
And why not? God knows she and Scott have more than earned the right to throw another five-spot at the boys from Fort Collins. If I told you that any more thought went into my bracket than Paige’s, I hope you know me well enough by now to know it would be entirely acceptable to LOL at that statement.
In this sad reality, the CSU Rams and the SIU-Edwardsville Cougars are watching from home along with the rest of us…but not in Paige’s world!
Frank In Action?
Shelley came across this earlier today, and is thinking #4 is Frank. Very timely if it is. The other team name seems to start with “Big”, but that doesn’t seem right. Any help?
Just occurred to me to add a comment section. Who knows, maybe it’ll even work!
No dice on the comments plugin. But if you know who this is, let Shelley or me know and I’ll share it on this post
New Standings Are Up
Well, that does it for the Fast & Furious rounds of the Tournament. The new standings are posted. More pithy commentary to follow, but now a brief walk down memory lane.
God as my witness, this is about the time when Frank would’ve showed up at the bakery, ear to ear grin in place, waving a bracket.
“This is one your mothah filled out Shell, but it fell down behind the table. I just found it when I was vacuuming.”
“Dad, you never run the vacuum, and you know that’s not allowed.”
The grin gets even wider, turns a little sheepish. He knows it’s a push, but what the heck, “Well, I know it’s not allowed if you do it to cheat. But your mothah accidentally held on to this one and asked me to bring it up here to you and Paul to make sure it gets entered”
The grin hasn’t slipped a bit. He’s actually laughing now. This is the single most fabricated document in history, and he would happily enter it if only Shelley would relent.
The remaining picks are perfect except for one loss that he thinks won’t have an impact on the outcome.
“Dad, this looks a lot like your handwriting.”
“I was just helping your mothah. She was reading them off to me.”
We’re all laughing now. Not a chance this gets by. I jump in.
“Come on, Sheff, what makes you think this isn’t real. I mean, your Dad just said it’s legit.”
It’s not much, but Frank moves to the light, “See Shell, my lawyer just said this bracket’s OK!”
“OK Dad, just leave it on the table. I’ll ask mom who she picked to win.”
“No need to bother your mothah Shell! I’ll just take this one with me, or maybe leave it with Paul just in case.”
And with that he was out the door, not wanting to slow down the wheels of production at Moondance!
Dammit we miss you Frank.
Michigan v. ND
I wish them both the best of luck.
In what is possibly the ultimate example of a game where it breaks your heart that both teams can’t lose, Michigan and Notre Dame are squaring off over in the Women’s Bracket.
Why be such a hater, you ask. Mostly it’s the endless, misplaced snobbery of Michigan and ND sports fans.
Exhibit A is both schools’ newly discovered love of NIL.
When they were struggling to attract top talent to dreary campuses packed with sports-hating nerds, they complained about their high admission standards keeping out good athletes. And they did so with a straight face.
When you ask them if they had low standards back when they used to win championships… they dissemble.
When you ask them why really good schools (like the Ivy League) just don’t bother with D1 athletics anymore…they mumble.
When you ask the good folks at Notre Dame how a school WITH A FRENCH NAME is the Fighting Irish…they laugh.
But now that the lunacy of NIL has green-lighted massive “donations” to the football and basketball programs, the deep pocketed temples of doom can’t wait to field the best teams money can buy. Will this finally make them acknowledge the fact that they ignore academic standards just as much as everyone else?
Yeah, right.
CAVEAT: Since reality is stranger than reality, I have to come clean and say that I know probably a dozen ND grads, a couple of whom played sports there. And they are ALL perfectly decent fans who match up with none of the standard BS referred to above. I know some Michigan grads too…
Do Voodoo Dolls Really Work?
I have no idea, but I doubt it very much. Anyway with six sawbucks riding on it, now might be the time to run a little test…before it’s too late.
There's a New Leader
And just like that, Scott plunges us back into sibling rivalry! Is it a two horse race? I don’t think so, but then again, I’m having a tough time tallying a small handful of brackets.
Johnny “Walnuts” Calipari takes the San Antonio Trophy with a solid thrashing (especially considering the rankings) of fellow paisano Richey “The Elf” Pitino. A great game and a bracket buster if ever there was one!
BYU over Wisconsin didn’t do many people favors either.
Psychology Today
As it turns out, not all bad habits are…bad, after all.
Laying around all day is lazy idleness? Not at all, it’s actually a great way to reduce the likelihood of future strokes. Burping in the car is a gross way to piss off Dad? Au Contraire, it’s a great way to relieve bloating and stomach cramps.
Similarly, wiling away the hours going over brackets and obscure college basketball stats may seem like a waste of time to you, but it’s actually a great way to build up a little nest egg. Check out the updated Standings!
"Shelley...Where's Scott's Bracket?"
Scott hid his bracket exactly where I asked them to be sent. I’ve had practice at this: mea culpa.
Little known fact about me: I dropped out of Bracketology 101 my Freshman year. The professor had it out for me, but the damage was done.
With that in mind, and understanding that we’ll bring out the big guns (aka Euclid, aka the Mouth of the South, aka Sheff, aka My Darling Wife, Shelley) to audit the pile of random papers on my desk, I recommend checking your bracket if something seems amiss.
Except Rusty. Neither R1 nor R2 appear to be eligibile for revision, even if mistakes were made and overlooked.
It's Not Over Yet For Will..Technically
I kid! I kid! Will’s bracket is set to do a 360 today!
Revised Standing are Posted!
The new standings are posted.
As in life, so in basketball. Loyalty pays off with big wins from Iowa State and Colorado State. Although it must’ve been a little easier for the Cyclones since they were playing an Intramural team from the local dental college.
She’s not on top overall, but a big HT to Helen for showing us what perfection, AND guessing, look like in the East! Keep it up.
UNC gets shown the door by Ole Miss…and it’s not a football game. So much for traditional powerhouses. Except maybe Duke.
What is Grand Canyon? When does Little Miami River get a team? Hey, it’s Joe Wheeler State Park v. Tate’s Hell Forest in the quarter finals! WOOP!
The Akron game wasn’t as close as the score indicates…It took a while for Michigan State to pull away from HVAC Tech (I don’t have the time, space or tact to go into Tom Izzo’s appearance)…Thank you Illinois for beating Xavier!
Helen is PERFECT in the East!
Shelley Got 14 Right Yesterday
If you’re reading this, go buy lottery tickets
Strong...Black...Coffee - Results Soon
The completed bracket is available in the Standings section.
This is somewhat surprising when you consider that Warren Zevon is playing on a loop, Shelley went to run errands and the house trolls replaced that black coffee with a Corona and the neighbors have hired a gang of itinerant carpenters to make noise…and possibly build a deck.
Hey, Did You Hear That?
No, it wasn’t Sherman marching to the sea. It was the mighty Colorado State Rams burning a path to the Finals!
And if you think it was an upset…well, you’d be wrong.
Now I know how the captain of the Titanic felt. I mean, he only overlooked one thing, but that’s all we remember him for!
My similarly outrageous oversight has been caught and corrected. So it is with a massive MEA CULPA that I direct everyone’s attention to the updated standings where you’ll find Barb and Deke within striking distance of the lead!
The raucous, Ritchie, round-ball, rumble just went to a whole new level with the addition of the elder statesman and woman of the clan. Sit back and enjoy the second part of Round One!
Some observations from Day 1
Shelley and I have a friend who believes (earnestly as far as we can tell) in countless parallel universes. I was talking to him a moment ago and he said that in none of them did Georgia beat Gonzaga. Hmmmm.
We all have games where you don’t want either team to lose. Maybe you like both teams or they’ve both covered a lot of ground to get where they are and it’s sad to see someone lose. On the other hand, I really wish there had been a way for Texas and Xavier to both lose their “First Four” play in game. For those of you not familiar with Xavier, their fan base makes Kentucky Basketball and Ohio State Football fans look like Emily Post. I take some solace in Texas having their heart torn out by Northern Iowa, but still…
The relentless pursuit of perfection! You may think this is a game, but the man in front most certainly does not. Keep it up Will!
We have a good friend who’s a Jayhawk, so it was sad to see them bounced. OTOH, it’s great to have a reason to practice my hog call. SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWEEEEE!
You can throw out the record books when it comes to the storied rivalry that is the home of the reacharound vs. the home of more Supreme Court Justices than any other school (almost). I’m talking of course about Texas A&M v. Yale. You’ll look far and wide before you find two schools so closely matched on and off the court!
Clempson’s loss was actually much worse than the final score. I guess the basketball team isn’t using the portal either.
Day Two is underway, so enough of my blather. So there’s only one question…You Feelin’ Lucky Punk?
The standings are in!
Choke, thy name be Clempson!
THERE IS A GOD!
AND SHE COMES FROM NORTHERN IOWA!
Every red-blooded, apple pie eating, mother-loving American felt bathed in a warm glow of joyful light when the scrappy underdogs from Norther Iowa drained a buzzer-beater FROM BEYOND HALF-COURT, to beat Taxes, er, sorry, Texas. The Joy-Bar has been set very high, very early! Results are on the way…but it’s hard to imagine anyone beating so diligent a student of the game as the charming and talented Helen…stay tuned!
Every Tournament Needs a Theme Song
The riff is more recognizable than the voice
It's a toss-up for Best Handwriting between Cory and Will. Thank you both for making the process a little easier!
WHO'S IN SO FAR
Updated as of 11:37 a.m EST
This Changes EVERYTHING: We just received a bracket from the Midwest’s leading Bracketologist: Helen Jacobs
Rumors are flying about a second bracket from Rusty and a first bracket from Jennings. So far…all talk!
Paul Jacobs
David Ritchie
Cory Ritchie
Will Ritchie
Rusty Ritchie
Shelley Ritchie
Paige Ritchie
Helen Jacobs
Don't See Your Name?
Two possiblities: 1) You haven’t submitted your bracket yet. In which case, HURRY UP! 2) Your bracket has been referred to the Commissioner for review. Don’t worry, it’s probably just an oversight on your part. Keep an ear out for a text from the Commish.
Greatest College Basketball Player...Ever
The brackets are filled in…The players are ready…The bookies are happy
Welcome to March Madness. Ritchie Style.