march2madness

The 24th annual contest for the casual hoops fan

march2madness standings

Elite 8 Results are POSTED

An All-time Shining Moment

What a fantastic game to cap off the weekend. The UConn Huskies delivered an unforgettable performance, overcoming a 19-point deficit to edge out the Duke Blue Devils 73-72. The game’s defining moment came when Big East Freshman of the Year, Braylon Mullins, sank a dramatic game-winning shot from the logo, sealing the victory in the final seconds.

Duke established early control, appearing poised to secure the win. However, the tide turned in the second half as the Blue Devils became careless with their possessions. In the closing seconds, Cayden Boozer’s pass was deflected, creating an opportunity for UConn. The Huskies capitalized, taking their first lead with just 0.4 seconds remaining on the clock.

UConn struggled from beyond the arc for most of the game, connecting on just 1 of their first 18 three-point attempts. However, the team caught fire when it mattered most, finishing by making 4 of their final 5 shots from three-point range. This incredible turnaround is destined to become a legendary moment in Storrs and will undoubtedly be one of CBS all-time great "one shining moment".

The victory keeps UConn’s dream of winning a third national championship in four seasons alive. The Huskies are now set to face Illinois next Saturday in Indianapolis. Robert Bernecker heads into the weekend with the march21madness lead and both these teams still in contention.

Meanwhile, Michigan and Arizona do not appear on the leader’s draft board, which means the winner of the other side of the bracket will add intrigue right up to the final whistle next Monday. In the standings, Ron Cracraft is in second place with Arizona, while Jeff Diebold holds fourth place with Michigan and UConn. With so much at stake, it’s reasonable to expect that at least two of the three games next weekend will be thrilling to watch. Stay tuned!

Three Straight for Rocky Top

(March 28, 2026) For a third straight season, Rick Barnes has led Tennessee to a Elite 8. The Vols will have another chance to crack the Final Four for the first time, but will have to get by Michigan on Sunday to claim the Midwest Region. This year's Vols are made up of 11 newcomers, and it seems like there is always someone different leading the way. Last night in their 76-62 victory over Iowa State, it was the backcourt duo of Carey and Okpara leading the way. They both recorded double-doubles and their size was too much for the Cyclones, outrebounding them 43-22. That rebounding edge will be much tougher against a tall Michigan team. Tennessee is the lone Cinderella selection left as a #6 seed, as no one took #9 Iowa as their Cinderella. Tennessee has now accumulated 28 tournament points and 47.5 overall. This has helped Ron Cracraft's Magoo entry to climb to the top of the march2madness leaderboard. Although no one selected Iowa as a Cinderella, the Hawkeyes were on a couple entries as a Wildcard team. The Hawkeyes have now scored a contest high 55 points on the season, and that has helped Robert Berneker vault up to second place, only 1 game back. This entry also had Texas as a Cinderella and started the contest 47.5 points back. Iowa will play Illinois today with a guarantee of a Big Ten team in the Final. The Big Ten has half the teams in the Elite Eight, will they finally end the 26 year championship draught?

I think most eyes this week has been on the East Region where we had Pitino, Hurley, Izzo and Scheyer coaching talented teams. Three of these teams are in The Chalk bracket, and 12 of 13 entries at the top have Duke. Scott Vonderhaar is lying in the weeds in 14th place, just 14.5 points back, ready to ponce with UConn. A half point behind that in 15th place is Ross Hofele who is the top entry with Purdue. "The Chalk" team will definitely determine where we are at heading into the Final Four. The Ace in the Hole has Michigan and Arizona, and we may be discussing that next week.

Enjoy the Games!

Texas Moving in Right Direction

(March 21, 2026) Don't Mess with Texas! This has been a theme in the first rounds of the NCAA tournament. Prarie View, Texas, Texas Tech, Texas A&M, TCU, and Houson all won their first game of the tournament, Prarie View later loss to Florida, but what a start for the Lone Star State. Sean Miller's teams have always done well come tournament time, and when they snuck into the First Four games, the Longhorns came to life. After sneaking out of Dayton with a 68-66 win over NC State, the Longhorns defeated BYU by 8 points despite AJ Dybansta's 35 points. Sean Miller has referred to this Longhorn team as "resilient" on many occasions. Their next opponent will be Gonzaga later tonight. Texas A&M will square off against Houston today, so only one of them will advance. TCU will have their hands full with Duke, but the Horned Frogs have already defeated Iowa State and Texas Tech this season, let's see if they have a miracle in them. The game that I am looking most forward to today is Vanderbilt and Nebraska, These two will square off at 8:45 EST on TNT. Vanderbilt and Nebraska both are well coached as Mark Byington and Fred Hoiberg should both get some votes for National Coach of the Year. The Commadores and Cornhuskers were among the last of the undefeated teams this season. The winner of this game will definitely give Florida a run next week.

Louisville or Loserville

(March 20, 2026) Several march2madness entries did not believe in Louisville heading into their first round game against South Florida. However, playing without star point guard Mikel Brown, Jr., the Cardinals were still able to win their first tournament game since Rick Pitino's last season in the bluegrass state. Isaac McKneely scored 23 as they sent the Bulls home with a 83-79 victory. The Cards will face #3 Michigan State in the next round. So who didn't believe in Louisville, how about the 10 entries who dropped them for a Cinderella, especially 5 of the Top 15 entries. Meanwhile, only Greg Wichard picked up Louisville for those 6 precious points. Other surprises in the Cinderella selections were no one taking Texas A&M (10 points), while several took Miami (OH), only David Bach took Miami (FL), and a surprising number of people must watch UNC hoops, as a bunch jumped on VCU knowing the TarHeels recent struggles. I felt the biggest rip-off over the weekend was St John's getting a #5 seed after winning both the BigEast regular season and tournament, while UConn gets a #2 seed. Several of you agreed with that, and St John's was the most picked up Cinderella team. The Johnnys looked pretty good in their opener versus Northern Iowa.

Please check your entry and verify that the correct Cinderella entry. A lot of labor went into changing the entries, but I am human and occasionaly make errors. If you notice something (like last week's Arkansas bonus points), let me know right away.

Cinderella Time

Before the start of the NCAA Tournament, entrants will be allowed to substitute one team that did not make the NCAA tournament with a “Cinderella” tournament team. A “Cinderella” team will be considered any team that is seeded lower than a #4 seed. The “Cinderella” team’s tournament points will be added to the regular season point total of the substituted team. If an entry has all eight teams make the tournament, entrants will still be allowed to substitute one team with a “Cinderella” tournament team.

If you are selecting a team playing in the "First Four" games on Tuesday and Wednesday, the selection must be made prior to tip-off of that game. If you are not selecting a "First Four" team then your Cinderella selection deadline is Thursday at noon.

You can click on the "Cinderella Submission" button above to submit your selection.

Tyler Robinson will head into the tournament on top of the scoreboard in march2madness. Only one player has ever took this position and cashed in on it. With over 100 entries within 40 points of the leader, it only takes picking the correct "Cinderella team" who gets hot with an Elite Eight run. There has been several 12 and 13 seeds make it into the Elite Eight the past few seasons. A 12 seed getting there is worth 41 points alone. With the top teams loaded with Duke and Michigan, early exits from either or both of those teams opens everything up. It should be an interesting few weeks. The Cinderella selections will be posted on Thursday, with the first rtesults posted by Saturday morning and after each round. Good Luck!

NCAA TOURNAMENT SCORING (includes “First Four” games)

+Seed number for each NCAA Tournament win (if #6 seed wins three games=18 points)

+5 Sweet 16, Elite Eight, and Final Four Appearances

+10 Final Four Win

+25 NCAA Tournament Champ

+15 NIT Champion

Ending on a HIGH POINT

(March 15, 2026) There were only five teams to finish the season as regular season and conference tourney champions. All of these will be tough outs in the Big Dance. High Point (30-4) finished off this double-double in the Big South destroying Winthrop 91-76. It was coach Flynn Clayman's first year with the Panthers. An upset of Wisconsin this week, it might be his only year. Next is Duke (32-2) who claims the consecutive ACC titles and the overall #1 seed in the NCAA tourney as they outlasted Virginia on Saturday. The Blue Devils will be challenged in their half of the East bracket with St Johns, TCU, and Kansas. Utah State (28-6) was a popular selection in the "State Lotto", cruised through the Mountain West double-double, and was rewarded with a 9th seed? The Aggies will play Villanova on the first round and will have Arizona on deck. Talk about Arizona (32-2), the double-double in the Big 12 is a tough accomplishment, but the Wildcats hung on to beat Houston 79-74 to complete the task. Another team that didn't get the credit they deserved was St John's (28-6) who beat UConn by a game in the regular season, by 20 in the Big East final and ends up a #5 seed and UConn gets a #2 seed? That was a head scratcher to me. Gonzaga (30-3) won the WCC tourney but shared the regular season with St Mary's.

Horned Frogs among the Bubbles

(March 7, 2026) TCU will look to secure their tournament hopes on Saturday when they take on Cincinnati in a DOUBLE BUBBLE game. The Horned Frogs and Bearcats are among the hottest teams in the country with TCU winning 7 of 8, while UC has came out on top in 6 of 7. In some respects, the Horned Frogs (20-10) have spent the season digging themselves out of a hole that originated during an opening-night defeat to New Orleans, a team that was ranked No. 297 in KenPom when that game was played back on Nov. 3. Cincinnati also has a bad loss, losing to Eastern Michigan back on November 26th. The Bearcats also lost their first three Big 12 games before righting the ship. The winner of this game will put itself on the right side of the bubble heading to Kansas City next week. Another double bubble game will take place in Columbus late Saturday afternoon, where the rollercoaster that is the Ohio State Buckeyes, will take on the fading Hoosiers. Both teams are currently on the right side of the bubble, but the loser will be a little nervous heading into the Big 10 tournament. Other bubble matchups this weekend include NC State vs Stanford, and Texas vs Oklahoma in the Red River Rivalry game.

The next update will be on Selection Sunday. Please do not turn in your Cinderella selections until after the draw next week. The procedure will be replacing one of your teams with a team seeded between #5-#16 and yes the First Four games do count toward the points tally. Enjoy tournament week.

Gators are Chomping Again

(February 28, 2026) It's an exciting afternoon for college basketball fans, with several Top 25 matchups on the schedule and conference titles at stake. At 4pm, Arkansas will take on Florida in a highly anticipated contest. The spot light will be on Darius Acuff Jr., who has been on fire for the Razorbacks, avceraging 22 points per game. Darius has scored 20+ in nine straight including 49 against Bama. Meanwhile Florida, who has won 13 of 14, look to take home the SEC title today.

Starting things off on this loaded Saturday will be Virginia at Duke. The Cavaliers have won nine straight, but the Blue Devils have been on a mission since the UNC upset. The completely destroyed Notre Dame by 44 pts, and that is coming off a sound defeat of Michigan last weekend. But let's also congratulate Michigan who won the Big Ten title outright last night in Fox's Friday Primetime Hoops.

Another 4pm contest is #16 Texas Tech vs #4 Iowa State as both teams look to keep within striking distance of Arizona. The #2 Wildcats have righted the ship after two mid-season losses and will look to secure at least a share of the Big 12 title if they defeat #14 Kansas at home today, another 4 pm matchup. The last Top 25 game today is Alabama and Tennessee, as both teams jokey for the double bye in the SEC tournament. Bama has won seven straight but the Vols are pretty much flawless at home.

Primetime Nightcap: St Mary's v Gonzaga

(February 28, 2026) After a few lackluster February weeks, the last two weeks of the season promises us some excitement. The Zags and Gales will finish off a loaded day of college hoops. The winner of this game will be West Coast Conference champions. Saint Mary's is leading the "All Bets are Off" category with 24 points on the season. The only competition here is Virginia who sits at 23.5 heading into today's contest with Duke with the ACC title on the line. Gonzaga is also leading the "Ace in the Hole category, but this one is loaded. The Zags 27 points are one better than Michigan, and two more than Arizona. Three national title contenders in this grouping. However, it is the Chalk category that is the most competitive. You have the forementioned Duke (25), UConn (24.5), Houston (20.5), Purdue (19), St Johns (19), and Florida (19). I still cannot narrow down who I would want going into the Big Dance.

Scott Vonderhar remains on the top line of march2madness for a second week, with 100+ entries within 25 points. Please remember that the regular season is only worth about half of the total points scored in march2madness and only once in 20+ seasons has the leader of the regular season hold on to win the contest. The winning entry must have a couple of Final Four teams, along with a couple of the lower seeded teams that make Elite 8 runs. This is really what racks up the points. Last season Arkansas scored 25 points during their tourney run and Florida scored 56 tourney points taking home the crown.

Duke Rises to #1

(February 22, 2026) What a Saturday for college hoops! It was a historic day for the sport, as the top two teams in the country both went down on the same afternoon—the first time that’s happened in over a year. #3 Duke 68, #1 Michigan 63 In a high-stakes neutral-site battle in Washington D.C., Cameron Boozer led the Blue Devils with 18 points to snap Michigan's 11-game winning streak. Duke's defense held the Wolverines to just 24% from deep, likely catapulting Duke to the #1 spot in next week's polls. I wish we could get more of these nuetral site games in February, it was fun to watch. #4 Arizona 73, #2 Houston 66 The Wildcats went into Houston and pulled off the upset of the afternoon. By taking down the Cougars on their home floor, Arizona ensured that both the #1 and #2 teams would lose on the same day. UCLA 95, #10 Illinois 94 (OT) The game of the night ended in drama as UCLA stunned the Illini in overtime. Donovan Dent was the hero, hitting a coast-to-coast game-winner at the buzzer to seal the upset. Mick Cronin sure needed this one after an embarrassing blowup earlier in the week.

Scott Vonderhaar had two tough losses in UConn and Michigan this week, but still finds the way to the top of the march2madness leaderboard. Scott is soaking up the 27 pts from Miami (OH), where the Red Hawks remain undefeated, drawing celebrities to a sold out Millett Hall. Other wildcard teams making a difference in the m2m standings are Saint Louis (24), Belmont (23), High Point (24), and UC Wilmington (22).

A good Big Monday doubleheader tonight, as #21 Louisville plays #16 UNC at 7pm, followed by #2 Houston at #8 Kansas. Each of these four teams had a bad loss last week and will be lower in the rankings when they come out on Monday. The worst loss of the bunch had to be Kansas losing by double digits to the Bearcats at the Phog, edging out UNC getting their butts kicked by NC State.

Redhawks remain PERFECT

(Feb 24, 2026) It's Valentine's weekend, therefore I have to give Travis Steele and the Oxford community some love. Last night, the Miami (OH) RedHawks won their "battle of the bricks" game over Ohio University to remain the last undefeated team. Brant Byers poured in 21 points while Jackson Paveletzke added 22, underscoring the balanced scoring that has fueled their unbeaten run. The polls will not move Miami (OH) off of that 21-25 ranking despite the 25-0 record and leading the country with 92 points per game. Yes, for those who did not know the RedHawks lead the country in scoring. Last night was their 17th game of the season shooting over 50% from the field. All five starters scored double digits. If this was Gonzaga beating up on the Big West, they would easily be a top 10 team. It's Valentine's weekend, the polls need to give them some love.

Big Game Weekend

(February 7, 2026) The clock has turned to February and what a weekend for sports. It started last night with the Opening Ceremony for the Winter Olympics, a loaded slate of hardcourt capped off by Duke vs Carolina in "The Game", and finally Super Bowl Sunday brings us the Seahawks vs Patriots. I hope we have enough wings and beer to get us through this weekend.

Of course Duke heading to Chapel Hill is where Game Day will be this weekend. Especially with the Blue Devils ranked #4 and the Tar Hills at #14. The biggest story tonight will be the two sensational freshman who will be going one on one against each other most of the night. Both Cam Boozer and Caleb Wilson are projected lottery picks, but tonight might help decide who goes higher on selection day. Cam Boozer is more physical, and will cause trouble when he post up Wilson. Wilson on the other hand is more athletic and will push the ball up the court forcing Boozer to get back rather than hitting the boards on occasion. Both players are excellent rebounders, and are double-double machines. As a Heel fan, I can't pick against them Dean Smith Center. Let's go UNC 79 Duke 71.

Not an ACC fan, well Saturday is loaded with rivalries and top 25 matchups. #5 Illinois vs #10 Michigan State are on Fox at 8pm, then switch back to ESPN for the night cap as #8 Houston at #16 BYU. The Fighting Illini are on a roll, winning 12 in a row to pull into #1 seed consideration at 20-3. The Spartans on the other hand are fading, dropping two games this week, including a klunker at Minnesota. The late game also feature two electric freshman. Houston's Kingston Flemings is so fun to watch, and he has led the Houston Cougars to three straight victories, as potential #1 pick, AJ Dybansta continues to put up the numbers despite these Cougars dropping 4 of 5. The other game of interest will be #25 Tennessee getting tested on the road against a resurgent Kentucky team. The Wildcats knocked off their former coach last weekend, let's see if they can handle their rivalry this weekend.

Enjoy the BIG GAME tomorrow. Who are you rooting for? After being out in Seattle during the NFC Championship, I decided I would roll with the Seahawks. My prediction is Seahawks 24 Patriots 17.

My Old "Arkansas" Home

(January 31, 2026) John Calipari has settled into his new home in Fayetteville in year two. The Razorbacks go into today's contest with the Kentucky Wildcats 13-0 at home. This will be round two of the Coach Cal vs Mark Pope battle. And although it seems like the two are headed in different directions, the win/loss record is identical since joining their schools.

Other games to watch this weekend include #13 BYU vs #14 Kansas at 4:30 on ESPN and St Mary's vs #6 Gonzaga in the night cap, also on ESPN. Enjoy your football free weekend, and get ready for the home stretch.

Spartans comeback falls short

(January 30, 2026) As we come to the final days of January, we start to separate the contenders from the pretenders. Last night's game in #3 Michigan vs #7 Michigan State contest was certainly one of those games. The Wolverines who haven't won in East Lansing since 2018, broke the streak behind Yaxel Lendeborg's 26 points as Elliot Cadeau added 17 points. The Wolverines got out quick in this one, but it was the Spartan's inability to take care of the ball on their home court that did them in, finishing the first half with more turnovers (11) than field goals (7). Coach Izzo did have a half speech to inspire a 13-2 second half run and the Spartans erased an 18 point deficit to tie the game and then went up 57-55. From there, it was all Michigan, finishing on a 26-16 run of their own.

To me the 20-1 Wolverines look like the best team in the country. In fact I would take four one loss teams as my Final Four favorites over undefeated Arizona. Michigan, along with Duke, UConn, and Gonzaga look like the complete packages this season. Another 1 loss team to keep an eye on is St Louis (21-1) who pounded Dayton last night 102-71. The Billikens average 91.4 ppg, and have six, and I repeat, six players averaging double digits in points.

NATTY

(January 19, 2026) Well we are still a week away from basketball taking over Big Monday, as tonight the football National Championship Game will take place. My prediction for tonight is Indian 34 Miami 31. It's just not right that Indiana is trying to become a football school, but I do think Coach Cignetti has them prepared to finish off this incredible undefeated season. I thought the Hoosiers also had it figured out on the hardcourt as they started the season 12-3. However, a three game skid has them at 12-6 and they will have to defeat #4 Michigan to stop the slide. Miami on the other hand is a surprising 15-3 in hoops, and just lost their first ACC game on Saturday to Clemson. However, the Miami team everyone is currently talking about this season is the Miami team that resides in Oxford, Ohio. The Redhawks escaped an OT thriller (105-102) against Buffalo on Saturday as Peter Suder hit a buzzer beating three pointer. Suder finished with a career high 37 points as Miami remains undefeated at 19-0. Miami (OH) will be tested again on Tuesday as they travel to Kent State (14-4). Miami (OH) will not be the only undefeated team tested this week. #1 Arizona will host CincinNATI on Wednesday, and the Bearcats are coming off their biggest win of the season, defeating #2 Iowa State this past Saturday. As for the last undefeated, the Cornhuskers should get through this week with wins versus Washington and Minnesota, but the challenge will lye the last week of January when they face Michigan and Illinois. Let's tie all this back together and see if any of these three teams came become the first undefeated basketball team since, yep, the 1975-76 INDIANA HOOSIERS

Naismith Upper Class

(January 10, 2026) We have all heard about the freshman that are ruling the court this season, however, there are a few standout upper-class mates that are doing their stuff as well. Let's start with the stat stuffing wing who decided to transfer to Michigan instead of entering the NBA after a stellar career at UAB. That name is Yaxel Lendeborg, a name that is not talked about nearly enough for a player averaging 15 pts, 7 boards, 1.3 steals, and 1.4 b locks per game for the 15-0 and #1 ranked wolverines. You can watch the senior lace them up and display his 7-4 wing span against the Wisconsin Badgers at 1pm EST on CBS. Another BIG 10 senior that does get the notoriety is Purdue's Braden Smith, who just took over the title of the Big Ten's all-time assist leader this past week. He will continue to dish the ball this afternoon against the Nittany Lions on the BTN. Last Naismith frontrunner from the upper classmen is Junior JT Toppin of Texas Tech. JT is a double double machine, averaging 21 points and 11 rebounds per game.

Looking at the march2madness standings, I notice that the top 20 keep flipping each each. It only takes a Louisville slide to mix things up a bit. Right now we have Jeff Diebold leading the way, but with 35 others within 5 points. Vanderbilt, St Mary's and Utah State seem to be a main theme with the top of the leaderboard, however, I do not see these teams making deep runs come March. That should also keep thing interesting this season. Remember, it is not about being in first when trying to find a date, it's being in first after the dance. That said, I have a couple payments both checks and PayPal to still post today and that will be updated on next week's results. Those that are not yet paid, please click the pay button on the top of the standing page. Thank you and enjoy this week's hoops action.

Dandy Vandy

(January 3, 2026) When "Betting the Farm" did you select Vanderbilt? The top 30 in the the latest march2madness results certainly did. The Commodores are 13-0 and one of only six remaining undefeated teams. Mark Byington's team is led by the backcourt of Duke Myles (17 ppg) and Tyler Tanner (16 ppg) and will travel to Columbia today to take on the Gamecocks. This will be the last tune up before they take on their first ranked opponent of the year on Wednesday, when they will host Alabama. Another team with a soft schedule is the Miami RedHawks, who now stands at a nation's best 15-0, with wins over Trinity, Mercyhurst, and Milligan. Let's see how Travis Steele's squad fairs now they get into the MAC schedule. Our last surprise team going into 2026 got their biggest win of the year last night as Nebraska knocked off Michigan State 58-56. Rienk Mast hit the tiebreaking three-pointer with 1:51 left and finished the night with 19 pts. Pinnacle Bank Area was rocking as the Cornhuskers improved to 14-0. This might be my first time talking about Nebraska in 20+ years, but it looks like it will not be my last. Our other three undefeated teams heading into the new year are Arizona, Michigan and Iowa State.

Today's top games include a few road trap games #5 Purdue vs Wisconsin, #6 Duke vs Florida State, #10 BYU vs Kansas State, as well as a Top 25 matchup #19 Tennessee vs #18 Arkansas.

CBS Sports Classic

(Dec 20, 2025) The CBS Sports Classic gets under way today with St John's vs Kentucky at 12:30 EST. Pitino has already beaten Iona this season, can he make it 2-0 against his former teams? The Johnnies are 0-3 against ranked opponents this season, and can't afford to lose to a struggling Wildcat team, who has played selfish basketball this season. Can they figure it out today?

The second game is two rather surprising teams this season. The Tar Heels have gotten off to an incredible 10-1 start behind Caleb Wilson, while the Buckeyes sit at 8-2 and coming off a thrilling 2OT win last weekend vs West Virginia.

Following the CBS Sports Classic is #8 Houston vs #14 Arkansas. Nice tripleheader by CBS.

POY Candidates Square Off

(Dec 20, 2025) Besides the CBS Sports Classic, there is plenty of other exciting games this weekend. The one I am watching pits two of the POY canidates against each other. Duke's Cam Boozer is currently the frontrunner with 23.3 ppg, while showing up at big moments for the 11-0 Blue Devils. On the otherside of the tip will be preseason POY favorite, JT Toppin averaging 20.9 ppg for the Red Raiders who have dropped three games already.

Other Top 25 matchups is Purdue vs Auburn, Gonzaga vs Oregon and maybe an upset alert as desperate SDSU team takes on #1 Arizona in the nightcap. Arizona is trying to prove they should retain the #1 ranking over other undefeated teams: Duke, Michigan, and Iowa State.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

m2m by the numbers

(December 8, 2025) The contest results have been posted and there are some interesting numbers.

213: The number of entries in this years contest. Nearly identical to last season.

3: The number of duplicate entries this season, including one entry were three people with the same picks.

2: Texas Tech and Wisconsin, two teams on the sheet that were not selected. Texas Tech is currently in the Top 20 and a 7-2 Badger's team.

4: Total number of losses by the six "Ace in the Hole" teams. The national champion is likely to reside in this group of six.

46: The number of different wildcard teams selected this season. Oklahoma State is the only undefeated wildcard team at 9-0.

62: The percentage of entries taking Saint Mary's. A bit of a surprise to me as Seton Hall (9-1), USC (8-1) and Virginia (8-1) are also off to strong starts and probably have better talent.

5: The number of undefeated teams from the list (Duke, Iowa State, Michigan, Vanderbilt, and Arizona).

64.5: Points tallied by Brian Cootway and Brett Hofele who are at the top of the first m2m results I posted last night. I will post updated results every 7-10 days.

You can check out all the contest numbers and review the charts under that STATS tab. Also, please check your entries under the SCOREBOARD tab and let me know ASAP if anything looks incorrect. Please ignore the paid column as the PayPal payments won't be updated on the score sheet until next weekend.

Clock it Ticking: Deadline 12/1/25 @ 7pm

(December 1, 2025) Today is the deadline to submit your entries into the 2025-26 edition of march2madness. It looks like there will be over 200 entries again this season which should result in a first place payout of $3500+. I did extend the deadline by a couple hours, but the entries need to be in by the 7pm tip-offs tonight. To keep things transparent, below are my three entries:

imcommish: UNC, Houston, Iowa State, Alabama, Arkansas, Utah State, Saint Mary's, Belmont

Mick's Picks: Kansas, Duke, Michigan, Louisville, Texas, Kansas State, USC, George Mason

March Sadness: Michigan State, Purdue, Arizona, Tennessee, Auburn, NC State, Seton Hall, UNC-Wilmington

As you can see, I have no idea of what I am doing either. So click the Online entry form above and submit your picks today.

march2madness 2025-26

The gamblers edition

(November 17, 2025) I know I am a week late this year, but it still gives us two weeks to watch some college hoops before the entry deadline on Monday, December 1, 2025. This will be the 24th annual march2madness contest, and this season will be the Gambler's edition. Yes, with all the sports betting going on, we knew it wouldn't be long until the fixing allegations started popping up. So I thought like all the teams that are backed by ESPN Bet, Fan Dual, Draft Kings, etc... I might as well make a run with it as well. Maybe I can get an endorsement deal??? Below is a listing of this year's categories along with a brief summary of the teams you can select. Please note that there is a Study Hall link above with several articles previewing players and teams for the 2025-26 season. Most of them are quick reads but provide different outlooks than just going with the highest ranked team.

The contest will the the same as previous seasons. You pick one player from each of seven categories, and one wildcard team that has to be a team NOT on any list. The cost is still $20 per entry and you can make your selections and pay ONLINE.

In the Cards: Your bluebloods are all here. Indiana, Kentucky, Kansas, UNC, Michigan State, and UCLA all had an off year in 2024-25 but comeback this season with some transfers and top ranked freshman. My guess is that one of these teams will make it to Indianapolis in April. Can you pick the correct one?

The Chalk: Yes, these are your heravy betting favorites to cut down the nets at Lucas Oil Field. Duke comes in with the Boozers, Florida looks to retain their crown, Houston has been oh so close, Purdue continues to have the POY favorite (Branden Smith) leading the way, St John's and Pitino surprised all last season, and UConn is just a year removed from their NATI.

Ace in the Hole: These teams have the players you want to watch. From Texas Tech junior JT Toppin, BYU's high paid freshman AJ Dybatsa, to Michigan's grad student Yaxel Lendeborg, there is something for all ages. Graham Ike leads the Zags this season, Tamin Lipsey will captain the Cyclones, as will Jayden Bradely with Arizona.

Hit the Jackpot: No shortage of talent in this group, as these teams like to set the pace. Picking correctly between these undefeated teams will be a tough task, but could return the jackpot much like Florida last season. The grouping is Alabama, Baylor, Illinois, Louisville, Tennessee, and Wisconsin.

Betting the Farm: These are your leftover SEC teams, Which farm will you gamble with? Arkansas, Auburn, Missouri, Ole Miss, Texas, Vanderbilt. The SEC teams making the tournament should be double digits again, don't miss on this one.

State Lotto: Who will be your scratch off? K-State, Miss State, NC State, Ohio State, SDSU, or Utah State?

All Bets are Off: This is were it gets tricky. Cincinnati, Orgon, Saint Mary's, Seton Hall, USC, Virginia. My guess is that these teams will be last four or first four come March.

Wildcards: Currently undefeated and not on the list includes Vermont, Wichita State, Va Tech, SMU, Syracuse, St Louis, GW, Georgetown, Nebraska, Penn State, Rutgers, West Virginia, Oklahoma St, Liberty, Middle Tenn, Yale, Iona, Miami (OH), Belmont, Colorado St, Boise St, Georgia, SF Austin, South Alabama, LMU, as well as a handful others.

So go ahead and watch some holiday hoops, click on the ONLINE ENTRY BUTTON, and enjoy the entire season for just $20. Who knows, you may HOT THE JACKPOT!

ONLINE ENTRY FORM

2025-26 march2madness contest

The march2madness contest will be returning for a 24th season. The contest will be posted on Sunday, November 16th with a deadline of Sunday, November 30th. Until then, enjoy watching your team beat up on the likes of Northeast Ohio Technical Institute. Real games are just around the corner!

2024-25 march2madness

Gator Boys Stay Hot

(March 7, 2025) It was a National Championship which featured the two best teams from the two top conferences and at the end of the night, it was the Gator Boys Staying Hot and cutting down the nets. Houston was block city tonight, and built a 12 point lead before Florida turned the tables and clamped down on the defensive end. Florida turned Houston over four times in the final 2:05, completing the their fourth tournament comeback and taking the NATTY 65-63. The final turnover was with the clock ticking down, and Houston couldn't even get a shot off, as Emmanuel Sharpe and the Coogs have a Not So Shiny Moment. Part of the reason Houston didn't get a shot off, was Walter Clayton Jr. closeout on the shooter. Clayton had an off night getting shutout in the first half, nut scored 11 in the second half and took home the MOP trophy.

Although the top two slots in march2madness were locked in, the next three payouts came down to the last possession. The top 25 entries had Florida, but Adam Lovelace also had the most points. Adam is from West Chester, OH, and like other UK fans, watching Duke collapse locking up 1st place was his favorite moment of the tournament. Adam will take home $3225 for his entry. Casey Collins, who like Adam has been participating in march2madness for 10+ years, is a resident of Union, KY and finishes only .5 back. That is crazy how close this contest has been the last two years. Casey is a big Dayton Flyers fan, and avid college hoops fan, keeping a spreadsheet on all transfers in the off-season. Casey will take home $645 for second. Third place goes to Tony Dirr ($215), fourth is Anthony Theetge ($129), fifth is Jeff Diebold ($86) and last place goes to Jerry Johnson who was -221pts but will get a FREE ENTRY into march2madness 2025-26.

Adam scored 382 out of a possible 431 points. That entry would have been Houston (66) Auburn (50.5) Michigan St (46) Florida (89) New Mexico or St Mary's (38.5) Kentucky/Louisville (57) and Drake (47.5). The top Cinderella was Arkansas with 25 tournament points. I will be double checking the scoring, and ask any of you to do the same. The contest will become official Wednesday and payouts will go out at noon.

2023-24 march2madness

UConn Dominance

(March 8, 2024) There is one shining moment for some teams, but for the 2024 UConn Huskies there were six dominant games. Their 75-60 thrashing of Purdue on Monday night increased their tournament point differential to a record +140 points. Dan Hurley squad won each game by 13+ and has now covered all 12 games during this back to back championship run. The UConn plan was not to double team Zach Edey, who scored 37 points and 10 rebounds, but to stop the Boilermakers sharp shooters from hitting threes. That sure worked, as Purdue goes 1 for 7 from behind the arch. UConn was only 6 of 22 from behind the arch, but that is a 15 point difference which matched the game score. Tristen Newton was special on this night for a second straight year, taking home back to back championships on a 20 pts, 5 reb,7 ast night. A sensational season for this Huskie team.

Unlike the National Championship Game, march2madness was as close as it gets. Jerry Johnson came from behind to catch Chris Clark at the wire. They end up tied with 345.5 points. Unfortunately for Chris, Jerry holds the tiebreaker being -2.5 back on Selection Sunday, while Chris was -16.5 back. Therefore, Jerry Johnson takes home the first place prize of $3300. Jerry's love of the game came playing basketball for Eastern High School in Russellville, OH and many years late is retired and lives in Mt Carmel, OH. His favorite moment was Virginia losing, making his decision to replace the Cavilers with McNeese a wash. Chris Clark will take home $660 for second place. Chris also lives in the Cincinnati area. Chris and I played men's slow-pitch softball together for years. Another one of my slow-pitch buddies is Larry Prine who took held on to take 5th place of $88. In Third place is Daniel Reed of Mt Orab, OH who retired from Western Brown LSD a few years ago. Daniel will take home $220 for third place. Fourth place and our only non-Ohio resident is Silvio Bohannon. Silvio vaulted up the standings with NC State's 59+ tournament points and finished off the night as the second highest UConn finisher. Silvio will take home $132.

This year, the perfect sheet would have been Duke, UConn, Colorado, San Diego State, North Carolina, Alabama, Clemson, and NC State. It has been enjoyable. I hope to see everyone back again next season for year 23 of march2madness.

2022-23 march2madness

One Shining Tournament

(April 4, 2023) Hello friends, it was more than one shining moment for the UConn Huskies as they shined the entire tournament. They won all six contest by double digits and were clearly the best team on the court in Houston this weekend. Led by big man and tournament MOP, Adama Sanogo (17pts, 10 rebounds), the Huskies take home their fifth national title, drawing them even with Duke and Indiana, and fourth all-time. I liked what Clark Kellogg said after their 76-59 victory, "UConn was worthy, dominant, and deserving." Congratulations to Coach Hurley and the UConn program.

Also congratulations to Bryan Lee, our worthy, dominant and deserving march2madness winner. The UConn win put Bryan Lee back at the top where he found himself most of the season. In fact, Bryan becomes our first champion to have been at the top of the standings entering the tournament. He was one of three sheets that were the same, but were separated with the Cinderella selections. The other two, Jeff Merrill and Nelson Prosper will split the forth/fifth place money ($225). Bryan will be put in the Hall of Champions and receive $3375 for his dominant performance. Second place ($675) will go to Craig Paul who picked UConn in the beginning and added SDSU as a Cinderella, the only person to do so. Craig is a resident of West Harrison, Indiana and is a big time Florida Gator fan. A long time participant in m2m, Craig's favorite moment was Lamont Butler hitting that game winning shot that locked up a payout. Third place ($225) goes to Silvio Bohannon, who started the tourney 38 points back, road his Cinderella FAU, along with SDSU and Miami all the way to the top. Silvio just needed an Aztec championship but fell short. Silvio is a sports nut that was born and raised in SoCal and has recently moved to Florida. He is also the son-n-law of our forth place finisher and two time champ Nelson Prosper. Greg Lueders finishes last and is awarded a free entry into next year's m2m.

The perfect sheet for the season: Gonzaga (51) Arkansas (37.5) Xavier (34.5) UConn (98) Miami, Fl (61) Creighton (46) Purdue (34.5) and FAU (80.5). I always give a couple days for anyone to review the results but have never had a problem. The posted results will become OFFICIAL on Thursday, 4/6/23. Thank you everyone for your participation and hope to see you back next season.

2021-22 march2madness

ROCK CHALK COMEBACK

When Caleb Love missed the game tying 3 pointer at the buzzer, Kansas completed the comeback victory to take home the title. The comeback was the theme for this year's march2madness contest, as our winner, Larry Brock, made a comeback of his own. Larry, a teacher at Talawanda Middle School in Hamilton, OH trailed by 31.5 points coming into the dance. Larry said round two of the tournament, when UNC knocked off Baylor, and Miami beat Auburn, was when he knew he had a shot. He will be taking home $4050 for his winning entry. Matt Wells, who is a big Kentucky Wildcat fan and spends several days a year visiting his daughter on the Lexington campus, took home second place. Matt had the lone entry with Kansas and UNC and will take home $810. Matt started 34 points out and it took a Kansas victory to finish in the money. Tyler Meyer got the inside scoop serving as a student manager at Ohio State under Coach O'Brien and Coach Matta. Has that been the difference in winning march2madness in 2015 and taking third place ($270) this season? Well running the contest has never paid of for Mick McMullen, until this season. After 20 seasons, I finally get $162 return. A fellow parishioner at St Mary's Church, David Kamphaus finished fourth ($108) behind his UNC wildcard selection. I will be reviewing the results in detail over the next 24 hours. The contest will become official at midnight on 4/6/22 if I (or anyone else) don't find any mistakes.

Here is what the perfect sheet would have looked like: Kansas (87.5), Michigan (40), Michigan State(26), Houston (59.5), Xavier(26.5), Arizona(44.5), UNC (89) and St Peters(50)

Hope to see everyone back next season.

ROCK CHALK COMEBACK!

Monday April 4, 2022 Kansas Jayhawks became the first team to comeback from a 16 point deficit to win the National Championship, defeating North Carolina 72-69 ending a thrilling tournament. The Jayhawks started the game on a 7-0 run, then the Tar Heels settled in, got the Kansas MicCormack and Lightfoot in foul trouble, and cruised into halftime up 15 points. In the second half, Kansas again came out on fire and played with a sense of urgency that was not there the first half. Martin, Wilson, Braun struggled shooting in the first half, but were 13 of 18 from the field in the second half. However, it was the bigs play that won the Championship for the Jayhawks. McCormack stayed on the floor in the second half, responded with a double double, and made the critical shots at the end of the game. One to take the lead with under two minutes and the other to put the Jayhawks up three with less than 20 seconds to play. Agbaji was solid with 12 points and took home MOP honors.

Caleb Love struggled shooting long range on Monday night but still had a chance to send the game into overtime but missed a long three at the buzzer. He and RJ Davis finished 10 for 41. Armando Bacot became the first player to get a double-double in each of the six tournament games, but was hobbled and eventually turned his ankle again late in the contest. With prices so high, we shouldn't be surprised that they ran out of gas.

2020-21 march2madness

The Buzz Saw (April 5, 2021) Gonzaga ran into a buzz saw known as the Baylor Bears at Lucas Oil Stadium on Monday night. The Zags were looking to become the first undefeated team in 45 years, but the Bear's got off to a quick start and never looked back. They were up by 15 before the second tv timeout, stretched the lead to 19 points and never let Gonzaga within nine points the rest of the way. Tournament MOP Jared Butler led the Bears in scoring with 22 points, MaCio Teague added 19, Mark Vital had 11 rebounds, and Davion "Off Night" Mitchell got it started with a charge against Suggs and 7 points before the 16:00 timeout. The athleticism and strength of Baylor was just too much for Gonzaga on this night. The Bears head back to Waco with a 86-70 championship. They join Texas Western as the only two Texas teams to win the NCAA title.

The march2madness title was already decided before the ball was tipped. Jeff Diebold from Edgewood, KY and big UK fan took first place ($3045). Jeff has been playing march2madness for 8 years and scored a total of 360 out of a possible 420 points. He had four of the eight highest scoring teams from the pandemic categories. The perfect sheet would have been Baylor (78pts), Creighton (34pts), UCLA (85 pts), Michigan (37pts), Arkansas (41pts), Oregon (42pts), Houston (51pts), and Loyola-Chicago (51pts). The most impressive here was UCLA and their 85.5 points. Our winner selected UCLA from the beginning over Michigan State, Kentucky, Duke, and Ohio State and so did our next two. Tim Roberts has now finished in the money three times since 2017 but second place ($609) will be his biggest payout. Tim is a Cincinnati Bearcat fan and maybe he could use this money to help buy out Coach Brannen's contract. Third place ($203) will go to Tim Lang who was hanging out towards the top all season. Tim is an avid golfer and Michigan fan who lives in Cincinnati. Fourth place ($132) goes to Sara Korsnak and fifth place ($81) to Larry Brock. Sara and Larry moved up into the money tonight as the highest Baylor entries. Mark Thiem may have landed 227 points back but he will get a free entry into next season march2madness contest as the lowest scoring paid entry. I will be double checking my math and invite each of you to do the same. The results will become OFFICIAL on Thursday at noon. I will be contacting the winners by email.

I want to thank each of you for hanging with the contest in this uncertain year, especially after the abrupt end to last season's contest. I hope next season we can get back to growing march2madness. Please check back a couple weeks before Thanksgiving for the 19th edition of march2madness.

march2madness is back for a 24th season, and the website will be updated every two weeks during the season and weekly during the tournament. It's simple, It's fun, and for five people, it's profitable.

The march2madness contest is for fun only. 100% payout to the winners. No profit is taken by administrator.

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