Indeed Championship Monday is upon us.......
UCONN VS FURDUE
And the good news is that both Kentucky (end of Calipari Era) and Purdue (end of season) can put their eclipse shades to use tonight and cover up their TEARS!!!!!
SO...... GO HUSKIES!!!!
On the other hand, that is basically rooting for this guy
Lord Voldemart (He Who Must Not Be Named - being Mark Iantosca - requested lest we tarnish his image).
Back to the Hopski....
The Hopski Championship Comes Down to This:
In the blue UConn corner, none other than In Hube We Trust (Lord Voldemort, the primary antagonist in the Hopski Pool series of 20 years), sitting in the catbird seat with a UCONN victory. Lord V took control of the Hopski by picking a Pool Leading 3 of the Final Four, missing out only on Alabama and gaining 7 BIG Dawg points from the NC State pick over Duke, moving him to the top of the picked UCONN group. Joining the Dark Lord on the podium if the Huskies pull it off tonight will be Noferi's Irresistible (Mark Noferi, a 2 time Hopski Pool Champion (2008 & 2018), DC resident and will soon be featured in one of those before and after ads for a healthy lifestyle) and Babylon Chop Shop (Tom Wojt, another of the ex-Warsaw hoops crew, set to finish 2nd and 3rd respectively. This is Tom's 24th Hopski and with a total of 42 entries - this could be his first podium finish - with his previous best being 8th (out of 30) in 1999. Oddly - he has finished 78th 4 times! Tom need the $ from this year as he has lost our annual Big 12 vs Big 10 bet (shockingly) at $25 per win and $50 per head to head match up!!
And just because I originally wrote this up thinking Emotional Damage! (Grant Quasha would finish 2nd if UConn wins (sorry - only a 4th place finish in reality but liked the write up and thus, sharing anyway), a 15 year Hopski vet referred to the Hopski by the Dark Lord when they worked together at Voldemort's Castle (also cannot refer to JP Morgan Chase and don't get me started on the repercussions if I even think of the unthinkable and try to drop a Dimon reference). Grant lives in NYC with a full scale family of 4 + a dog. The Emotional Damage entry name is homage to the meme of the guy slamming his shoe - pretty cool after I researched it but lacking hoops / March Madness tie-in!!
On the other hand, should hell freeze over and the Boilers win tonight, none other than Shut Up and Drive (Melissa Rawlings, my youngest sister, Indy resident and Maui snowbird) will happily take the top spot and 3rd historical Top Ten finish (Matt Powell - seriously?? 23 years and not a single top 10!!). Melissa picked a pool-high 14 of the Sweet 16 this year to lead the "Purdue Pickers" into the Final. In Hube We Trust (Lord Voldemort) and Baylor Boiler (Glen Gregory, former Warsaw expat and now living in Mexico with his bike and guitar) are set to tie for the Silver Medal if Purdue wins. Coincidentally in its first year of existence, the tiebreaker change implemented in the offseason this year by the Hopski Committee whereby the earliest payment of entry will come into play and favor Baylor Boiler. Thanks for the prompt payment Glen - even from Mexico - going the extra mile for the Hopski is always appreciated!
The Hopski 2nd Chance Dance Sweet 16 Pool is coming down to not 2 but 3 contenders for the title!!! Skibidi Toiler Bowler (Dave Putts, longtime friend and entrepreneur living in Warsaw). Whilst Duke and Illinois left him hanging in terms of an alumnus, he did not let his heart rule his Sweet 16 2nd Chance picks and will take the 2nd Chance Dance title if Purdue wins. If UCONN wins though, we will hae a tie at the top between Addicted to Nofe (Mark Noferi) and Tosca1 #2 (David Iantosca, Lord Voldemart's younger and uncorrupted broker, the one most of us refer to as the "Good Iantosca"..... we say the same about you too Scott, and Angelo, and basically the entire clan except for The One. As the Good Iantosca paid his entry fee in a timely fashion, along with NOFE, the 2nd tiebreaker of total points predicted in the championship game will settle the 2nd Chance Dance - with the Good Iantosca at 148 and Nofe at 152.
SOME HOPSKI STATS!
Generally a pretty average hopski in terms of average correct picks and Dawg points. With 47 entries having picked UCONN to win, we do have a chance at the 3rd highest number of picked champions, whereas a Boiler win would put this year's pool below average.
FULL HOPSKI LEADERBOARD STANDINGS
LASTLY - LET ME BE CLEAR - REGARDLESS OF TONIGHT,
PURDUE WILL STILL SUCK!!
(JUST 4X MORE THAN INDIANA INSTEAD OF 5!)
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