Round 1 (yes - still round 1 for me) in the books

 Joe Pleasant was THE MAN on Saturday!!

Shooting just 59% from the line on the season - he stepped up to the line with 1.3 seconds left and with #14 seed Abilene Christian (not even a Div 1 program 4 years ago!) down 1 vs the mighty Texas Longhorns.  Calm, cool and collected - Joe drained them both and the Wildcats became the 9th double digit seed to win in the first round this year.  

That is a total of 65 underdog points up for grabs!!!!  

No one in the Hopski picked all 9, but our first round leaders managed to get 50 of those points!! No Suggs in the Champagnie Room (Peter Pell, runner-up in 2019 after losing on a tiebreaker AND having 3 of the top 5 entries heading into the Elite 8 - Peter is a Richmond Spider alum living outside of NYC).   He is clearly BACK again for 2021 with all 4 of this year's entries in the Top 11 at the moment!!  Peter missed only the Oral Roberts and Maryland upsets.  The rookie Keir Novesky's King Slayer entry is tied with No Suggs at 74 points.  I know little about Keir and the only one I can find after a google is a Design Director at GQ.  That would certainly be an diversifying add-on to the Hopski pool if so!!  Keir also missed out on Oral Roberts and Maryland.

The top DAWGpointer after Round 1 is Beaver Believer Bill Lyon (Bill and I hooped it to a runners-up finish in the Warsaw Adidas 3 on 3 in 90s before he returned to the States and taught outside of Chicago.  He is now teaching in semi-retirement in Budapest!!).  Beaver Believer (we'll presume Bill is an Oregon St fan with that one as opposed to an alternative interpretation) is sitting in 3rd position but with 53 underdog points, missing out only on the Oral Roberts upset (which also has taken one of his Elite 8 teams out of the running).

For those new to the Hopski, please note a plethora of reports exist on the Hopski Pool Website.  TO ACCESS THESE, CLOCK ON REPORTS AND CHOOSE ONE OF THE FOLLOWING:

THE LEADERBOARD:  The Top 25 entries in the standings will always show up on the first page of the website.  After the 1st round, the Leaderboard and the Current Standings reports will both show how many positions entries have move up and down the standings since the previous break point.  These breaks are at 32, 40, 48, 52, 56, 58, 60 and 62 games.

CHAMPIONS SUMMARY REPORT:  Summary of the teams picked to win the tournament and how many times.

TOURNAMENT SUMMARY REPORT:  Shows, by team, how many entries picked them to win in each round. I will change this report as the tournament progresses so it sorts by each round (unfortunately, I cannot exclude teams that have been eliminated).

CURRENT STANDINGS REPORT:  Shows the entire pool standings.  This is a 3 pager and whilst you may not win or contend to win the pool, it is certainly a worthwhile objective to finish on the 1st page (and certainly avoid the dreaded last page).  From this report as well you can click on any entry name to see the entire bracket entered by that person.

PROJECTED STANDINGS REPORT:  This is a sorted report by possible point totals, showing the maximum points an entry might get if all the remaining games go as they have picked. This reports also shows predicted champ. 

TO SEE ANY ENTRY, USE PLAYER LISTING:  The player listing report lists all entries by entry name.  To see any full set of brackets that an entry includes, along with points scored each game, click directly on that entry name. 


ENJOY THE GAMES AND THE HOPSKI!!

Oops, sorry about that weight room ladies....... YET ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF THE INEPT NCAA

Sorry - you are not getting the Day 1 update this morning as this is far more important to point out.

Consider clicking through and reading one of these articles if you are not already aware of this stupidity by the NCAA:

'We will get it fixed': NCAA accepts blame for poor amenities for women players

Men's And Women's NCAA March Madness Facilities, Separate And Unequal, Spark Uproar

NCAA vows to improve conditions at women’s basketball tournament, as outcry continues

This latest ineptness by the only organization more full of pigs at the trough than the IOC deserves its own Hopski post as only via some level of public shaming would the NCAA actually get off their arses and attempt to cover them by improving the conditions at the Women's NCAA Basketball championships in San Antonio.  

If you use facebook, twitter, tik tok or any other medium of communication, go there now, search out this issue (find Sabrina Ionescu's post or any other of the hundreds popping up) and then RIP THE NCAA A GOOD ONE!

• The weight lifting and training facilities for the women are a joke compared with the state of the art workout areas provided for the men;
• The COVID tests are even different and potentially less effective for the women.....seriously?? Read about it here.   IF there is NO DIFFERENCE - they WHY GIVE DIFFERENT TESTS???!!!!
• One can only imagine that the list will go on and on if really compared - meals, transport, accomodation, swag bags (this is detailed out there), etc......

The fat pigs living off of the NCAA HQ trough in Indianapolis should be pressured into resigning, not just giving weak apologies about dropping the ball (clearly no pun intended) by NCAA Senior Vice President of Basketball Dan Gavitt......

“I apologize to the women’s student-athletes, coaches and committee for dropping the ball on the weight room issue in San Antonio, we’ll get it fixed as soon as possible,” Gavitt said.

Here is what dropping the ball looks like........  men's weight room in Indianapolis is on top....

The lower picture is what the NCAA is offering its female student athletes - heck - that is unlikely not even better than what you might get in the Best Western in my hometown of Peru, IN (and even comparing the two is likely an unfair insult to the BW and Peru).  This is not dropping the ball, this is just GROSS IGNORANCE!

The NCAA is a multi-billion dollar organization with employees earning multi-million dollar salaries and "oops, sorry ladies we dropped the ball" does not cut it!

The Madness is ON!! Midday Update - 8 games complete - 3:30pm PST

Kudos to the Oral Roberts Golden Eagles!!!  They busted brackets today, becoming just the 9th 15 seed to knock off a #2 seed as they beat Ohio State, a 15 point favorite!!  Just 4 entries picked up the 13 bonus points from ORU (2 entries from Jackson - first name?) along with Brian Gimotty's Spatif (best bar in the world, ever!) Tatanka (best drink in the world, ever!) and DocentDarling from Darren Kenney - who is the last perfect entry in the Hopski (picking just the first 5 games).

Oral Roberts train to shoot the ball - click link for article - they started off their season with each player getting 6 weeks to sink 20,000 jump shots (unlike say Indiana - where Archie required 20,000 defensive slides to defend the paint!).  This was not a one-off miracle day for ORU, the led the NCAA in free throw % this year (82.4%!!) as well as 3 pointers per game (11.4)!  They were built to beat a team like Ohio State that really only had a single inside threat - so matching up was not a problem.  What a win!  Certainly a spot in the Sweet 16 may not be a stretch for the Golden Eagles with Florida up next!!

In addition - it looks like Oregon State will be delivering the annual 12/5 upset victory - taking out the Tennessee Volunteers rather handily.  Yawn - a bit of a side note after the ORU victory.  Pac12 though looking good at 2-0 already!

Back to this year's Hopski.  129 entries received (and I presume all will be PAID in the next 48 hours!!).  Here's the breakdown of the Champions picked:

Gonzaga 60

Illinois 37

Michigan 13

Baylor 6

Alabama 3

2 for Texas and Houston and one each for Virginia, Iowa, Purdue, Ohio St, W Virginia & Rutgers.

Thus, hahahahahahaha - In Roy We Trust from Mark Iantosca (Connecticut Dad, JP Morgan VP and a once great Warsaw NBA point guard, now probably looking more like a center) becomes the FIRST ENTRANT to be eliminated from Hopski Champion contention.  That I believe is a Hopski record (5th game to be eliminated).  You da man Mark!!!   **get that entry fee in asap!!!

On a side note - as quite a few of you have Indiana ties one way or the other........

THE MASSHOLE HAS SPOKEN:

Boston Celtics head coach and Indiana native Brad Stevens reaffirmed on Friday that he is not considering the IU job.  I'm not a kid anymore. I'm a 44-year-old Masshole," Stevens said. "I swerve around on the road, eat Dunkin' Donuts and I root for the Patriots."

Yes - that is your Commish right at this moment getting off the couch knowing that Brad Stevens is NOT coming home to Indiana.........

Enjoy the rest of the day - I am off to The Patio to watch some games somewhere other than my living room with my dog and daughters.  Next blog update probably Saturday morning sometime.  I will try and update standings, etc... later this afternoon.  I really need to get the auto-updater thing working!!

2021 Hopski: Last minute article links and tips

We are less than 48 hours until GO TIME for this year's Madness!! ........getting hard to sleep (doh - that is due to stinkin' BOD meeting tonight from midnight to 3am PST.......)!

ENTRY DEADLINE FOR THE HOPSKI IS 12:30 EST FRIDAY!!!

CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT YOUR ENTRY

Some quick last minute tidbits!!  Read on......

1)  Scenario - you cannot think of a good entry name, so you use your last name with a number behind it OR WORSE - you use the same old tired entry name that you have used in your previous 10 Hopskis (this year - I will call out these entrants BTW)!!  This is BAD KARMA!!  BE LIKE POOH!!!

IF that does not work, well, give this great team by team best brackets entry name article a try - but try and be original even using this as a base.  Kudos to @MLutovsky on twitter for this creative genius piece of work!!!

2) Wait, did my picks really get entered........oh I'll just email the Commish and make sure

Nooooooooo!!!  Yes - every year there is a flood of these emails - not trusting the system!!  So - I will download and update the website at least 2-3 times per day Thursday and Friday up to the deadline.

All you need to do to verify your entry is "in" is to CLICK HERE!   If you see your name on this report - your entry is in!!  If it is not there, then check again in about say 4 hours (as it is a manual update that I will do).

3)  Do you love excel spreadsheets??!!

Then check out the KenPon website and use his analytics to maximize your Hopski expected entry value (just explained this concept to my 15 year-old)!!

4)  Lastly, when in doubt, let the mascots duke it out for your entry pick - fun article at SBNation:  2021 Mascot Death Match Bracket

Keep well and get that winning entry in ............

2021 Hopski International Pool.........It's (A)LIVE!!!!!

 

The 2021 NCAA Championship Brackets have been announced and the 2021 Hopski International NCAA Pool is LIVE!

Enter your picks anytime this week prior to the Friday, 12:30 EST tip-off of the 1st round games (YES - YOU READ RIGHT!) - 1st round games are pushed back a day this year and they are Friday and Saturday games for the first time in history!!  Thanks again COVID!!

Links to:  Hopski Pool Entry Page

Say Hey Wes Maciejewski - remember that your entry this year is FREE as you are the defending Toilet Bowl Champion from 2019!!

2021 Hopski International March Madness Pool Rules

Hopski Rules are as simple as this:

22nd Hopski International March Madness Pool - some basics and the rules:

The website address is the same as it is every year (yet I always receive anxious emails during Championship Week of "hey, I have a new email this year.  Are you still going to do the Hopski this year?"), so simply click here:  HOPSKI INTERNATIONAL POOL WEBSITE and create your entry any time up until this coming Thursday at 12:30 EST.

Scoring rules have not changed as there is something to be said for tradition and aside from that - turbo tourney is not so flexible.......

The entry fee remains at $30!!  More importantly, so I, errrrr, we can all feel somewhat productive or contributory as a result of this Madness of March, $5 of each entry fee will go to Great Lakes Outreach, a charity close to the Hopski heart that is working to build a better Burundi.  If the $5 seems paltry - GREAT!!  Click link to go to the Great Lakes Outreach and make a tax deductible and more than $50-) donation and your Hopski entry will be FREE (just let me know about it!).  Nothing like a bit of ingenuity towards making your Hopski participation tax deductible!!!

If not feeling generous to GLO - not a problem of course!!  Payment of $30 USD should be made PRIOR TO MARCH 21ST using one of the following methods:

1)  PAYPAL - use markhopski@yahoo.com, choose "PAYMENT TO A FRIEND OR FAMILY" so there are no fees deducted and lastly, reference your name if someone else's account, but do not reference pool or anything to do with gambling (paypal likes to suspend accounts for such things!);

2)  ZELLE bank transfer payment (using my email or cell, being 317 523 3988)

3)  VENMO - yes, the Hopski continues to evolve.  Use @Mark-Hopper-27

ALL 1ST TIME HOPSKI ENTRANTS MUST MAKE PAYMENT BY THURSDAY MARCH 18TH, MIDNIGHT EST.  For returning Hopski participants, a 3 day grace period is all that will be accepted - so deadline of Sunday the 21st at Midnight!  NOTE, it is well appreciated if you just make payment along with your entry and do not pull a Mark Iantosca or Brandon Snow on me and force me to send rabid emails for the next 3 weeks to get you to pull the trigger on a $30 payment!!  PLN and EURO options exist - just contact me privately.

Good Dancing.......

The Commish

**Here are the full rules of The Hopski

OFFICIAL RULES

1. HOW TO ENTER: Entries will be accepted by internet (PREFERRED) OR email through the start of the first tournament game, at 12:30 PM EST 18th March 2021.  A fully completed entry will include selections of the winners of all 63 games main bracket games (WE ARE IGNORING THE FIRST FOUR - MEANING YOU MAY WISH TO ENTER AFTER THEY ARE PLAYED SO AS TO DECIDE IF YOU WISH TO PICK THE WINNER OR NOT) as well as a prediction of the total combined points of the two teams in the championship game.  In each round after the first round, the selected winning team must have been chosen as a winning team in prior rounds (e.g. you cannot pick a first round upset and then pick the predicted losing team to win in a later round);

2. ENTRY NAME:  Please provide a fun name for your entry, aside from picking the #13 seed to win it all this is your best chance to enamor the field with your wit, charm and creativity.  Best entry name as voted on by pool entrants gets free entry next year to the Hopski.

3. ENTRY FORM:  PLEASE enter directly on the website, however, any bracketed form is acceptable if received before the deadline.

4. ENTRY FEE & PRIZE POOL:  An entry fee of $30 USD is required for each entry.  Prize Pool is split 60% to the winner, 25% to 2nd place, 10% to 3rd place and 5% for the 2nd chance pool.  $5 of each entry will go as a donation to Great Lakes Outreach.  Prize pool is 100% of collected entry fees less the GLO donation, less the Toilet Bowl and Best Entry Name and $29 for software and hosting (NOTHING FOR THE COMMISH - THE "LOVE OF THE POOL" CLAUSE).

5. PAYMENT REQUIRED BY THIS THURSDAY 9PM EST if you are a rookie or an unknown commodity to me!!  If your payment is not received, you will be booted out of the pool - NO EXCEPTIONS.  ALL RETURNING HOPSKI PARTICIPANTS get a 3 day grace period – so payment BY SUNDAY NIGHT!

6. USD ONLY PAYMENTS TO A FRIEND OR FAMILY VIA PAYPAL (WWW.PAYPAL.COM) using markhopski@gmail.com.  DO NOT REFERENCE ANYTHING RELATED TO MARCH MADNESS OR THIS POOL OR PAYPAL WILL SHUT ME DOWN!!!  JUST SIMPLY YOUR NAME as reference point and ensure $30 NET to the recipient - DON'T SHORT THE POOL!  I can also provide a PLN OR EURO account details for bank transfers, just email me.

7. SCORING:  Scoring will be calculated on the following basis for each entry:

First round (32 games) 1 point per correct pick; Second round (16 games) 3 points per correct pick; Regionals (8 games) 5 points per pick; Regional Final (4 games) 9 points per pick; Final Four (2 games) 17 points per pick; Championship 30 points for picking the winner;  MAX regular points is 220.

8. CINDERELLA BONUS POINTS:  This will be a VERY wide open year I think.  Ensure that you do not miss out on bonus points and pick a few upsets!!  Bonus points will be awarded for each victory by a team which has a lower seed than the team it defeats.  For example, say a #14 seed defeats a #3 seed:  the entry correctly forecasting this upset will receive 11 bonus points!  These bonus points are awarded for EACH VICTORY by a team with a lower seeding than the team which it defeats.  The bonus point system should make it more interesting for people to pick upsets AND be properly rewarded!!!  Examples of how this works:

Round 1:         #5 Purdue vs #12 Harvard -- John Doe picks Harvard

Harvard wins, John Doe would get points for underdog bonus.

Round 1:         #4 Tennessee vs #13 Colorado -- John Doe picks Colorado,

Tennessee wins, John Doe gets no points

Round 2:         Matchup is #12 Harvard vs #4 Tennessee

John Doe picked #12 Harvard over #13 Colorado.

THERE IS NO UNDERDOG RISK IN THIS GAME. HE IS PICKING A HIGHER SEEDED TEAM ON HIS SHEET therefore even if Harvard beats Tennessee, John Doe will get no underdog bonus points.

9. THE TOILET BOWL AWARD:  You can even win by losing!  The entry with the lowest point total receives free entry in next year's Hopski.

10.  SECOND CHANCE POOL!!  Included within your main pool entry fee is free entry into the 2nd Chance Pool as from the Round of 16.  Details will be on the website and you must enter by Thursday the 25th at 6pm EST to be eligible!!

11.  ALL DECISIONS OF THE COMMISSIONERS OFFICE ARE FINAL.  I CAN AND WILL BOOT ENTRIES NOT ADHERING TO THE MADNESS CODE OF HONOR (E.G. TRY AND WIN!!).

2021 Hopski International March Madness Pool: We're Back Baby!!!!!

Announcing the 22nd Annual Hopski International March Madness Pool!

I am sure that I speak for all of us when I say ........

Of course, nothing these days goes off without a hitch these days....... so aside from not recalling much at all about how to run this blogger thing (or if it works), I have a conflict with the Final Four weekend as we're taking a family trip to Death Valley in this thing:

Yes indeed - notice the lack of antennas or even a pop out big screen, so I will be missing the final weekend!  That said, it is not like I am going to be worried about missing this guy:

In my absence, long-time Hopski Auditor Jack Bell will step in and take the Hopski field home for that final weekend!  Barring any unforeseen disappearance, I will be back in civilization in time to make the payouts to this year's Hopski Champion on or about the 7th of April!

NOW - A FEW HOPSKI REMINDERS:

1. The website for entering the Hopski is the same as always and will be fully up and running Sunday evening after the tournament field is announced;
2. CLICK HERE to get to the Hopski Pool website with full instructions, including entering your picks;
3. The Hopski Blog Site:  https://thehopski.blogspot.com/ - bookmark this!!;
4. As always - the scoring system rewards underdog picks with UNDERDOG POINTS!!  Ignore this at your own peril - especially this year!!!;
5. The Hopski and its entrants continues to be a proud supporter of GREAT LAKES OUTREACH, a charity continuing to build a better tomorrow in Burundi!  $5 from every entry fee of $30 will be given to GLO;
6. HEY - make your Hopski Entry tax deductible!!!!  DONATE HERE directly to GLO in an amount of at least $50 and your Hopski entry is FREE - YES - FREE!!!  After you make the donation - drop me an email to confirm the amount and I will also match your donation!

OK - MORE INFO SHORTLY - BUT AT LEAST YOU CAN NOW SLEEP TONIGHT THAT THE 22ND HOPSKI INTERNATIONAL MARCH MADNESS POOL IS INDEED HAPPENING!!!

KEEP WELL!!

The Commish

Once again:  Hopski Pool Website (same as always):

  http://www.mysideline.com/u/2588/collegebbmens/default.htm