BIG BLUE HOLDS OFF THE HUSKIES:  With #1 Michigan’s 69-63 ouster of #2 UConn in Monday’s whistle-heavy grinder of a finale, Michael Nool (1st, 90 pts) outlasts Husky-hopeful David Heck (9th, 81 pts) to claim the crown for Pool 2026.  Nool led the pack of 20 poolsters to predict the Wolverine title, while Heck and Anne Gatchel (17th, 76 pts) alone foresaw the Michigan-UConn final pairing.

Our 2026 Payroll:

$650       Michael Nool         90
$300       UMBCBrettski 2     88
$200       Mahak Gupta         85
$100       Gerald Smith          83 (136 pts, +4)
$70         Diana Murray         83 (154 pts, +22)
$50         Sue Ahlborn          83 (100 pts, -32)

Rolling out of Indy as this year’s caboose queen, long-time poolster Annie Grosz (138th, 41 pts) leaves with money-back voucher in hand as our last-place finisher.  Doomed by a plausible but decisively wayward final foursome of #2 Houston, #2 Iowa State, #3 Gonzaga, and #5 St. John’s, Grosz took the collar on this year’s entire Elite Eight and found herself perma-planted in the cellar the rest of the way.

Congrats to all the winners!  That’s all, folks!

Fresh off the presses...

SAVING THE BEST FOR LAST:  After lulling hoops fans into a sofa slumber with #1 Michigan’s snoozer over #6 Tennessee, Sunday’s action kept the valium drip on max as #1 Duke pounded #2 UConn into a deep halftime hole in the weekend finale. It didn’t take long for Tourney 2026 to flip the script, however, as it ultimately delivered one of the most euphoric, heart-pounding finishes in its long, storied history.  As Braylon Mullin’s last-second heave from 35 feet found nothing but nylon for the Huskies, the despondent #1 Dukies were left frozen in disbelief as the first #1 seed ever to blow a 15-point halftime lead… a streak that had spanned 134 games.  Poolside, no one in the field of 138 managed to predict this year’s motley cast of #3 Illinois, #2 UConn, and #1-seeds Zona and Michigan, as Indy’s final foursome strayed just enough off the chalk line to avoid capture.

Current leader Tyler Birchmeier (1st, 80pts, 11FPL) led the group of eight poolsters that locked in three of this year’s final four.  Although TB will clinch a pay slot should #1 Arizona reach next Monday’s Indy ender, his opening-weekend loss of chip pick Florida proved too heavy a load in his quest to win this year’s crown.  Just four elite powerhouses are left in contention for this year’s title:  

Michael Nool (3 of 8): Needs a Michigan/Illinois title game, or a Michigan win over UConn.
Wehrms (2 of 8):  Needs Illinois and Zona to meet in the title game.
Diana Murray (2 of 8): Needs UConn and Zona to meet in the title game.
David Heck (1 of 8): Needs UConn to beat Michigan in the title game.  

Congrats to the 19 of us who still have a shot at a money slot.  National semifinals kick off in Indy on Saturday with the national final to follow on Monday.

Tyler Birchmeier takes over our top spot for now, but he won't have his champ Florida in tow when he gets to Indy.  Final payout scenarios for Pool 2026 are in process...

Don't know if it's possible to surpass Hill-to-Laettner in '92, but Braylon Mullins and UConn just delivered an ender for the ages.  #2 UConn takes the East!

#1 Michigan is in.  Current leader Nool staying strong… his chip pick Wolverines now safely into the final weekend.  With a Duke win, Nool will join Rigo DeLeon as the only two to paint the bullseye on this year’s FF.

#1 Arizona joins #3 Illinois on the Indy docket, and Nool is our new leader heading into Sunday!  Zero FPL… it’s now his pool to lose.

#3 Illinois nabs the first FF ticket to Indy.  Labuda and Nool now 1-2 on the leaderboard.  Labuda will extend with a Boiler win.  Nool will overtake Labuda if it’s Zona.

SIZZLIN’ SEMIS: 56 games are in the books… just seven to go.  #1 Duke, #2 UConn, and #2 Purdue all survived last-minute death scares in regional semifinal action, while top seeds Zona and Michigan continued their largely uncontested stroll through their respective regions.  Despite the presence of three 1-seeds, this year’s Elite Eight answer key proved satisfyingly unpredictable with the disruptive trio of #3 Illinois, #6 Tennessee, and #9 Iowa.  While 45 poolsters (33%) foresaw the Illini’s trouncing of #2 Houston in the South, only six entrants (4%) managed to advance the Vols past wounded #2 Iowa State in the Midwest.  Congrats to top-tier standout Diana Murray (7th, 66pts, 4FPL), the only one to ink both.  The entire field of 138 whiffed on the Hawkeyes’ improbable run from sweet to elite.

Former opening-round leader Cliff Burton (1st, 70pts, 15FPL) has been paddle-shocked back from his Florida-induced flatline, riding the semifinal strength of #2 UConn and #6 Tennessee to temporarily leapfrog former front-runners Angelica Vincenti (5th, 68pts, 17FPL) and UMBCBrettski2 (2nd, 69pts, 9FPL).  But make no mistake— Dukie Mike Labuda (3rd, 68pts, 0FPL) and Michigan man Michael Nool (6th, 67pts, 0FPL) share the inside track heading into the regional finals. The highest-ranked contenders with clean Final Four pick sheets, Labuda and Nool will grab hold of the top slots on the leaderboard should #3 Illinois fork conference bro #9 Iowa in today’s opener.  Fortunes will soon diverge for our power duo, however, as tonight’s Zona/Purdue ender will leave only one with the chance to distance himself from the pack.  

The Final Four will be buckled in by the end of tomorrow’s action, with the final payout scenarios for Pool 2026 to be released soon after.  With 78% of chip picks still in play, competition for a pay slot remains fierce.

Everyone in the Top 10 landed #3 Illinois in the Elite Elite last night.  Tonight's #3 MSU vs #2 UConn match-up will be mammoth... time to separate the pretenders from the contenders.

@ UMBCBrettski:  ;-P  End of SC/Kentucky... two-second whiplash ride from max elation to peak agony.  Classic March.

WEEKEND IN REVIEW:  Highlighting an opening weekend decidedly skewed toward the faves, Sunday night’s slate finally tossed some red meat to the mob with a delicious downing of defending champ #1 Florida.  With 12 of the top 16 seeds holding serve into the regionals, the Gators are joined by fellow underachievers #3 Gonzaga, #3 Virginia, and #4 Kansas in the coroner’s cooler.  With 56% of the pool field having predicted the emergence of #5 St. John’s in the East, Tourney 2026 has matched its predecessor in delivering just three upset specials in the Sweet Sixteen:

#9 Iowa: Picked by 2 (1%)
[Daniel Labuda (68th), Val Kundmann (89th)]

#11 Texas: Picked by 6 (4%)
[Angelica Vincenti (4th), Jon Pranian (5th), Grunk (29th), BernerMom (56th), Diego Boiler (78th), Val Kundmann (89th)]

#6 Tennessee: Picked by 28 (20%)
[Top 3: UMBCBrettski2 (1st), Nolan Harley (2nd), James Mosley (3rd)]

Poolside, the tenacious UMBCBrettski2 (1st, 54pts, 15FPL) sits atop an extremely competitive field in which a meager 4-point margin separates the top 20 poolsters.  Brettski’s field-best second-round tally of 28 points was matched only by fellow heavyweights James Mosley (3rd, 53pts, 6FPL) and Angelica Vincenti (4th, 53pts, 12FPL).  Weighed down by the loss of Elite Eight pick #3 Gonzaga and national runner-up flop #1 Florida, Michigan-backer Brettski will be facing stiff crosswinds on her remaining tightrope to Indy.  A daunting pack of low-FPL’ers is primed to pounce, spearheaded by Cyclone-backer Nolan Harley (2nd, 53pts, 3FPL), Zona hopefuls Yukon Bloughmie and David Harley (7th, 51pts, 3FPL), and Dukie diehards Gerald Smith and Mike Labuda (12th, 50pts, 3FPL).

Despite our first forking of a one-seed, Pool 2026 remains a wide-open affair with 89% of chip picks yet to flatline.

Regional semifinal action resumes on Thursday… with bluebloods aplenty.

POWER PICK ALERT:  #2 Houston is underway in the South.  Jay Fina (81st) and 2-time champ Michael Johns73 (104th) are the only two with the #10 Aggies.

POWER PICK ALERT: #1 Duke about to tip off in the East.  Val Kundmann (109th) is the only one with #9 TCU here.  Looking to turn the pool upside-down....

UPSET TRACKER:  Tourney 2026 raced out of the gate in stellar form on Thursday, delivering four double-seeded advancers in a satisfying slate of opening-day action. Friday’s pop-topper sent the bedlam index shooting further north, as #7 Kentucky’s buzzer-beating banker secured the unlikeliest of overtimes and the eventual besting of #10 Santa Clara. Unfortunately, a decided shift toward sanity ruled the rest of the way as 14 of 16 faves ultimately held serve. As Friday’s subdued drama drew to its midnight close, the opening stanza of 2026 had inked a total of eight lower-ranked victors, but with a notable asterisk… half of them were 9-seeds.  Here’s the full docket of opening round upsets, from least-to-most predicted:

#12 High Point over #5 Wisconsin: Picked by 20 (14%)
[Top 3: Cliff Burton (1st), UMBCBrettski (2nd), Michael Bonin (4th)]

#11 Texas over #6 BYU: Picked by 34 (25%)
[Top 3: Cliff Burton (1st), Rob Dietrich (4th), Sue Ahlborn (9th)]

#10 Texas A&M over #7 St. Mary’s: Picked by 46 (33%)
[Top 3: Cliff Burton (1st), UMBCBrettski (2nd), Rob Dietrich (4th)]

#11 VCU over #6 North Carolina: Picked by 52 (38%)
[Top 3: Cliff Burton (1st), UMBCBrettski (2nd), Wehrms (2nd)]

#9 TCU over #8 Ohio State: Picked by 56 (41%)
[Top 3: Cliff Burton (1st), UMBCBrettski (2nd), Wehrms (2nd)]

#9 St. Louis over #8 Georgia: Picked by 78 (56%)
[Top 3: Cliff Burton (1st), UMBCBrettski (2nd), Wehrms (2nd)]

#9 Utah State over #8 Villanova: Picked by 79 (57%)
[Top 3: Cliff Burton (1st), UMBCBrettski (2nd), Wehrms (2nd)]

#9 Iowa over #8 Clemson: Picked by 89 (64%)
[Top 3: Cliff Burton (1st), UMBCBrettski (2nd), Wehrms (2nd)]

Heading into the weekend’s back half, Cliff Burton (1st, 30 pts) is enjoying the view from the top bunk of the bus, having missed the mark on just #10 UCF in the East and two-step hopeful #12 Akron in the Midwest. The road ahead may prove bumpy for Burton, however, as he is joined by only Maegan Dietrich (129th, 22pts) in predicting a Final Four berth for darkhorse #6 Tennessee.  One of 20 poolsters to post #12 High Point in the opening round, Burton will be keeping his jewels on the butcher’s block tonight as he threatens to be the lone poolster to pull the Panthers into the Sweet 16.

While Pool 2026 is still in its early stages, several zero-FPL power players in our Top 10 have already established themselves as the lead dogs for their respective caravans: UMBCBrettski (2nd/28pts/Duke), Wehrms (2nd/28pts/Zona), Sue Ahlborn (9th/27pts/Michigan), Brian Mroozian (9th/27pts/Purdue), and Nolan Harley (9th/27pts/Iowa State).  

The first big has yet to fall. Time to bring the bloodshed…

Congrats to Bass Cliff on an impressive 30/32 round 1 to set the furious pace out of the gate!  Some almost just as gaudy 28/32's to round out the top 10.  

Distribution of the fields Final Four picks...
https://ncaa.hxjam.net/content/moneypix2026.pdf

SETTING THE TABLE:  Off we go!  Gone are the horrifying memories of a chalky Tourney 2025 that planted all four 1-seeds in the Final Four.  It’s a new year, flush with the promise of a return to the carnage of years gone by.  Hoops Nation is strapped in, hungry, and eyeing only one offering on the March menu… a heaping plate of mayhem.  Poolside, we’ll be 138 strong for Tourney 2026 with the following schedule of payouts: 1st $650, 2nd $300, 3rd $200, 4th $100, 5th $70, 6th $50.  As always, if you’re riding in the caboose at journey’s end—you’ll ride for free.  

Two-time pool champ Jon Pranian (2001/2025) is back in the fold for 2026, and he’ll be looking to ride an Arizona/Michigan State finale to an unprecedented third pool title.  Here’s a quick glance back at those who claimed a cash spot in Pool 2025:

• Jon Pranian    101
• Steve Harley    99
• David Heck 98
• MIDI Alvarez 97
• Mahak Gupta 96  
• Brad Siwek 94

While the field of 138 has coronated 1-seeds Arizona and Duke as consensus co-faves for Tourney 2026, little respect has been given to the top-seeded Gators in the South. Pool 2025 stand-outs David Heck (3rd) and MIDI Alvarez (4th) highlight the group of only nine entrants (6.5%) who expect defending champ Florida to nab the nylon in Indy.  Meanwhile, two-time champ Chris Lyons (2003/2017) paid a savvy visit to the value bin for his championship pick as one of only three poolsters to predict a chip for #2 Iowa State out of the Midwest.

Who's got a perfect bracket so far?   This guy....

"This tik-tok generation, no attention span, no focus..."   Me on opening weekend...