Information

The rules are basically the same as in previous years. See email for specifics. Points are awarded for correct picks in each round as follows:
 

The tiebreaker for first place is as follows:

1. Correct Champion
2. Most correct Final Four teams
3. Most correct Sweet Sixteen teams

The Rick Neuheisel Honorary Pool Entry

While they only planned to be in space a few days, Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore spent nine months at the International Space Station. According to them, this hasn't been a problem. They were busy with various tasks and experiments. And they were in space! But as the tournament approached there was urgency to get back to earth. You just can't reliably watch from the space station because their Xfinity cable keeps breaking. You know how long it takes get the cable guy to come out; and of course, they always come when you're out on a spacewalk. Anyway, it was time to head home and settle in for days of tournament watching. And of course, the most important reason for them to return is that I do not accept any pool entries from space. Alas, while Suni and Butch were in space it was tough to keep track of the teams, so they are going with chalk for their bracket and thus are the perfect selection for this year's honorary pool entry.

Honorary Pool Entries
Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, 2025
Kate Middleton, Princess of Wales, 2024
Chinese Spy Balloon, 2023
Mike Krzyzewski (non-satire), 2022
Dr. Tony Fauci (non-satire), 2021
The Coronavirus, 2020
Lori Loughlin, 2019
Rick Pitino, 2018
Brian Cullinan, 2017
Donald Trump, 2016
Brian Williams, 2015
Vladimir Putin, 2014
Manti Te'o, 2013
Kim Kardashian, 2012
Charlie Sheen, 2011
Tiger Woods, 2010
Rod Blagojevich, 2009
Bill Belichik, 2008
Al Gore (non-satire), 2007
Dick Cheney, 2006
Martha Stewart, 2005
Rick Neuheisel, 2004
George W. Bush, 2003

Pool Statistics and Results

Now, which teams should you pick? Well, thanks to my assiduous record keeping, I have statistics on all tournament games played since 1985, when the tournament went to 64 (well, now 68) teams, through the 2019 tournament. These results are listed my Tournament Statistics Page. Feel free to consult this page for any statistical guidance you may seek, or just for the heck of it. 

And you can also research team-by-team tourney stats for every team that has made the tournament since the field expanded to 64 teams in 1985 - what seed they had and how far they went in each year! Check it out within the Tournament Teams Page. 

Of course, it's not so much who actually wins the games, but who you pick to win the game. Do you want to see how you've done in the past, maybe decide you need a new strategy? Or just reminisce over great pools of yore?  Now you can! The complete breakdown of everyone who has been in the pool since 1990 - all entries from all participants through almost the entire history of the pool (records have been lost for the first year in 1989) are found in the Tournament Participants History Page.

Also, complete year-by-year final standings since 1990 and complete final summaries since 2001 are provided:

Complete Final Standings: 1990-1994, 1995-1999, 2000-2004, 2005-2009, 2010-2014, 2015-2019, 2021-2024
Complete Results Summary: 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004, 2003, 2002, 2001

Finally, you can check trends in pool participation and results with the Participation Summary 1990-2024 and the Points Summary 1990-2024.