FINAL FOUR PREVIEW
There are four players who still have a chance to
win this
year’s tournament, and each has an equal chance to do so. There are
three games
and eight possible outcomes remaining, and of those eight outcomes, Jeff
Marlin, Angela Penney, Mike Stump, and Alicia Kellogg each lay claim to
two
victory scenarios. To see how you will finish based on each of the eight
scenarios, check out the new report I published, Tournament Scenarios
(at the
bottom of the page, you can scroll through each scenario).
Though only four players can still win, many more still have a chance for prizes. Additionally, since Charlemagne (me) is having a banner year and could finish as high as second place, an additional player could win a prize. The Dominator has informed that I cannot win a prize in my own tournament (and, trust me, you listen to someone who calls herself The Dominator), so if you are close to the top, pay attention to where Charlemagne finishes.
Now, a few words about each potential victor:
Jeff Marlin (Jeffrey T), from Highland, Michigan, has piggy-backed on the success of the Michigan State Spartans to make it to the Chippens version of the Final Four, but he needs the Spartans to keep winning to stay in contention. He will win the tournament if Michigan State beats either West Virginia or Duke. This is Marlin’s second year in the Chippens NCAA Tournament Challenge. Last year, he finished 28th in his rookie campaign.
Alicia Kellogg
(BrutalBrutis), of Lansing,
Michigan, has also benefited from MSU’s tournament
run. However, from now on, she needs to root for Duke. As Duke goes, so
goes
Brutis. Kellogg has competed in five of the last six Chippens
tournaments. Her
highest finish was 6th in 2005, and she currently ranks 10th
on the All-Time Average Place list. She’s also an expert at making
tie-dye
t-shirts, toilet-paper torches, and very scary masks.
Mike Stump (mstump), of Kalamazoo, Michigan, is one of two former champions vying to become the first-ever two-time Chippens Challenge champion. Stumper needs West Virginia to win the championship if he is to win as well. This is Stumper’s sixth-consecutive appearance in the tournament, and he’s now guaranteed to finish in the top 20 four consecutive years. His title year was 2008. Currently, he ranks 5th on the All-Time Average Place list.
Angela Penney
(WHAC), also of Kalamazoo, Michigan, is the other former champion with a
chance
to win the greatest prize in spectator sports twice. Penney won the
championship in 2006 with 113 points—the same total she has currently.
2006 was
also the other year of the big upsets, with George Mason advancing to the Final
Four. That year, not one player in the Chippens tournament picked
the right
champion. If that happens again this year, Penney will win again. She
needs
Butler to win the championship for her to win as well. Penney has
competed in
the tournament every year since 2002. Since 2005, her average place is
37.8.