ItÕs Jeffrey T Time
78 can still win prizes, 56 can still
win it all (Felton Howard Leads The Other 20)
PJ, Meh players to watch
Like many of the rest of
us, Jeffrey T
(Jeff Marlin) of Howell, Mich. had a hard Friday, losing the Missouri, Duke,
and Michigan games, all teams he had advancing at least to the Sweet 16. But
unlike any of the rest of us, Marlin compensated for that by winning the 13
other Sweet 16 games. His 13 Sweet 16 wins give him the most in the tourney,
and he now enjoys a 5-point lead. Marlin is in his fourth Chippens
season, and he put up impressive numbers in his first three years. He finished
2nd last year, 8th in 2010, and in his rookie year he finished 28th. He is
quickly establishing himself as a Challenge All-Star.
CalÕs Vacated 2012
Title (Emperor Ben DeHaan) reclaimed 2nd place
from Mama (Leta Corwin), who dropped to third. Captain (John Pasowicz), the day one leader, climbed 12 spots to 4th.
Third-year player and chemistry professor Nanoputian
(Brian Brennan) is in 5th. HeÕs followed by Julie Koz, hv
porter (sheÕs making a strong bid for the All-Time list), Just ChillinÕ, rookie player KB, and Doc Love to round
out the top 10.
Player Scenarios Posted
With 16 teams remaining,
almost 33,000 scenarios exist as to how the remaining games could play out. A
new report now available on the website, called Player Scenarios,
details each playerÕs best and worst possible finish points, and it tells you
who you should root for even if the team you picked has already lost.
As I was calculating how
each player would finish in each scenario with my abacus and slide rule, Felton Howard
(James Wylder), sent me a message. ÒI think I have
last place clinched,Ó he said. While he certainly could finish last, he could
also finish as high as 11th. According to the report, 78 players can still
finish in the top three to win a prize, and 56 players still have a shot at the
championship.
Of those 56, keep your eye
on PJ (PJ
Schroeder) and Meh
(Sara Jordan). In PJÕs first year in the tournament, way back when the
Challenge was a money pool (IÕm guessing 2003), PJ walked away with a nice
chunk of change. After some years of finishing in the middle of the pack, sheÕs
been back to her old form lately. SheÕs finished 12th in each of the last two
years, and sheÕs currently in 14th place. According to Player Scenarios, she is
second only to CalÕs Vacated 2012 Title in the number of scenarios that lead to
her winning a championship.
Meh is currently in 54th
place, but I think she is the only player who still has all of her Elite 8
teams. She will be rooting for Marquette on Thursday night in a key game
against Florida. Nineteen players have Marquette, and six have the Gators. If
you are not one of those 25, check out Player Scenarios to find out which team
to support.