Bruce Moon has been running an NCAA tournament pool since 1980, usually with the assistance with his life-long friend Jim Sweeney. In recent years, the pool's entry forms have been hosted on Sweeney's company website (Virtual Light, Inc.) or that of his wife, artist Janet Bothne. Many thanks to them both.
Although records from the early years are incomplete, past winners are believed to have included Bruce Moon, Al McGuire, and Queen Elizabeth. (Warning: memory fades with age. This list may be in error.) Results from this century can be obtained here: 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008. The pool went on hiatus in 2006 while Moon was in China.
The pool has always embraced the philosophy of "the more, the merrier". We particularly welcome those who know absolutely nothing about basketball and, especially, those WHO DO NOT COMPLAIN ABOUT THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE POOL, including grammatical errors, typos, and insensitive commentary about the participants.
Newcomers are always welcome. Multiple entries are encouraged, but please use different names to avoid confusion. Deceased pets are especially welcome, as they have generally outperformed their humans.
Any questions can be directed to Bruce Moon . No phone calls, please.
1. As always, the more the merrier.
2. As a matter of principle, this pool does not recognize the "play in" game used to determine the 64th team in the tournament. The tournament begins on Thursday, March 19.
3.The pool is conducted in two stages. In the first, one must predict the first weekend's games (rounds 1 and 2) plus, as bonus picks, the advance winners of the four regionals. The entry deadline is Thursday, March 19, noon EDT. See above for the URL where you record your picks. The second stage, the entries for which are due Thursday, March 26 (noon EDT), covers the remainder of the tournament. Second stage entries are not bound by first stage picks.
4. Entry fee is $3.00, which can be left for Bruce Moon in a variety of ways - under his door in Maginnes Hall (208), in the International Relations office (Maginnes 207), or collected by designated pool officials in regional offices. The single entry fee covers both stages.
5. The winner is determined by total points. Points are earned for correct picks as follows:
| Round 1 1
point Round 2 2 points Regional bonus 5 points |
Regional semis 4 points |
6. The first-place finisher wins 75% of the pool. The second place finisher wins 25%. The entry with the highest number of correct upsets and the highest percentage of correct upset picks wins the respect and admiration of everyone. Moon makes every effort to supply the winner with an authentic Final Four T-shirt, purchased inside the arena, but there are no guarantees since travel plans are uncertain.