Congratulations to Casey H 2, who leads the pool after Week Two with 84 points. Jackson Mills sits in second with 83, followed closely by Casey Hanna 2 at 82. BadBaker1 and Justin Hackney round out the top five, both with strong showings through the Elite Eight.

Special recognition goes to those who nailed the Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight perfectly or nearly so. A handful of brackets correctly picked all or most of the Elite Eight games, keeping their championship hopes alive heading into the Final Four. Michigan continues to be the most popular National Champion pick among the leaders.

Your humble pool commissioner (PeePop) improved slightly to 62 points but remains far from contention in 255th place. Easter family duties clearly took their toll on my bracket once again – embarrassing as always, but the games don't lie.

The first two rounds delivered plenty of surprises, upsets, and heartbreak. Many brackets that looked strong after Round One took hits in the Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight, while a few dark horses climbed the standings. With the Final Four approaching, the race for the top prizes is tightening.

As always, thanks to the Hansard Family and all perennial participants – the Gastons, Raleys, Scharbers, Finleys, Steinmans, Hozas, Kings, Pollards, Oldhams, Otwells, Thomases, Howards, Olsons and many more – for keeping this 38-year tradition strong. Extra appreciation to everyone who entered multiple brackets and helped grow the energy of the pool.

A few stragglers still owe entry fees. The tournament ends soon – you know who you are. Please get those paid before the final games or risk the Wall of Shame.

Enjoy the Final Four and good luck to everyone still in the hunt for prize money. Fortunes can still swing dramatically depending on how the last games play out.

Thanks for participating and see you at the finish.

Congratulations to Casey H 2, who has taken the outright lead after the Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight rounds with an impressive 84 points. Jackson Mills sits right behind at 83, followed closely by Casey Hanna 2 and BadBaker1, both at 82 points. Justin Hackney rounds out a very tight top five with 81. The top of the standings is bunched up tighter than I have seen in years, and with Michigan showing up as the National Champion pick on so many of the leading brackets, this thing is still anybody’s game heading into the Final Four.

A number of you had outstanding performances through the second weekend, correctly picking most or all of the Elite Eight games in a round that delivered its usual share of surprises, upsets, and heartbreak. The Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight were full of drama this year, and several brackets that looked strong after the first weekend took some big hits while a few dark horses climbed the ladder. If you click around on the standings page you can see exactly who nailed what and how many additional points are still possible depending on how the last few games shake out.

Your humble pool commissioner (PeePop) managed a slight improvement but still finds himself way down in 255th place with only 62 points. Between the big Easter family get-together and apparently terrible basketball instincts this year, I have once again embarrassed myself in front of 410 entrants. At this rate I may need to start my own separate “PeePop Wall of Shame” category. That’s March Madness for you — the games don’t lie, and neither does the standings page.

As in years past, a huge thank you goes out to the Hansard Family for their generous donations to this year’s pot, as well as to all the perennial participants who keep this 38-year tradition rolling strong: the Gastons, the Raleys, the Scharbers, the Finleys, the Steinmans, the Hozas, the Kings, the Pollards, the Hepburns, the Beutasses, the Bornhorsts, the Oldhams, the Otwells, the Thomases, the Howards, the Olsons, the Weisbeckers, the Armbrusters, the Contes, the Gessners, and all the new blood that helped keep the energy high. It is always great to see so many familiar names and a few fresh ones each year.

I always enjoy the clever aliases that keep popping up, and I will spend some time in next week’s final results page listing my favorites and sharing a few back stories I know about them. Stay tuned for that.

A handful of you still have not paid your entry fees. The tournament ends Monday night, so you know who you are. Please get those paid before the final game or you really will make the Wall of Shame page I created this year (check the About menu if you have not seen it yet). I have sent out another friendly reminder email to the stragglers.

One never knows where the Road to the Final Four might lead, and with the combinations still wide open a number of you are still very much in contention for the big money. If you click on the Combinations link above you can see exactly who is alive for first through fifth place under each possible National Championship scenario.

Enjoy the Final Four and the National Championship games, everyone. A lot can still happen in a very short time, and even if you are not doing as well as you hoped there are still several categories left where you might cash in. Good luck to all the contenders, and thanks again to everyone else for your generous donations that make this whole thing possible.

Thanks for participating this year and I will see you at the finish line.