Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

The first thing you should do is read the rules. There is no point in asking any questions until you are sure that you understand and agree with rules and are actually considering entering.

If, once you have read the rules, you still have questions, this is the Place to Be™.

General

  1. Who are you?
  2. Why are you doing this?
  3. Are you going to steal my money?
  4. How much are the prizes worth?
  5. Did people actually ask all these questions?

Signup

  1. How do I signup?
  2. What does "Referrer Email" mean?
  3. Why do you need my personal information such as address and phone number?
  4. What if I don't agree to the rules? Can I still sign up?
  5. Why can't I pay online? Do I really have to send you a check?

Scoring

  1. What if I can't use one of the online payment forms?
  2. How did you come up with the scoring system?
  3. How does the upset scoring work?

Entry Manager

  1. How do I create an entry?
  2. Is there a limit to the number of entries I can have?
  3. What does score and rank mean in the entry manager?
  4. Can I change my picks once I enter them?

Making Picks

  1. How do I make picks?
  2. Why can't I can't make picks? It doesn't seem to work for me.
  3. How do I change my picks?
  4. Can I pick all upsets?
  5. Can I pick all favorites?

Invite Friends

  1. What is the "Personal Message" box for?
  2. Can I invite anyone I want?
  3. Is there a limit to the number of people I can invite?
  4. Can I invite people without using the invite page?
  5. Where can I see a list of who has invited whom?

Forum

  1. If I post a message, where does it go? Who sees it?
  2. Is there a limit to the number of messages I can post?
  3. When will my message show up?
  4. What topics can I post a message about?

Bracket

  1. What do the different colors mean?
  2. What are the little numbers underneath each game in the bracket?
  3. Why doesn't the bracket look like a bracket?
  4. How often is the bracket updated?
  5. Who updates the bracket?
  6. Can I print out the bracket?

Current Leaders

  1. How often are the current leaders updated?
  2. Who updates the current leaders?
  3. Why are some of the entries in bold and some are not?
  4. Why are none of the entries in bold?
  5. What does the number to the right of the entries mean?

Recent Games

  1. How often are the recent games updated?
  2. Who updates the recent games?
  3. What do I do if I notice that a game has the incorrect results?

Technical

  1. Who programmed this site?
  2. Did you create the graphical design of the site?
  3. What software was used to make this site?
  4. How long did it take you to make the site?
  5. Can I have the source code so I can run my own site?

General

  1. Who are you?
    My name is Andy Uhl. Nice to meet you. Now, stop asking stupid questions.

  2. Why are you doing this?
    I am a web developer and a basketball fan. Besides, if I wasn't working on this site, I'd just be forced into cleaning something.

  3. Are you going to steal my money?
    Yes.

  4. How much are the prizes worth?
    I see you didn't read the rules. I'm making note of this.

  5. Did people actually ask all these questions?
    No, of course not. No one ever asks these questions. I made them all up. No, seriously, I made all of these up.

Signup

  1. How do I signup?
    On the left side of the screen, there is a box labeled "Login/Signup". At the bottom of that box is the word [Signup]. Click it.

    You should be presented with a form requesting your information. Fill it out completely beacuse all fields are required. Click the signup button and that's it.

    If there is a problem with your information, you will be notified. Simply correct the problem and click signup again.

  2. What does "Referrer Email" mean?
    This is the email address of the person who referred you to the site. You cannot signup without a valid referrer email address.

    If you received an email invitation, it is in the email. If someone simply told you about the site and failed to give you their address, you will have to contact them directly and chastise them for their inability to follow simple directions.

  3. Why do you need my personal information such as address and phone number?
    Because we are dealing with money it's important that I know who everyone is. If you win, your information will be needed to receive your prize. If you don't feel comfortable giving your information, then I hope you're also comfortable with not playing.

    Please note that the only information that will be publicly available on the site is your name, city, and state. All other information—including your email address—will be kept private.

  4. What if I don't agree to the rules? Can I still sign up?
    You can try.

  5. Why can't I pay online? Do I really have to send you a check?
    Unfortunately, yes. Paypal and other such payment providers do not allow transactions related to sports and betting. Plus, even if they did allow it, they like to take a cut of the payments. If I were to suffer Paypal's charges for 200 entries, it'd cost me way too much and I'm just not that generous. In fact, I'm cheap. Really cheap.

    I've thought about ignoring PayPal's rules and just raising the entry fee to cover the cost to Paypal but then the different payment options (check vs. Paypal) would have different entry fees and that would be really confusing. And frankly, I don't think any of you people can handle such difficult decisions. Remember, I've seen your brackets, you all make bad decisions.

    In conclusion, send me a check. Or give me cash, but really, I prefer the check. Whatever you do, when you submit your payment, please include a copy of the payment sheet.

    Also note that it's ok to give your money to one of my authorized money-grubbers. Who you will give it to depends on where you live. If you need to arrange to send money in this way, go ahead and email me and I will help get you setup.

Scoring

  1. How did you come up with the scoring system?
    I came up with the point values for the rounds in 2003 and it worked out pretty well. In 2006, I altered it slightly. The original sequence was based on the fibonacci sequence which I think worked pretty well. It did seem to promote a lot of ties, however. So last year, I just subtracted one from the round values. As for the upset points, they are a fairly common scoring system for these types of pools.

  2. How does the upset scoring work?
    Ok, it's easy. Anytime a team with a higher seed beats a team with a lower seed, upset points are awarded. (Please note that the best teams have the lowest seeds. Low seed = good.)

    If you pick a first round upset, you get the standard point value for a correct pick in the first round plus the upset value (the difference in seeds) of that pick.

Entry Manager

  1. How do I create an entry?
    First, make sure that you are logged in. Not signed up yet? Go do that first.

    Now, once you're logged in, you should have a box on the left of your screen labeled "Personal Manager". In that box, click on the "Entry Manager" link.

    At the bottom of that page, there will be a box labeled "Create New Entry". Figure it out yet? No? Ok, pick a name for this entry. This can be anything you want. Something funny, something simple, something supporting your favorite team. It must be unique, however. Type it in and press "Go".

    The entry will be added to your list of entries in the "Your Entries" box.

    To edit the picks for your entry, simply click the name of the entry you wish to work on and go from there.

  2. Is there a limit to the number of entries I can have?
    You are only limited by the size of your bank account. And because the entries are only $3 each, I'd say that makes your limit pretty high.

  3. What does score and rank mean in the entry manager?
    These indicate your score and rank in the tournament. Higher scores and lower rankings are better. Entries that have not been paid for will not have a ranking. They will, however, have a score. (This is to taunt you by showing you what could've been if only you weren't so damn cheap!) Keep in mind that you cannot win a prize for an entry that has not been paid for.

  4. Can I change my picks once I enter them?
    Yes. You may adjust your picks until 3/18/2010 12:15 PM EDT.

Making Picks

  1. How do I make picks?
    Go to the Entry Manager. You make or edit your picks by clicking on the entry name that you wish update. You will then be presented with a screen that shows a bracket of the Final Four games, the semi-finals, and the final game. To make picks for a region, click on the region name.

    To choose a team as a winner, click their name. They will be promoted to the next round. If you change your mind, click a different team and they will be promoted instead.

  2. Why can't I can't make picks? It doesn't seem to work for me.
    Javascript is required for the picks to work properly. If you have an older browser or your Javascript is turned off, you will not be able to make your picks online.

    For more information or assistance, email me.

  3. How do I change my picks?
    Changing picks is done the same way as making your initial picks. From the Entry Manager, choose the entry you would like to edit. Click on a region to edit and click on team names to advance them.

  4. Can I pick all upsets?
    You are free to do what you want. However, it should be known that I have never seen a bracket of all upsets win a tournament like this. During the first round or two, you would likely have a very high score as the upsets are worth a lot more points in relation to the games themselves. However, as the tournament wears on and the games are worth more, others would catch up.

    Also note that in the standings there will be two automatically-generated brackets: "SEED MAN" and "UPSET MAN". SEED MAN always picks the lower seed to win. In the final four, he starts picking based on which of the #1 seeds is rated higher. UPSET MAN picks all upsets except for #1 and #2 seeds. In the final four, he picks the lowest seeded/ranked teams to win.

  5. Can I pick all favorites?
    Do as you like, but once again, you probably will not win. Upsets play a major factor in scoring as there are upsets every year. If you ignore them, you will probably lose.

    Also, please note that in the era of the 64-team NCAA tournament, there has never been a year when all four #1 seeds made it to the Final Four. Hope that helps.
    UPDATE: This happened for the first time in 2008. Thanks a lot North Carolina, Kansas, Memphis, and UCLA. Jerks.

Invite Friends

  1. What is the "Personal Message" box for?
    This allows you to put in a note to your friends that will be included in the email that is sent out by the system. This hopefully will help them realize that it's not just spam they are receiving. It is also an excellent place to start the trashtalking.

  2. Can I invite anyone I want?
    Anyone you like as long as you know them. Please do not post the link on a message board somewhere and allow strangers to join. This is a pool for friends. In order to get in, you must know someone. Of course, the people you invite are free to invite their friends as well.

  3. Is there a limit to the number of people I can invite?
    No. Just so long as you know them all. No public invitations please!

  4. Can I invite people without using the invite page?
    Yes. Simply give them the address and tell them to check it out. Also, you must remember to give them the email address you signed up with. If they do not have a valid referrer address, they will not be able to signup.

  5. Where can I see a list of who has invited whom?
    The participants page in the main menu has such a list. It contains a list of all the users in the system ordered hierarchically based on who invited whom. Additionally, it shows the number of paid entries that each person has in the pool.

Forum

  1. If I post a message, where does it go? Who sees it?
    All messages are posted in the forum section of the site. Everyone who comes to the site will be able to read and respond to it. That's part of the fun.

  2. Is there a limit to the number of messages I can post?
    No.

  3. When will my message show up?
    It will be visible on the message board immediately after you post it.

  4. What topics can I post a message about?
    You can talk about anything you want. You can comment on the games, the referees, how well you're doing, how poorly you're doing, how poorly John is doing, or how your dinner was last night. Whatever you want to talk about is free game.

Bracket

  1. What do the different colors in the bracket mean?

    • Picks in black represent the picks you made for games which have not been played yet.
    • Picks that have been turned red and marked out are incorrect picks.
    • Picks that are in blue are the correct picks that you didn't make, dummy.
    • Picks that are in green are your picks that are correct.
    • Any other colors indicate that you are on some sort of hallucinogenic drug.

  2. What are the little numbers underneath each game in the bracket?
    Those numbers indicate the point value for picking that game correctly. This includes the point value for the round plus any upset bonus that may apply.

  3. Why doesn't the bracket look like a bracket?
    The brackets rely heavily on the use of Cascading Style Sheets (CSS). If your browser is outdated, it's possible that the CSS will not work on your browser and your bracket will look nothing like a bracket.

    I have tested the pages with the most popular modern browsers and they work for me. Internet Explorer can be a little finnicky, however. If the site is not working properly for you, I urge you to upgrade your browser as you'll make the life of web developers everywhere much easier. Here are some links to some free browsers get you started on your upgrade:

  4. How often is the bracket updated?
    The bracket is updated whenever a game finishes.

  5. Who updates the bracket?
    The bracket is updated automatically. There are no people involved.

  6. Can I print out the bracket?
    Yes, of course. Assuming your browser is capable, the brackets page should print out slightly differently than what you see on the screen. This is intentional as it is difficult to fit the bracket on one printed page.

    In fact, if you do print the bracket, be sure to set your margins to be as small as possible so the bracket has the most room to print on. It is likely that the printout will span two pages. Sorry, there's not much I can do about that. Believe me, I tried. Maybe you should get a nicer printer rather than blaming me. Jerk.

Current Leaders

  1. How often are the current leaders updated?
    The current leaders will be updated after each game result comes in.

  2. Who updates the current leaders?
    The current leaders are updated automatically.

  3. Why are some of the entries on the leaderboard in bold and some are not?
    Those are your entries dummy! Didn't you recognize the names? You should be penalized points for asking this question.

  4. Why are none of the entries on the leaderboard in bold?
    Because you are terrible at making a bracket! Your picks are abyssmal, of course none of the entries are in bold. Sheesh!

  5. What does the number to the right of the entries on the leaderboard mean?
    That's the entry's current score, brainiac.

Recent Games

  1. How often are the recent games updated?
    The recent games are updated in almost real time. Every few minutes, the scores are automatically updated from a leading news source.

  2. Who updates the recent games?
    No one, it's done automatically. Trust me, I'm not sitting around watching every game... oh wait, yes I am. But I'm not updating the scores.

  3. What do I do if I notice that a game has the incorrect results?
    First, check to make sure you're not mistaken. Go to www.espn.com or some other online sports news outlet and check our score against theirs. If there is a discrepancy, you can send me an email or you can post a message. I will see it and fix the problem as soon as possible.

    Once a problem has been found and corrected, the scores and leaderboard will be updated to reflect the change.

Technical

  1. Who programmed this site?
    I did. (See General question #1.)

  2. Did you create the graphical design of the site?
    Not really. I pulled most of the elements out of the old default skin for Winamp. I turned it into a web page, though. Want to redesign the site for next year? Go ahead! You might even get a free entry on the house!

  3. What software was used to make this site?
    I use UltraEdit to edit all of my code.

    The pages are written in PHP, an open source web scripting language. More information can be found on their website.

    I am using MySQL for the database backend. MySQL is "the world's most popular open source database."

    The images that I made myself were done with Adobe Photoshop.

    If you have any other questions, feel free to email me.

  4. How long did it take you to make the site?
    I no longer keep track. When I originally made the site (for the 2003 tournament), it took me about 30 or 40 hours of work. The 2004 site took about half of that and now it only takes me a couple of hours because I'm re-using so much from previous years (including the design).

  5. Can I have the source code so I can run my own site?
    If you really want it, you can have it. However, it'd probably be pretty difficult to setup your own site using my code unless you are pretty familiar with web development.

    If you're really interested in it, though, email me and I'll see what I can do.

1.Beer picks235 $154.43
2.ARJuke210 $77.22
2.Greg Lange 2210 $77.22
4.queenfranrules209 $74.13
5.Restricted Free Agent205 $61.77
6.More S202 $52.51
7.Bill 4200 $46.33
8.Cincinnati Reds194 $27.80
9.bw_Belly Flashers Club193 $24.71
10.Your Love is Like Lab Medicine192 $21.62
11.JeanK188 $9.27
#5  Butler  59
#1  Duke « 61
Final: Mon, 4/5
No upcoming games.

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