We are now about 1 week away from the first 2024 NCAA Basketball Conference Tournament tipping off, and it is time to submit your pool picks! 😍
Included below is a detailed rundown of the rules, key dates, and payment information. Additionally, an excel sheet is attached that is to be filled out with your picks, and returned no later than 11:59p PST on Sunday, 3/3/24. No entries will be allowed after 11:59p PST on Sunday, 3/3/24, no exceptions. Well, one exception, as long as you let me know you're running late, I'll allow it. ⌚
Let's get started...
Making the NCAA Basketball Conference Tournaments a little more interesting for year number 14 in a row, below are the details of the pool where the goal is to pick the winner of each conference tournament. The game is very simple, all you do is pick who you think is going to win each of the 32 NCAA conference tournaments. 🏀
The entry fee will remain the same at $50 with the following payout structure:
- 1st place receives a 60% payout
- 2nd place receives a 25% payout
- 3rd place receives a 15% payout
- 4th place receives a free entry for the 2025 pool
- Rory & Webb have the free entry for 2024!
This pool has a very easy scoring system. The person with the combination of most correct picks, including bonus points, wins the pool. All ties in the standings are settled using the following tiebreakers:
- Overall total w/bonus points
- Total wins
- Accuracy
- Least amount of losses
- Closest SEC championship game total
Bonus points breakdown:
The bonus point scoring is super simple. For every 3 seed of lower conference tournament winner that you pick, you will be awarded 1 bonus point. In 2023, it was very chalky, as only 5 out of 32 conference tournament winners were a 3 seed or lower. Although it was a down year for lower seeded teams, getting bonus points is important if you want to win the pool.
Win money without winning the pool. Yes! 🤑
The pool is meant to be fun and keep people in it as long as possible, all the way to the last game played on Selection Sunday. No matter where you're at in the standings, you can still win money 4 different ways, even if you're outside the top 3. It's likely we'll have some ties, so the money gets split among all winners in the event of a tie. Technically, you can be towards the bottom of the standings on Selection Sunday, and still win every one of these categories.
1. Most bonus points - The person with the most total bonus points (picking 3 seed or lower winners) will win $150.
- In 2023, due to it being a down year for lower seeded team, this pot was split among 7 people.
2. Most power conference points - The person with the most power conference points (wins + bonus points) will win $150. The power conferences will be identified on the entry sheet for anyone unfamiliar with which 5 conferences are considered power conferences.
- In 2023, we had a single winner, Dan Sohler, with 4 points.
3. Lowest winning seed - The person who has the lowest winning seed conference tournament champion wins $150.
- In 2023, thanks to 8 seeded Texas Southern in the SWAC, 3 people split this pot.
4. Closest SEC championship game score - The person with the closest SEC championship game score wins $50. This is typically the last conference championship game, taking place on Selection Sunday, so even if you're in last place with no other wins you will have the opportunity to recoup your $50.
- In 2023, this was split among 5 people, including the person in last place.
As conference tournaments tip-off, and complete, at different dates between 3/4/24 - 3/17/24, I will post a daily blog, and standings updates via the links below. Make sure you save the below links, subscribe, and put it in your favorites so you're always up to date. Each year I try to send less e-mails, and use the blog more.
Blog Link
https://2024conferencetournamentchallenge.blogspot.com/
Standings Link
Here are the steps to enter the pool:
- Fill out the attached spreadsheet with the team you think will win each of the 32 conference tournaments using the dropdown provided for each conference.
- Do not forget to pick the total of the SEC championship game as that may be an important tiebreaker along with a payout if you are the closest, regardless of where you're at in the standings.
- Ensure your name (or nickname) is included along with your e-mail address
- E-mail me a copy no later than 11:59p PST on Sunday, 3/3/24.
- If filling out a spreadsheet is not for you, or you're attempting to use google sheets and it's not working, feel free to call, e-mail, message, WhatsApp, text or smoke signal me your picks.
It really shouldn't take longer than 5-10 minutes to fill everything out as I included a dropdown list for each conference to allow easy and accurate selections for that conference.
The seed numbers currently shown in the excel spreadsheet probably will change over the next few weeks as the regular season comes to an end at different dates for each conference. I will keep the seeds up to date on the master score sheet I send to the group.
I will send out a master spreadsheet with everyone's picks, known bonus points, and conference info prior to the first tournament championship game (Including my picks).
Payment information on where to send your $50. 💰
- Zelle (Preferred): Rick Donegan 630-885-2873
- Venmo: @Rick-Donegan
- Cashapp: $RickDonegan
- Address: 1140 Venetian Court; Naperville, IL 60540
- PayPal (Not preferred): rwdpeanut@gmail.com
Any non-payment, or attempt to arrange payment, by Sunday, 3/10/24 will result in your entry being removed and a permanent pool ban. I'm not going to spend my time chasing down money.
🚨 Reading this section is optional, but I highly encourage it! 🚨
If you are newer to the pool, or if you need a rundown of all the changes this season, this section will give you some insight and tips for making educated picks.
- Conference Tournament Seeding Changes
- The college basketball regular season is not yet over and teams are still jockeying for conference tournament seeding.
- Seed numbers may and likely will change between when you submit your picks and when a conference tournament tips off, impacting your possible bonus points and max points.
- Not Every Team Makes the Conference Tournament
- In some conferences, not every team will make the conference tournament and I will mark that team as DNQ in the dropdown when it is confirmed.
- While power conferences such as the SEC, B1G and ACC allow every team to participate, mid/low major conferences may cap participation to the top 4 or top 8 teams.
- I do my very best to reflect this in the dropdown by putting a "DNQ" next to the team, but similar to seeding, things could change between when you submit your picks and the conference tournament tipping off.
- Do your research if you're reaching for lower seeded teams, as you cannot change your pick if your team does not qualify.
- Ineligible Teams
- This one is fun as conferences are sometimes unclear and rulings are constantly change right up to conference tournament time.
- The NCAA, conferences and even the team itself can declare a team ineligible for a number of reasons (i.e. grades, cheating, conference realignment/changes, D1 reclassification waiting periods, etc.).
- Sometimes that means the ineligible team can participate in its conference tournament, but cannot advance to the NCAA tournament, while other times it means the ineligible team cannot even participate in its own conference tournament.
- Teams that are currently documented as ineligible for the post season have a "ineligible" designation in the dropdown.
- I can't get all of these 100% accurate as decisions are sometimes appealed and change all the way up to the conference tournament start date, please do your research if selecting an ineligible team.
- About 6 years ago we had Texas Southern marked as ineligible and 24 hours before the conference tournament they were deemed eligible and won its conference tournament. Alternativley, in 2021 we had a very popular pick, Stephen F. Austin, declared ineligible moments before the conference tournament tipped off.
- Currently, only 1 team is marked as ineligible, but that could change over the next few weeks. Do not pick this team! 😂
- UC San Diego (Big West)
- Conference Changes
- The number of conference changes for the 2023-24 season is more insane than previous years, I'll hit the majority of the changes, but I may miss a few.
- Only 1 team this season moved up from DII to DI, and is a new name to the pool:Le Moyne Dolphins (NEC)
- The American Athletic Conference looks completely different this year as they added 6 teams from Conference USA. Charlotte, Florida Atlantic, North Texas, UAB, and UTSA all joined the American Athletic Conference this season. However, they did lose 3 teams to the Big 12 which include Cincinnati, Houston, and Central Florida. The Big 12 also added BYU from the West Coast Conference this season.
- Conference USA did gain some new teams this year. Jacksonville State and Liberty moved over from the Atlantic Sun, while New Mexico State and Sam Houston moved over from the WAC.
- The Big South lost Campbell to the Colonial Conference, and Western Illinois moved from the Summit League to the Ohio Valley Conference.
- Finally, we lost 2 teams from Division I this year as Hartford officially moved to Division III, and St. Francis Brooklyn dropped all of its athletic programs.
For those of you that stuck around for all of that hopefully it helps, even if it means swinging 1 pick in your favor as that could be the difference between 1st and 5th place. Have fun making your selections this week as you comb through 362 teams!
