BREAKING NEWS! Mandatory Drug Tests required for Young Family NCAA Bracket Challenge 2010

This just in... amid the OBVIOUSLY INCORRECT allegations against Bradley Young and his apparent "drug use" that leads him to be a BALLER at the bracket challenge in 2009, the Board of the Young Family Bracket Challenge has implemented a new policy to take affect in 2010.

All participants, included but not limited to anyone with a connection to the Young family, no matter their race, age, sexual orientation, gender, or beliefs will be tested for drugs preceding the Young Family Challenge.

The test will require turning in a urine sample, blood sample, a hair follicle, a recent head shot photo, and $30. Tests will screen for steroids, HGH, milk, precognition (click here to explain), NyQuil, Bud Select, Starbucks, Pepsi, coffee, Sprite Zero, wine, and Mt. Dew. The tests will NOT screen for the "badassness" gene primarily found within the Young Family... nor Diet Pepsi.

"I think that it's an excellent idea," says Heather Abbott, 2008 winner and recent addition to the Young Family Bracket Challenge Board (See Rule #3 below). "And I'm glad I won before it became mandated -- 'cause now you can never prove anything."

In order to be fair and to protect the sanctity of this event and to avoid future issues such as this to occur, the Young Family Bracket Challenge Board finds this more than fair and will implement this rule in 2010.

** Rule 3 -- Past winners become Board Members following their victory. Brad is only a Board Member because he began and implemented the Challenge.

Bradley Young: Response

"I am completely and utterly in disgust over the allegations made earlier stating that I cheat and take steroids. I am here to clear the air and set the record straight: I have done nothing wrong.

As a true sportsman, I love sport and I have always been an advocate of truth to the game. To insinuate that I, in any way, shape or form have taken away from sport is appalling. To suggest that I would cheat is disgusting and truly an attack at my character.

Instead, it seems that this alleged report is a personal attack towards me. It is saddening to think that someone would would publish such slander and expect to be believed. Those who are involved know the type of person I am and know that such allegations are fabricated and outrageous.

I will go through the publication and point out misrepresentations: "Many have cried and voted against allowing Mr. Young from participating and possibly winning both challenges, citing favoritism, cheating, and the fact that Mr Young is on the board RUNNING the Young Family Challenge."
-- No such comments were made. The only comments made were claiming that "He sucks" and "Brad should not be eligible to win two bracket challenges in a row" There is no mention of cheating, favoritism nor my position as the creator of the Bracket Challenge. Instead this is just a made-up accusation.

"Some have disclosed the possible use of substances for "bulking up" via steroids." -- This was an allegation made only by the writer, as I have confirmation that he did not speak with any other members of this challenge in regards to my victory in the USA Baseball challenge.

"Sadly, when calling for a statement, the Brad Young camp could not be reached." -- Also untrue, the phone call made to my cell phone by the writer was at 1:14 PM, the article proclaiming Brad's victory in his work pool was written at 1:39 PM. Therefore the call was completely and totally unrelated to this news.

Also, as questioned to coincide with the drug-use allegations are my calves. I apologize for my beastly, amazing and ridiculously large calves and their affect on people. However, if for one second you would like to bring my calves into question to tie them in with possible steroids talk, I implore you to take 4 years of marching band -- one of which was spent as drum major where you were marching backwards on your tip-toes -- and then see how ridiculous your calves get.

Again, I find this disgusting and discerning and I call for an apology and retraction from the writer."

Until then, precautions must be made towards this obviously false allegation and the board of the Young Family NCAA Bracket Challenge 2009 will evaluate the situation and will then pass judgment that is not limited to suspension, disqualification, or a beat down on the writer claiming Brad Young is a cheat.

Favorite in NCAA 2009 Bracket Challenge Faces Accusations of Cheating and Steroid Use

It was less than 24 hours ago when Brad Young, considered a heavy favorite towards winning the coveted Young Family NCAA Bracket Challenge, was celebrating a large victory in the USA Baseball Bracket Challenge. With this win, however, comes the cries of those who feel that this consistently amazing performance might very well be tainted.
Many have cried and voted against allowing Mr. Young from participating and possibly winning both challenges, citing favoritism, cheating, and the fact that Mr Young is on the board RUNNING the Young Family Challenge. Some have disclosed the possible use of substances for "bulking up" via steroids. Congress, after hearing allegations, has convened to discuss matters revolving around Mr Young.
To the readers of this blog, we will keep you posted as to whether Mr Young will be allowed to be victorious in both Challenges, as well as to maintain an unbiased outlook towards presenting you, the reader, with the news. Sadly, when calling for a statement, the Brad Young camp could not be reached.
Could it be that Bracket Challenges may now be faced with the use of unfair substances to gain an advantage? Is it possible that the winner of the 2009 Young Family Bracket Challenge might have to go down in the history books with an asterisk (*)? We will be bringing you up to date information as we continue monitoring the situation.

Brad wins the USA Baseball NCAA Bracket Challenge!

It was announced today that Bradley Young won the 2009 USA Baseball NCAA Bracket Challenge.

Being the only member of the office to predict 3 of the Final Four teams in the tournament set Brad apart from the pack and put him in a position unable to be passed.

"It's amazing," says Brad. "I never thought that I would win since everyone in the office watches Sports Center religiously."

Brad won $45 as the buy-in was only $5 this year. But even after receiving his $$$, he still seemed incredulous about his victory.

"One of my Final Four selections lost in the first round," Brad continued, "who really thought I'd win after that happened? Not me."

Don't worry, Brad, I still believed in you! ;-)

Standings!

Here are the standings update:

1. Jeremy -- 242 points
2. Bradley -- 239 points
2. Eric -- 239 points
4. Teresa -- 223 points
5. Joe -- 220 points
6. Allison -- 213 points
7. Melissa -- 185 points
8. Robert -- 183 points
9. Nathaniel -- 177 points
10. Heather -- 173 points
11. Boo Boo -- 170 points
12. Mom -- 130 points
13. Matt -- 112 points
14. Lindsey -- 78 points

OK, so... this is where it gets interesting. Realistically, it is down to Jeremy, Brad, Eric, Teresa and Joe. Jeremy and Brad have UCONN taking on UNC in the Championship game. But, Jeremy has UCONN winning it all while Brad has UNC winning it all.

Eric, Joe and Teresa have Michigan State taking on UNC in the Championship game, yet Eric and Joe have Michigan State winning it all while Teresa has UNC winning it all.

So, it's ridiculous to even predict who is going to win. If Michigan State beats UCONN it'll go down to Teresa, Joe and Eric. If UCONN beats Michigan State it'll be down to Jeremy and Brad. Either way, it's going to go to the Championship game to figure out who will win!

This is a lot more intriguing than I thought it was going to be!!!

GO HEELS!

Tar Heels head to Detroit!

The Tar Heels are going too! In a game that was never in question, UNC jumped to a 7-0 lead and never looked back and dropped Oklahoma!

So the Final Four is set:

Michigan State vs. UCONN & Villanova vs. UNC

Games begin next Saturday!

Here are the highlights from the UNC game:

Michigan State is in...

Michigan State took control of Louisville and did something I hadn't seen all year -- nearly humiliate Louisville. Michigan State punches its ticket to the Final Four where they will be only 70 miles away from their campus.

Here are the highlights:

Talking with Nathaniel Royce Abbott

We talked with Nathaniel Royce Abbott, today, about the Young Family Bracket. Abbott, currently in 11th place with 137 points, Nathaniel had UNC, Memphis, Pittsburgh and Michigan State in the Final Four and only has UNC and Michigan State still alive (Both teams play tonight with a trip to the Final Four on the line).

B:How do you think you’ve done so far in the bracket challenge?

N: Pretty good, because I have got most of them.

B: I saw you had Memphis going to the Final Four, how did you react when you saw that they lost to Missouri?

N: Umm, I put my head under my pillow and cried.

B:You still have UNC and Michigan State alive to head to the Final Four. Do you still think that they are going to make it to Detroit?

N: Yes.

B: So, now that Memphis is out, who do you think will face UNC in the Finals?

N: Louisville – because so far they have won all of their games and I think they may beat Connecticut. I’m going with my gut.

B: Have you been having fun with the Bracket Challenge?

N: Yes!

B: What has been your favorite part so far?

N: Umm, I really do not know. Getting up and seeing who has won and lost has been fun.

B: Have you been watching a lot of the games?

N: Yeah – I’ve probably seen about five or six. We watched Connecticut, UNC, Ohio State, Siena and others.

B: You’re only down by 16 to your Mom but you’re up by 45 over your dad… is there anything you’d like to say to them?

N: I think Daddy is going to lose and Mommy may beat me.

B: Alright, so who do you think is going to win the Bracket Challenge this year?

N: Either Uncle Brad or Uncle Jeremy. I really don’t know because you two are really close. I’d say Uncle Brad to win since UNC will win the Championship.

B: Maybe… will you want to play again next year?!

N: Yes!

B: Do you have any parting comments to everyone who is reading this blog?

N: No, not really.

Villanova upsets PITT -- Final Four half way selected.

VILLANOVA beats PITTSBURGH at the Buzzer and punched its ticket to the Final Four only hours after UCONN did. Villanova will take on the winner of UNC vs. Oklahoma next Saturday in Detroit.

Before I go into the standings, I have to say that some people are coming out of nowhere to make a competition out of this bracket challenge. And by that I mean, Allison and Teresa. Allison has been doing well all along and has really come into her own in the past 2 rounds and currently sits in fourth place behind Jeremy, Brad and Eric. Great job, Bug! You're a future bracketologist.

Teresa, on the other hand, went from being near the bottom and has now put herself in 5th place and in a good position to win. It all depends on Michigan State advances for Teresa. Teresa has started to kick some butt, way to go sis!

1. Jeremy -- 222 points

2. Bradley -- 219 points

3. Eric -- 199 points

4. Allison -- 193 points

5. Teresa -- 183 points

6. Joe -- 180 points

7. Melissa -- 165 points

8. Robert -- 163 points

9. Heather -- 153 points

10. Boo Boo -- 150 points

11. Nathaniel -- 137 points

12. Mom -- 130 points

13. Matt -- 92 points

14. Lindsey -- 58 points

Tomorrow will make it interesting. Depending on how tomorrow pans out, it's going to be a three or four person race. Nobody will have all four teams in the Final Four. The most interesting matchup is between Jeremy and Brad. Jeremy is up by just a few points and they both got the same amount of Final Four picks. Right now, it could go down to the Championship game for the both of them as Jeremy has UCONN winning with UNC as the runner up and Brad has UNC winning with UCONN as the runner up.

Also, if Michigan State makes it to the Final Four, enter Eric and Teresa into this equation. Teresa has UNC winning over MSU in the Championship while Eric has MSU over UNC. But if Louisville wins and goes to the Final Four, Ali will be close with Brad and Jeremy. Her difference maker is that she has Louisville losing to UNC in the Final Game. So, this possibility could crown Ali in the Final Four game between UCONN and Louisville.

It's still up for grabs, everybody!!! This is incredible! WOO! Our family kicks ass!

Villanova vs. PITT highlights:

UCONN has punched its ticket to Detroit

UCONN defeated Missouri to reach the Final Four. The first team to punch their ticket to Detroit, UCONN won 82-75 over a pesky Missouri Tiger team.

The second game being played tonight is Pittsburgh vs. Villanova. In the only meeting this season, Villanova beat the Panthers by 10 points. Pitt, who has had trouble in the tournament thus far has only reached the Final Four once, in 1941.

UCONN vs. Missouri Highlights:



Tomorrow the Final Four will be set.

Elite 8 set... another new leader

Well, the Elite 8 is set and again, we have a new leader -- Jeremy.

UNC trounced Gonzaga, Oklahoma trounced Syracuse, Louisville slaughtered Arizona and Michigan State made a valiant comeback against defending champions, Kansas, to finish off Round 3.

Only Eric and Allison have their Final Four still in tact. Way to go, Ali-Bug, you're making your way up the standings. Also, Teresa is beginning to creep her way up into the thick of the hunt as she has made a substantial jump through the Elite 8! Keep it up, Teresa!!

Before I list the standings, there was a miscalculation yesterday. I accidentally gave Jeremy 4 extra points -- hush, I'm terribly sick -- however it didn't affect his standings last week.

Here are the standings:

1. Jeremy -- 182
2. Bradley -- 179
2. Eric -- 179
4. Ali -- 173
5. Teresa -- 163
6. Joe -- 160
7. Heather -- 153
8. Boo Boo -- 150
9. Melissa -- 145
10. Robert -- 143
11. Nathaniel -- 137
12. Mom -- 110
13. Matt -- 92
14. Lindsey -- 58

Games begin Saturday to see who's going to the Final Four! Pittsburgh takes on Villanova (GO NOVA!) and UCONN takes on Missouri.

UNC will take on Oklahoma and Michigan State will take on Louisville on Sunday! This is when the games become more intense... These are THE Games to start watching if you haven't been watching already!

Watch out for Ali-Bug, everyone. She's making her way up there. And she didn't get any help from her neighbor [Cough, Eric]! Keep bracketing and GO HEELS!!! Oh, Jeremy, you suck! :-)

Dook lost, so did Memphis and there's a new leader!

Well... All is right in the world right now. It is my proud honor to tell everyone that shall be reading this blog that tonight, that shitty ass university that is only a mere 8 miles away from the most amazing school in the country lost. Dook lost to Villanova by 23 points! I will refrain from continuing to talk about this because it is always a possibility that my team could lose the next day. However, I will soak in the moment to see a Dook loss. :-)

Also, a HUGE upset for our bracketeers -- Memphis lost to Missouri. Only 2 people chose Missouri to beat Memphis, Bradley and Teresa. Everyone else had Memphis going on -- some even had them in the final (sorry, Boo, Doodle and Nathaniel).

Here are the standings after the first night of Round 3:

1. Bradley -- 149 points

2. Jeremy -- 141 points

3. Heather -- 123 points

4. Boo Boo -- 120 points

5. Eric -- 119 points

6. Teresa -- 118 points

7. Melissa -- 115 points

8. Ali -- 113 points

9. Nathaniel -- 107 points

10. Joe -- 100 points

11. Robert -- 98 points

12. Mom -- 95 points

13. Matt -- 77 points

14. Lindsey -- 28 points

So the first four games to decide the Elite 8 have been played and four more will play tomorrow. It's still anyone's game! Now, officially, Ali, Eric and Jeremy are the only people who have their Final Four still in tact.

My lead will be short-lived I'm afraid, seeing as I had Wake beating Louisville. Yikes!

Keep watching, guys! Some more big games coming up. Tomorrow UNC will take on Gonzaga, Syracuse will take on Oklahoma, Louisville takes on Arizona, and Kansas takes on Michigan State.

Keep bracketing!

Sweet Sixteen is set -- we have a new leader!

Heather has made her way to the lead position after Round 2. Heather selected 14 of the possible 16 selections to move into first place. The defending Champion is not messing around -- only one team she selected for the Elite 8 has been eliminated. However, Ali, Eric, Jeremy, Joe, Robert and Teresa have all of their Elite 8 selections still alive. However, I believe Eric should be docked a single point (or 30) because a little bird [cough - his daughter] told me that he had help with his bracket from his neighbor -- whom follows College Basketball very closely. Hmmm... ;-)

OK, so here are the standings following Round 2:

1. Heather -- 93 points
2. Jeremy -- 92 points
3. Beth -- 90 points
4. Bradley -- 89 points
4. Eric -- 89 points
6. Joe -- 85 points
6. Melissa -- 85 points
8. Allison -- 83 points
9. Nathaniel -- 77 points
10. Teresa -- 73 points
11. Robert -- 68 points
12. Mom -- 65 points
13. Matt -- 62 points
14. Lindsey -- 28 points

CRAZINESS!! I FREAKING LOVE THIS STUFF. I believe that we might be the coolest freaking family on the Earth! Oh, that, and the most competitive family, too.

Well... we have a few days off. Games do not begin again until Friday -- YIKES! So, Heather gets a few days to soak in the lead and a chance to brag. It's OK, she's going down soon ;-).

Keep commenting and checking the blog. We might have a few interviews up on the site!

Round 2 -- Day 1. Beth's leading... B*T@#

Well, Day 1 of Round 2 is over and guess what? Beth's winning......... still. SOB.

Just for that I'm taking away all Starbucks privileges. Jeremy, make sure she can't have Starbucks for a month. No questions...

Anyway, here are the standings:

1. Boo Boo -- 60 points
2. Bradley -- 59 points
2. Eric -- 59 points
4. Heather -- 58 points
5. Jeremy -- 57 points
6. Joe -- 55 points
6. Melissa -- 55 points
8. Allison -- 53 points
9. Nathaniel -- 52 points
10. Mom -- 50 points
11. Robert -- 48 points
12. Teresa -- 43 points
13. Matt -- 42 points
14. Doodle -- 23 points

So, 8 more games tomorrow! 5 points on the line for each game... It's going to get interesting, very, very quickly!!!

Keep it up everyone!!! Oh, also, everyone send hate mail to Beth -- click here to do it.

Round 1 over... thank God!

Well, Round 1 is over! And I'm guessing not a single one of you will disagree with me that it's about damn time. Day 2 was the most stressful day... well, night. There were a lot of misses today as nobody missed less than 5.

The surprise jump went to Ali-Bug as she jumped up as she selected 11 correct in the second round!!! Way to go!!!

So, Boo Boo stays in first place, but she has some company. Joe and Melissa have ascended to share the crown of Round 1 Champion.

It's only going to get more intense and stressful from here on out. Prepare for unfortunate messages from me to anyone who is beating me... I'm warning you.

Really.

Here are the standings:

1. Boo Boo -- 25 points
1. Joe -- 25 points
1. Melissa -- 25 points
4. Bradley -- 24 points
4. Eric -- 24 points
6. Alison -- 23 points
6. Heather -- 23 points
8. Jeremy -- 22 points
8. Matt -- 22 points
8. Nathaniel -- 22 points
11. Mom -- 20 points
12. Robert -- 18 points
12. Teresa -- 18 points
14. Lindsey -- 13 points

Way to go Ali, Lindsey and Matt for picking Cleveland State winning over Wake Forest! Looks like you've picked the Cinderella! Although me and everyone else wished you hadn't ;).

Good luck in Round 2, everyone! And by good luck, I mean, I hope you all lose! Oh, yeah, it's been started.

I might cry...

I might cry... That's all I can say. I've never seen Wake Forest play so bad in my life. I'm disgusted.

I can't say anything about Wisconsin -- Bo Ryan (coach) is a legend -- and the guys last shot was a circus act... it took a prayer to win. But it's that damn 12-5 upset tradition...

I might cry. So much for Wake being in the Final Four.

Ok, I'm just kidding, I'm not going to cry, but DANGIT! Grr...

They suck... we're bitter

Tennessee Falls

Tennessee dropped to Oklahoma State today, 77-75.

Only 2 people did not choose Tennessee to win: Ali and Joe.

As of 2:45pm, Ali and Joe have not lost one yet today! Way to go, Joe and Bug!

I CAN'T TAKE THIS STRESS

OMG....MARQUETT JUST ABOUT LOST!!!!!! Ya know, when we played last year, I have to admitt, I don't think I watched a single game, I just got all the results via the computer. I felt guilty, cause I won, and could say that I still didn't know anything about any of the teams that I picked. So this year, I thought, man I should really watch somo of these games. Ya know, I get to stay home all day, I don't have a job, nothing to do....so I watched....and OMG, I CAN'T HANDLE THE STRESS OF IT. Marquett just about lost, OMG, Lost! And the Tenn. game, well, I have to say that I am mad at myself for picking them, cause they lost cause they don't pay any attention. OMG, OMG, OMG, OMG!!!!!!!!

Day One is over -- Boo Boo is in the lead!

Well, Day One and half of the First Round is over and Boo Boo is in the lead.
Out of the 16 games, Boo Boo predicted 15 of them correctly. Her only misprediction was by Clemson. Clemson dropped a heart breaker to Michigan after Terrence Oglesby -- Clemson's top guard -- was ejected after throwing an elbow in the second half. So, thanks a lot, Terrence. You screwed up MY bracket... oh, and some others as well, I guess.

So, here are the standings after Day One:

1. Boo Boo -- 15 points
2. Joe -- 14 points
2. Melissa -- 14 points
4. Bradley -- 13 points
4. Eric -- 13 points
4. Heather -- 13 points
4. Jeremy -- 13 points
8. Ali -- 12 points
8. Nathaniel -- 12 points
10. Matt -- 11 points
10. Mom -- 11 points
10. Robert -- 11 points
13. Teresa -- 10 points
14. Lindsey -- 7 points

Don't get down if you're low in rank, it's still very, very early!

16 games down today... 16 more tomorrow!!!

Tournament Notes:
-Way to go UNC for beating Radford. The Heels posted 101 points as their starters were benched with 8 minutes to go in the game. Ty Lawson will be playing in the next game.
-Way to go, Villanova, for pulling out a tough victory over a pesky American team!
-Sorry, Illinois for being victim of the #12 seed over the #5 seed tradition...
-Duke -- you suck.

Also, as an added bonus. NCAA has released this commercial that I wanted to share. This is what would happen to me if I were to be driving in Champaign, Illinois. .

Hoops and Hops for Eric Tonight!

Off the the neighbors garage ~ 7 PM to play some ping pong and then watch the ILLINOIS versus W. KENTUCKY game tonight. Doing the brackets with y'all and having the BLOG to follow will make things extra fun this year!

7 for 7 so far today....(I know, it's early!)

Memphis survives -- barely

Memphis trailed by as many as six points in the second half but was able to pull out the win against Cal State Northridge in the first round of the NCAA tournament. As a heavy favorite by over 90% of the country to advance to the Elite 8, if not the Final Four or National Championship, it begs to wonder exactly how good Memphis is coming out of a weak conference.

Will Memphis be the big upset in the tournament? From the looks of how they played today, I wouldn't be surprised. Talk about a Bracket Buster! Only one other upset today thus far, Texas A&M (9 seed) dropped BYU (8 seed) handily.

I'll keep you all updated on any major upsets or huge Bracket Busters for us... stay tuned.

And let the Bracket MANIA Begin!!!

...the 2009 NCAA Championship has officially tipped off at 12:10 p.m. (ET) as Butler and LSU tipped off!

And here we go!!!

Young Family Bracket Challenge Preview

With T-minus 1 hour before March Madness and the Young Family rivaly (and trash talk!) begins, I thought I'd give a little preview of the brackets to everyone to see what they're up against. Obviously you will all see each others brackets when I have them all turned in and send them out at noon (that way they are final versions), but I thought I'd give you a sneak peak at each participants Final Four Selections:

Allison: Louisville, Pittsburgh, North Carolina, UCONN
Louisville vs. North Carolina (Champion)
Boo Boo: Kansas, Pittsburg, North Carolina, Memphis
Memphis vs. North Carolina (Champion)
Bradley: Wake Forest, Villanova, North Carolina, UCONN
UCONN vs. North Carolina (Champion)
Eric: Michigan State, Pittsburgh, North Carolina, UCONN
Michigan State (Champion) vs. North Carolina
Heather: Louisville, Pittsburgh, North Carolina, Memphis
Louisville vs. North Carolina (Champion)
Jeremy: Kansas, Villanova, North Carolina, UCONN
UCONN (Champion) vs. North Carolina
Joe: Michigan State, Duke, North Carolina, UCONN
Michigan State (Champion) vs. North Carolina
Lindsey: Siena, Tennessee, North Carolina, Memphis
Memphis vs. North Carolina (Champion)
Matt: West Virginia, Duke, North Carolina, Memphis
West Virginia (Champion) vs. North Carolina
Melissa: Michigan State, Duke, Illinois, UCONN
Michigan State vs. Illinois (Champion)
Mom: West Virginia, Xavier, Clemson, UCONN
UCONN (Champion) vs. Clemson
Nathaniel: Michigan State, Duke, North Carolina, Memphis
Memphis vs. North Carolina (Champion)
Robert: Louisville, Villanova, North Carolina, Memphis
Louisville vs. North Carolina (Champion)
Teresa: Michigan State, Duke, North Carolina, UCONN
Michigan State vs. North Carolina (Champion)

A lot of North Carolina picks! I sure have brainwashed my family well! The one matchup I'd really love to see is Siena taking on UCONN in the Final Four... but that's just me.

Injury updates -- as far as I know that would affect everyone's brackets. Ty Lawson -- PG, North Carolina and ACC Player of the Year, is not playing in the first round game unless he is needed. Coach Roy Williams wants to rest him and make sure his injury is clear before the big haul. He will play in the tournament. Chester Frazier -- PG, Illinois, will not be playing in the NCAA Tournament. Frazier has been the leader on the team and hands down their best player.

So that's my update -- will keep posting today as the games begin! Good luck to all of you whom have chosen North Carolina to win the Championship. Good luck to the others who didn't, as well, I guess ;-).

BREAKING NEWS: Jacob Young not cleared for 2009 Tournament

It has been brought to the attention of the Young Family NCAA Bracket Challenge 2009 media department (cough, Brad) that Jacob Young will not be available for participation in the Bracket Challenge for 2009.

Jacob Young, a heavy-favorite to rank highly in the Challenge this season, has not been cleared by his doctors following surgery to remove his tonsils and adenoids.

I received notice from his father, Eric, as he immediately replied to an email regarding the eligibility of Jacob for the 2009 Challenge.

"Yeah - he is out this year!" says Eric Young.

The Young Family NCAA Bracket Challenge administration will sorely miss Jacob's presence during this year's tournament but trusts that he will be back in prime condition next year.

Having to drop out of the challenge would have left this year's playing field down to 12 participants. However, late additions by Joe Matters and Matt Abbott (on behalf of his family) has now brought the total number of participants to 14.

The Challenge begins, Thursday, March 19, 2009. The first tip-off begins at noon.

Catching up with Lindsey Kay Abbott

This evening, we caught up with Lindsey Kay Abbott to talk to her about her 2009 NCAA Bracket.

Here is a glimpse of Lindsey's bracket:

Elite 8: Siena, Michigan St., Texas A&M, Memphis, Tennessee, Binghamton, North Carolina and Stephen F. Austin
Final Four: Siena, Memphis, Tennessee, North Carolina
Championship: Memphis vs. North Carolina
2009 National Champion: North Carolina (Final score 5-2)

Brad Young: So, Doodle, are you excited to participate in the NCAA Bracket Challenge this year?
--Lindsey Abbott: Yes, because it is fun. It was fun to pick North Carolina.

BY: Why was it fun to pick North Carolina?
--LKA: Because I like that place.

BY: So, I noticed you chose Siena to make it all the way to the final four. Why?
--LKA: I don't know. Because they cry.

BY: Crying makes you go to the Final Four? If that's the case Duke would be there every year.
--LKA:I don't know. He he.

BY: You've also got Tennessee going to the Final Four, what do you like about them?
--LKA: I chose them because it starts with the letter "T".

BY: You like the letter "T"? You think it's lucky?
--LKA: Yes.

BY: You have North Carolina winning it all. Are you excited to see the Tar Heels win a National Championship?
--LKA: Yes

BY: You think they're going beat Memphis, 5-2 -- that's a low scoring game. What made you choose that score?
--LKA: I don't know.

BY: The games star tomorrow. Are you going to be watching all of the games?
--LKA: I hope so!

BY: Do you have anything else you want to say?
--LKA: I hope I win and GO NORTH CAROLINA.

Alright, so there you have it. Lindsey has a serious Cinderella story in Siena and Tennessee. Something that not a lot of participants in this challenge have. So, yes, Lindsey's bracket is unorthodox, but it may be brilliance and we're just yet to see it. Let's see if she puts us all to shame!

We Are Here!

Melissa and I will be filling out our brackets tonight and will scan them and email them to Brad.

The Young Family NCAA Bracket Challenge 2009

Welcome everyone to the Young Family NCAA Bracket Challenge 2009!

Obviously, this is the blog that will keep you all updated with the latest, greatest and worst moments of the 2009 NCAA Tournament as predicated through the Young Family's selections.

Oh, but don't you worry. I will try to add a little bit of humor to the blog as to not make it too awfully serious or professional -- you know, seeings as this could be useful for my career.

So, first off, I must acknowledge that this is technically the 2nd Young Family NCAA Bracket Challenge. Heather, Beth and I competed against each other at the last minute last year. Heather (see picture) won, I came in second place and Beth came in dead last. Let me explain.

Heather won because she had all four #1 seeds entering the Final Four. An occurrence that has absolutely NEVER happened in the history of the tournament. So, should I call it genius or just dumb luck/safety predictions? I prefer the latter, however, I must proclaim my sister's genius as I will allow my "hater-ade" and bitterness to subside in the sake of being a better person.

However, Heather, I have a message for you. You will NOT win again. I'm not saying that I will beat you, but this year we have a mass of competitors that will challenge your bracket-prediction skills. You know, in retrospect, Heather, I must say that I do not believe that last year should count. It was not the Young Family NCAA Bracket Challenge, instead it was the Heather, Beth and Brad Bracket Challenge. So, Congratulations, Heather. You're the sole winner of that trophy.

OK, I will again push my bitterness and jealousy aside and present to you an alternative. Heather's name to be placed on the Young Family NCAA Bracket Challenge Trophy (I had to specify, seeings as I hold claim to the first and only Young Family Cup -- Google 'Dominance in every sense of the word' and I'm sure you'll see the Sportscenter recap of the event) but only to have an asteric (*) next to it :-p.

OK, OK, I'll stop... for now. Heather, you can have your celebration that you kicked my butt last year.

So for this year we have 13 competitors! In alphabetical order as to not remind certain brothers and sisters of mine (all of them ;-p) of their chronological placement in the family: Allison (Ali-Bug), Beth, Bradley, Eric, Heather (reigning Champion*), Jacob, Jeremy, Lindsey (Doodle), Melissa, Mom, Nathaniel, Robert and Teresa.

Oh, the excitement!

So, the procedure is as follows. For each round a certain points allowance is given per selection you've guessed. At the end of the Tournament the member of the family whom has the highest point total wins! The points are delineated as follows:

If you choose correctly in the…
1st round (round of 64): 1 point for each correct pick to advance to the…
2nd round (round of 32): 5 points for each correct pick to advance to the…
3rd round (Sweet 16): 15 points for each correct pick to advance to the…
4th round (Elite 8): 20 points for each correct pick to advance to the…
5th round (Final 4): 30 points for each correct pick to advance to the…
6th round (Championship): 50 points for picking the correct National Champion.

I will be sending out a PDF of everyone's brackets and update them accordingly. Also, I will try to attach them to the blog posts as well.

Having seen the brackets that have been submitted... It looks like it's going to be a close race. Well, either that or Doodle is going to kick the crap out of all of us!

If you have anything you want to post, let me know and I'll post it for you. I'm not sure how to make this public for all to submit. I will probably be posting a 'Brad's Bracket Breakdown' in the coming days to practice my writing skills and to show you all how I went about making my selections.

Happy Bracketing!!! I need them by Wednesday night (Eric, Melissa, etc. you have until noon on Thursday. I hope my little buddy is doing better!).