So far, winners and losers. . .

Contrary to what the worlds dorks, geeks and fanboys argue, it takes more than one shining moment for a superhero to advance far in the Fantasy Final Four tournament. Which is why those king-for-a-day players are now spectating as the Big Dance streamlines from 68 teams to 16.

There has been enough mis-cast spells, malfuntioning grapling hooks and unpredictable blood-thirsty rabbits for even the most casual and jaded fans to be sucked in once again by this event's allure. Will there be more? You ask. Most defninitely, as we whittle down to the final 16. But before dismissing eight more teams Thursday and Friday, let's sort out the winners and losers to this point:

Winner: The Phoenix. The bracket gods are smiling down on Jean Grey as the 1st seeded Phoenix Force in the Southwest Region. She has accrued the most-favored-program status by sweeping seeds 2 through 9 out of their path in the Southwest Region. Joined in Neverland by the three double-digit dwarves: No. 10 Shrek, No. 11 Killer Rabbit and No. 12 Rambo. The combined seeding of the group is 34, tying it for the weakest regional quartet since the field was expanded to 64 teams in 1985. The only thing comparable was the 1986 East Region, when No. 1 Luke Skywalker was joined by No. 12 She-Ra, No. 14 Clifford the Big Red Dog and No. 7 Billy Idol. For what it's worth, Skywalker won his two games in the PacMan Maze that year by a combined 28 points. Unless one of the dwarves pulls a James Bond, we'll see The Phoenix on Planet Melmac. The question is whether she will even break a sweat getting there.

Loser: The Animal Conference. A record 13 teams entered the field of 68. Just two remain. It must be mentioned that two of the nine that have been dismissed were beaten by fellow Animal Conference members, but the performance has still been well below expectations. The big culprits: The Road Runner, Wolverine and the Velociraptors, all of which were granted four, five and six seeds but lost to teams seeded eighth or lower. If Godzilla or the Killer Rabbit make the Fantasy Final Four, that will enhance the Animal Conference's body of work for this tourney, but right now that body resembles Slimer's after a big helping of Peter Venkman's trash.

Winner: Sweaty bandanas, big curvy knives, shaken martinis and PP7 pistols. Not exactly the most attractive or flavourful assets, they nevertheless have produced as many Sweet 16 teams as the Animal Conference in James Bond and Rambo. One (Rambo) was a widely criticized at-large selection, the other (James Bond) might have had to win his conference tournament to make the field (which includes players such as Jason Bourne, Magnum P.I., and Jack Bauer). They've both come a long way in a hurry to this historic spot. Rambo is in his first Sweet 16, and 007 his first since 1988.

Loser: Superpower IQ. There have been a lot of great plays, but an amazing number of dumb ones as well. From the epic brainlock at the end of Trinity-Superman to the unneeded Road Runner timeout against Gozer the Gozerian to Buffy the Vampire Slayer's halfcourt shot with three seconds left against Neo to a misplaced whip and hat the whole second half of Indiana Jones-Captain Planet, this tourney has not had many poise Hall of Superhero Fame moments.

Superman Screws It Up Again, Business as Usual

Superman put together a season for the ages. Not only did he win the conference regular season title and earn a No. 1 seed, he was placed into the Southeast Region with a No. 2 seed in Zeus that had been crushed in the Greek God Conference Championship Game, a No. 3 seed in Link who was a shadow of himself without Princess Zelda and a No. 4 seed in Wonder Woman that had lost her last game big to She-Ra.

Certainly, this was the year Superman broke through. Right?



While sometimes referred to less than flatteringly as "the big blue Boy Scout" by some of his fellow superheroes, Superman has also been called "The Man of Steel", "The Man of Tomorrow", and "The Last Son of Krypton" over the years. On Saturday, he was mild mannered, largely passive with conservative shot choices and proved weak on the boards.

Superman believers are once again telling themselves the empty refrain of “Wait ‘til next year” for the 70th year in a row, some are even calling it "The Curse of the Billy Goat, Too."

Hoops Hysteria!! get to know the sweet sixteen

Killer rabbit (11)
The 11th-seeded Killer Rabbit stunned No. 3 seed He-Man with a decisive win Sunday night. Some reported that He-Man soiled his armour he was so scared. With a few days off before her Sweet 16 matchup with Shrek, this Oryctolagus cuniculus is excited to continue a run as a newly minted star. This is obviously not just a “harmless little bunny.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XcxKIJTb3Hg


Shrek (10)
For the best Autobot team in decades, Sunday's season-ending loss to the Green Machine came all too soon. Stifling defense and surprising offense helped Shrek sour a winning season for Cybertron player of the year Optimus Prime and the Autobots. This big, strong, solitude-loving, intimidating ogre is making a stink, showing there’s more to this game than just defense and bad hygiene. This pain-train isn’t slowing for anyone.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSFt2SyVXF4

Pure Evil vs Pure Good

Emperor Palpatine vs. Santa

The Emperor rolled in his first game on Thursday and is showing no signs of slowing down. In fact, he may just now be hitting his prime. With the rebels almost completely wiped out, his apprentice wreaking havok in another region, and a new, more powerful Death Star almost completed, everything seems to be going the way of the Sith. He can now focus on destroying Santa Claus, who he has beaten already once this season up at the North Pole. First, beat Santa, second, turn Luke Skywalker to the darkside. Nothing can go wrong, right?

The one-two punch of Santa and Rudolph has been the corner stone of this offense all year. Using the same speed to deliver toys around the world in one night, these two forsty forwards deliver loads of Christmas cheer to their fans. Coaches concerns about Santa's midseason diet of cookies and milk seem to be legitimate as the big fella has missed several dunks because of a decreased vertical.

The Battle of the Baddies!

Match Up to Watch - Friday, March 18

Voldemort vs. Bowser

An offensive powerhouse "He Who Must Not Be Named" may have to go by "He Who Must Play Some Defense." The pressure is high for this once legendary wizard to get back to the Fantasy Final Four for the first time since 2003. Loaded with plenty of weapons, criticism is mounting against Voldemort's defense which has been called "lazy" and "uninspired." Offense alone won't be enough to get Death Eaters everywhere to be looking for the glowing skull in the sky that says Voldemort has done it again!

Historically surrounded by incompetent Koopas and Goombas, Bowser has finally found himself a supporting cast that might just bring a championship home to his castle. Diggas and Big Boos now patrol the paint and the legendary Hammer Bros can play lock down defense. As long as the team can get past the allegations of PEM's (performance enhancing mushrooms), this should be a whole new ballgame.

Yesterday's Recap

(Acme Press) Gozer the Gozerian was not overwhelmed by the bright lights and crowds that accompanied his first trip to earth in 20 years. Gozer, a 13 seed started out hot and didn't fold underpressure when Road Runner the 4 seed made his move late in the second half. Speaking through an interpreter Road Runner said "that gate keeper, key master defense is something I've never seen before. It's from another planet." Gozer will go on to play Rambo in the second round who drew first blood in his battle against T1000.

Crazy? vs. CRAZY!!!

(1) The Phoenix

Charles Xavier's crew is led by a pair of bona fide stars, Jean Grey and The Phoenix Force, who complement each other perfectly. When Jean’s shooting is good, the buckets drop at an incalculable level, allowing her to rearrange matter at a subatomic level, fly unaided through space, survive in any atmosphere, manipulate electromagnetic and cosmic energies for various effects, and drain 3’s all night long. In addition, the Phoenix really came on during Big Ten play, helping to win the turnover battle in nearly every game due to sheer awesomness.

(16) Charlie Sheen

Duh, winning! Making his first appearance since 1995, this unstable, yet popular player is rather pedestrian offensively, but might make things tough on opponents at the other end. He is second in the nation in field goal percentage defense due to his unpredictability and quick-to-sue attitude. Questions about Charlie’s dedication to The Dance have arisen due to the documentary being filmed, “Charlie Sheen:On the Brink”, narrate his crazy (literally) life. He is hoping to give his two neglected children their first tourney win.

Mike's Match Up to Watch

Darkwing Duck v Darth Vadar

Darkwing Duck enters the tournament as a dark horse underdog.The season started slowly but this superhero was not to be kept down. He has a propensity to bumble around in the first half often turning the ball over and going for long stretches without scoring but always comes through in the end. Plus with a wildcard like Launchpad McQuack coming off the bench who knows how far this team can roll.

Darth Vader's season was the rockiest of those in the tournament this year. He started off as a sweet All-Tatooinian superstar, but his success soon went to his head sending his season into a downward spiral. After hitting bottom in December he learned the ways of the Dark Side and soon rose back into the Top-25. But concerns abound on Darth's ability to stay mentally focused especially after fathering twins during the seasaon, not to mention what happened in the Jedi temple. All that said... Don't underestimate the power of the Dark Side.

Match Up To Watch !

Sean's Match Up To Watch - Thursday, March 17th

Chunk and Sloth (15)"Hey you guys!" These kids were burdened with unrealistic expectations inNovember while searching for One-Eyed Willie's treasure, but they've picked itup. Sloth is one of the biggest and most athletic competitors in the field, butChunk is one of the youngest. They have it in them to excel, but a veteranopponent could cause problems. Whatch out for booby traps, that's what I said,booby traps!

Gandalf (2)Gandalf the Grey dominated the NEC and enters the tourney having won 13 straightgames and 21 of 22. After defeating the Balrog and changing his uniform towhite, he found a balanced attack that averages 82.6 points per game. Gandalf was the last of the Istari to arrive in Middle-earth, and even though heseems old and small in stature, Cirdan the Shipwright felt that he had thehighest inner greatness. Poor free throw shooting has to be a concern, though.

Featured Match Up - Thursday, March 17

Chris' Featured Match Up

Magneto vs. Tremors

Magneto is a past champion and has a story book pedigree. In the past he has dominated with size, speed, and (though no one has ever proved cheating) the rims ARE made out of iron. Can anyone forget the profanity-laced press conference after his 1998 championships win?! "F%#@ that! And F%#@ anyone that suggests I cheated!" He'll need that kind of passion on the court with his heavy reliance on the 3 and inexperienced starting line up.

The Tremors aliens have finally resolved contract issues with their new coach and are welcoming Kevin Bacon to lead the team. Coach Bacon has connections with almost everyone in the league (at varying degrees of separation) and has shown himself to be a strong leader (See: Footloose). For being so big, Tremors relies on the element of surprise. They use their raw power on the basket to dominate the boards. Free throws have never been their strong suit.

Match Up to Watch - Thursday , March 17

Jen's Featured Match Up – The Roadrunner (4) vs. Gozar the Gozarian (13)

The Roadrunner might very well be the most underrated player in the 2011 fantasy tournament (Even as a 4 seed!). Ever faced with formidable tactics from opponents (cliffs around every corner, strategically placed dynamite, and rockets threatening to blast him off earth) The Roadrunner maintains his composure under pressure and will not be denied victory. Not known for a lot of offence, his ability to defy gravity and incomprehensible fast break plays may lead to big upsets from this shrewd animated bird!

Returning from his last debut in 1991 as Stay Puff Marshmellow Man, Gozer the Gozerian, will be visiting earth from another dimension ready to unleash her wrath in the Southwest bracket. Gozer is undeniably big, and excellent on the glass, so opponents will need to rely on high shooting percentages to take Gozer down. Allied once again with the Keymaster and Gatekeeper, Gozer comes to Fantasy NCAA with the complete package.

Don't miss this match up!

Tournament Instructions

Getting Started
How do YOU get involved in fantasy final four?
Simply download the fantasy final four bracket, and enter your winners into the text boxes into the document. Submit your completed bracket via email to Christopher.leck@gmail.com .

How do I win?

Fantasy final four 2011 is directly linked to the winners of the men’s NCAA basketball tournament. Each super hero/super villain is linked to the basketball team of the matching seed in the tournament. For example, 4th seeded Magneto and 13th seeded Tremors in the Eastern Division of Fantasy Final Four corresponds with 4th seeded Kentucky and 13th seeded Princeton in the men’s NCAA basketball tournament. Magneto advances in the tournament as Kentucky advances, and Tremors advance as Princeton advances. If you correctly pick the winner you will receive:
1 point for each correct 1st round pick
2 points for each correct 2nd round pick (sweet 16)
3 points for each correct 3rd round pick (elite 8)
4 points for each correct 4th round pick (final four)
5 points for each correct 5th round pick (championship game)
6 points for choosing the tournament winner

There is no entry fee to participate (nerds are too ethical to gamble). The overall winner of the fantasy final four tournament can expect a sweet prize to be delivered to you by the tournament organizers (for now we will keep the prize top secret!).

All entries are due by Thursday, March 17th by 10am MT.

Following the Action

The blog, http://fantasyfinalfour.blogspot.com/ , will provide you with scouting reports and serve as a central location for you to leave your own comments about the tournament. We can’t wait to hear from you on the following topics:
· Which super heroes/villains would be playing in the NITs?
· Which super heroes/villains are over or under seeded?
· Your personal scouting reports
· Trash talking with other players is encouraged!Suggestions for next year’s bracket (super heroes/villains round 2? Disney Characters? 80s icons, etc.)

Ludicrous Speed or Ridiculous Robotics?

This coming Friday brings more first round action as Optimus Prime faces off against Dark Helmet. Analysis of the matchup follows:

(2) Optimus Prime
Optimus Prime leads this senior-heavy team that's won 12 of 14 games. He won’t be playing in his home planet of Cybertron, but the Autobot Crazies are planning on coming out in mass numbers as an effective “6th man”. Optimus Prime’s strong sense of justice and righteousness could well outscore many teams all by themselves. The one glaring weakness for Prime is his inability to force turnovers should he need to step up the pressure late.

(15) Dark Helmet
Dark Helmet is back to represent Spaceballs in the Dance for the second time in three years, with a balanced scoring attack. Helmet peaked early, hitting what fans have called “ludicrous speed” a little too soon in the season. He relies on the 3-point shot quite a bit, as five players average at least one per game, including a strong showing from outside shooters President Skroob and Colonel Sandurz. If the 3s don't drop against a strong rebounding team, it'll be hard for Dark Helmet to win.

Featured Match Up - Tuesday, March 14

Teen Wolf vs. Animal

Teen Wolf was the big story on Selection Sunday as many thought his selection to the tournament was the most controversial. There just aren’t too many highlights from the season other than some well staged dunks over some pretty marginal teams. Teen Wolf seems to be still cruising on his reputation as an amazing car surfer. Beware. With everyone ragging on Teen Wolf, he may just decide to bring out the claws. With Boof and Stiles in the crowd, anything could happen!

Animal, on the other hand, has a chance to make a real statement win coming out of a tough conference. He is unpredictable, prone to fits of rage, and struggles with communicating with his teammates. With enough passion, he may be able to break the chains and tear Teen Wolf to pieces, or break the chains and start eating his own sneakers.

Welcome to The Big Dance - Fantasy Style!

How many times have you had the debate "Superman vs. Batman" or "Dumbledore vs. Gandalf?" If you lead a sad life, probably 4 times. Me? I've had that debate about 20, so what does that say?

You've probably rarely had the debate of "Zeus vs. E.T.," but it does pose some interesting questions. Like "When E.T.'s finger glows, what does that mean? And is Zeus really ready for that?"

Finally, we have the opportunity to put heroes and villains from different galaxies and imaginations together to settle the argument once and for all! (At least for the coming year.)

So raise your dork flag, grab some Mountain Dew, and start quoting Monty Python movies!

Welcome to the 2011 Fantasy Final Four!!