The Final Countdown

The championship game of the NCAA men's basketball tournament tips off tonight and the girls will probably NOT be watching it.

Emily has homework to do and the rest of the girls need to be in bed early. They are already tired and cranky.

As for the bracket battle, the balance of power has definitely shifted with one game to go.

Emily, the leader since early on, is finished. She picked Kansas, North Carolina and Memphis to make the Final Four. But she had Kansas losing to North Carolina and Duke beating Memphis. Will 83 points be enough to hang on?

Olivia, as you know from an earlier post, is also out of contention, having picked none of the Final Four teams. (She finished with 29 points.)

Julia is poised to make a run for the podium with Memphis. She has 69 points - with the possibility of gaining another 32 if the Tigers win.

That brings us to Veronica. You know, the one who was choosing teams by virtue of the better-sounding team name. Well, that strategy seems to have paid off. Having correctly chosen the two teams who will play tonight, Veronica is guaranteed of picking up another 32 points. With 82 in hand already, it's all but official that "Terd" or "Tiny" or "Little One" or "Wonka" is going to win it.

Now if Dad can only figure out how she's going to redeem that prize of a new car for the winner...