Uh, we’re at Jody’s Club Forest in Staten Island, New York. I mean, I think when people talk about starting it, we didn’t, it wasn’t the brackets we started, we just started ***, *** winner from each region and you know, the champion and total points. From what I was told *** million times, you know, from my father, you know, before he passed was. That you know they were just hanging one day and he was *** creative guy and you know he would like to come up with some things to add business in *** way so that was his whole beginning of it and the first year they did it it was 1977 and there were 88 people to get in it and it was at $10 *** ticket. So the total prize was $880 in 1977. The word of mouth just really took it to *** level where we never in *** million years would have ever imagined where it got. Our last year was 2006. We had 1.6 $160,000. That final prize was $1.6 million. The day, the cutoff day for submitting tickets was as big as any other holiday around here. And Saint Patty’s Day is *** big day around here, but I mean it was, everybody came out, wives, you know, families came out. It was *** good time. Did you know? I used to have *** table lined up along the back and you’d have people collecting money collecting money and there were multiple different people, you know, we had elected officials getting in it we had, you know, we had which we knew everyone knew everyone was getting in it like, you know, Mike and the Mad Dog were getting in like people were like, that’s how popular it was like we were getting calls from California, uh, when the war was going on in Iraq. They were, there were tickets being sent to Iraq. In December of ’06, we were, uh, it was like *** Tuesday morning I believe, and two agents came in. They questioned my dad about running the pool and this and that and they said you’re under investigation. Um, fast forward, um, I would say about right then and there the pool was over. There wasn’t even *** debate amongst. My parents like, oh we’re gonna run it, we’re not gonna run it. We were, it was over right there, right that day in December. Now you could look up on the TV and I can watch *** game and my son could say, what’s Vandule and what’s this and that, like, to me, it’s just like. That’s crazy because gambling is just so accepted now. I’ve been asked like if we would ever start it up again. I just don’t even know if I could, could legally do it. I don’t, you know, but if I did it, it would, I think it would skyrocket right away. Yeah.
Filling out a women’s March Madness bracket? Here’s the data you need to know
The women’s NCAA basketball tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1994
Last year, the NCAA reported a record-breaking 18.7 million viewers tuned in to the women’s NCAA basketball championship game, marking the first time it surpassed the men’s tournament in viewership.While there was some concern about viewership and attendance decreasing this year with the departure of Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, attendance and viewership remain strong. The AP reported this season’s attendance and viewership was just short of last season’s record number, but was the second-highest ever. More networks will show more games this year as JuJu Watkins, Paige Bueckers, MiLaysia Fulwiley and other star players battle for the championship title. So whether it’s your first time filling out a bracket for the women’s NCAA Division I basketball tournament or not, here’s what you should know about how the tournament compares to the men. Final FourThe NCAA Division I women’s basketball tournament expanded to a 64-team format in 1994, nine years after the men’s tournament adopted the same structure.In total, this iteration of the women’s tournament has held 30 championships, with teams making 120 Final Four appearances. Meanwhile, the men’s tournament has had 39 championships and 156 Final Four slots with at least 64 teams in the field. Since the competition’s expansion, at least one No. 1 seed has reached the Final Four in every women’s tournament. The men’s competition, however, has seen three instances — 2006, 2011, and 2023 — where no No. 1 seeds advanced to the Final Four. Of the 120 Final Four appearances in the women’s tournament, 69 have been by No. 1 seeds, which is about 58%. In the men’s tournament, 62 of the 156 Final Four appearances have been by No. 1 seeds, making up about 40%.In the men’s tournament, there has been one instance where all four No. 1 seeds advanced to the Final Four. Kansas, North Carolina, Memphis and UCLA made history in 2008 as the first and only quartet to reach that stage.In contrast, the women’s tournament has seen this happen three times — in 2012, 2015 and 2018.The UConn Huskies hold the record for the most Final Four appearances in the women’s competition with 22. Stanford follows with 12 and Tennessee with 11. In the men’s tournament, Duke leads with 13 Final Four appearances, followed by North Carolina with 12 and Kansas with 10.Championship The lowest-seeded team to have ever won the tournament in men’s Division I basketball was No. 8 Villanova back in 1985. Since then, the event has had other ranked seeds, like 1, 2, 3, 4, 6 and 7, win the tournament. For the women’s tournament, no team seeded lower than three has ever won the title. The No. 1 seeds dominate the contest having won 23 of the 30 titles. LSU became the third No. 3 team to win the title back in 2023.More impressively, Geno Auriemma and his women’s UConn Huskies have won over a third of the championship titles since 1994. Tennessee has the second most titles having won five championships, their last being in 2008.The men’s UConn Huskies also hold the record for the school with the most championships since the tournament expanded. The Huskies won their sixth title last year. Duke follows UConn with five championships. For the women’s tournament, about 77% of the championships were won by No. 1 teams, whereas 64% of championships for the men were won by No. 1 teams. Upsets The chaos that unfolds when lower-seeded teams upset higher-seeded teams is what makes March Madness. One of the biggest recent upsets in the men’s tournament came in 2023 when No. 16 FDU defeated No. 1 Purdue. More than 96% of fans picked Purdue to win, and after their loss, ESPN reported there were no perfect brackets left in the challenge. FDU wasn’t the first No. 16 seed to topple a No. 1 seed. In 2018, UMBC stunned Virginia, marking the first-ever occurrence of this historic feat.First-round upsets are common in the contest, especially in the 5-12 and 6-11 matchups. The Hearst Television Data team defines an upset as any lower-seeded team defeating a higher-seeded opponent. First-round upsets don’t happen as frequently in the women’s tournament. Only once has a No. 16 seed defeated a No. 1 seed. Harvard’s shocking victory stunned Stanford in 1998. In the women’s tournament, lower-seeded teams still haven’t managed to take down No. 2 and No. 3 seeds in the opening round. In the men’s tournament, No. 14 seeds have upset No. 3 seeds 11 times in 156 matchups, while No. 13 seeds have won 23 of 156 matchups.Both tournaments have seen their fair share of 4-13 upsets. In the men’s tournament, a No. 13 team has beaten a No. 4 team 33 times out of 156 matchups. In the women’s bracket, No. 13 has upset No. 4 seven times out of 120 matchups.Since 1985, the men’s tournament has seen 326 first-round upsets out of 1,248 games, roughly 26%. In the women’s first round, 171 out of 960 games have resulted in upsets, about 18%. PHNjcmlwdCB0eXBlPSJ0ZXh0L2phdmFzY3JpcHQiPiFmdW5jdGlvbigpeyJ1c2Ugc3RyaWN0Ijt3aW5kb3cuYWRkRXZlbnRMaXN0ZW5lcigibWVzc2FnZSIsKGZ1bmN0aW9uKGUpe2lmKHZvaWQgMCE9PWUuZGF0YVsiZGF0YXdyYXBwZXItaGVpZ2h0Il0pe3ZhciB0PWRvY3VtZW50LnF1ZXJ5U2VsZWN0b3JBbGwoImlmcmFtZSIpO2Zvcih2YXIgYSBpbiBlLmRhdGFbImRhdGF3cmFwcGVyLWhlaWdodCJdKWZvcih2YXIgcj0wO3I8dC5sZW5ndGg7cisrKXtpZih0W3JdLmNvbnRlbnRXaW5kb3c9PT1lLnNvdXJjZSl0W3JdLnN0eWxlLmhlaWdodD1lLmRhdGFbImRhdGF3cmFwcGVyLWhlaWdodCJdW2FdKyJweCJ9fX0pKX0oKTs8L3NjcmlwdD4=
WASHINGTON —Last year, the NCAA reported a record-breaking 18.7 million viewers tuned in to the women’s NCAA basketball championship game, marking the first time it surpassed the men’s tournament in viewership.
While there was some concern about viewership and attendance decreasing this year with the departure of Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, attendance and viewership remain strong. The AP reported this season’s attendance and viewership was just short of last season’s record number, but was the second-highest ever.
More networks will show more games this year as JuJu Watkins, Paige Bueckers, MiLaysia Fulwiley and other star players battle for the championship title.
So whether it’s your first time filling out a bracket for the women’s NCAA Division I basketball tournament or not, here’s what you should know about how the tournament compares to the men.
Final Four
The NCAA Division I women’s basketball tournament expanded to a 64-team format in 1994, nine years after the men’s tournament adopted the same structure.
In total, this iteration of the women’s tournament has held 30 championships, with teams making 120 Final Four appearances. Meanwhile, the men’s tournament has had 39 championships and 156 Final Four slots with at least 64 teams in the field.
Since the competition’s expansion, at least one No. 1 seed has reached the Final Four in every women’s tournament. The men’s competition, however, has seen three instances — 2006, 2011, and 2023 — where no No. 1 seeds advanced to the Final Four.
Of the 120 Final Four appearances in the women’s tournament, 69 have been by No. 1 seeds, which is about 58%. In the men’s tournament, 62 of the 156 Final Four appearances have been by No. 1 seeds, making up about 40%.
In the men’s tournament, there has been one instance where all four No. 1 seeds advanced to the Final Four. Kansas, North Carolina, Memphis and UCLA made history in 2008 as the first and only quartet to reach that stage.
In contrast, the women’s tournament has seen this happen three times — in 2012, 2015 and 2018.
The UConn Huskies hold the record for the most Final Four appearances in the women’s competition with 22. Stanford follows with 12 and Tennessee with 11. In the men’s tournament, Duke leads with 13 Final Four appearances, followed by North Carolina with 12 and Kansas with 10.
Championship
The lowest-seeded team to have ever won the tournament in men’s Division I basketball was No. 8 Villanova back in 1985. Since then, the event has had other ranked seeds, like 1, 2, 3, 4, 6 and 7, win the tournament.
For the women’s tournament, no team seeded lower than three has ever won the title. The No. 1 seeds dominate the contest having won 23 of the 30 titles. LSU became the third No. 3 team to win the title back in 2023.
More impressively, Geno Auriemma and his women’s UConn Huskies have won over a third of the championship titles since 1994. Tennessee has the second most titles having won five championships, their last being in 2008.
The men’s UConn Huskies also hold the record for the school with the most championships since the tournament expanded. The Huskies won their sixth title last year. Duke follows UConn with five championships.
For the women’s tournament, about 77% of the championships were won by No. 1 teams, whereas 64% of championships for the men were won by No. 1 teams.
Upsets
The chaos that unfolds when lower-seeded teams upset higher-seeded teams is what makes March Madness.
One of the biggest recent upsets in the men’s tournament came in 2023 when No. 16 FDU defeated No. 1 Purdue. More than 96% of fans picked Purdue to win, and after their loss, ESPN reported there were no perfect brackets left in the challenge.
FDU wasn’t the first No. 16 seed to topple a No. 1 seed. In 2018, UMBC stunned Virginia, marking the first-ever occurrence of this historic feat.
First-round upsets are common in the contest, especially in the 5-12 and 6-11 matchups. The Hearst Television Data team defines an upset as any lower-seeded team defeating a higher-seeded opponent.
First-round upsets don’t happen as frequently in the women’s tournament. Only once has a No. 16 seed defeated a No. 1 seed. Harvard’s shocking victory stunned Stanford in 1998.
In the women’s tournament, lower-seeded teams still haven’t managed to take down No. 2 and No. 3 seeds in the opening round. In the men’s tournament, No. 14 seeds have upset No. 3 seeds 11 times in 156 matchups, while No. 13 seeds have won 23 of 156 matchups.
Both tournaments have seen their fair share of 4-13 upsets. In the men’s tournament, a No. 13 team has beaten a No. 4 team 33 times out of 156 matchups. In the women’s bracket, No. 13 has upset No. 4 seven times out of 120 matchups.
Since 1985, the men’s tournament has seen 326 first-round upsets out of 1,248 games, roughly 26%. In the women’s first round, 171 out of 960 games have resulted in upsets, about 18%.
