Scuttleball: March Madness in April

by Craig Leweck, Scuttlebutt Sailing News
I am no expert regarding the scoring system for Scuttleball, but I liked my chances to win this most famous pool for the College Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament.

Yes, I had dropped from the lead to third going into the Final Four games, but I was behind Matt Brock and Mark DeGuire. They both had University of Florida to win it all, and I had Duke. The Blue Devils looked bulletproof through the tournament, and were the betting favorite to win it all.

With four schools remaining, Florida looked beatable as they beat Auburn, while Duke bolted out of the gate against the University of Houston. They were cruising with a 14-point lead, and no team had ever lost a 14-point lead in the Final Four.

Duke was en route to the Championship game, they would crush Florida, and I would win Scuttleball. The only problem with the plan was I hate Duke, and now I really hate them.

Unbelievably, Houston wiped away the deficit over the final eight minutes, embarrassing the Blue Devils as certain victory became the ultimate defeat. I would have enjoyed this so much more if I hadn’t picked Duke to win, but that’s what happens when you rely on 18-year-olds for happiness.

So, props to Matt and Mark, as they both picked Florida and Houston in the Finals. However, sitting sixth in the Scuttleball ranking is Leigh Ann Litton who also picked Florida and Houston in the Finals, but she has Houston winning. If that happens, my math has her as the Scuttleball champion… I think.

Florida is favored by 1.5 points in the Championship game tonight (April 7) at the reasonable west coast time of 5:50pm PDT. March Madness in April… love it!

UPDATE:
Florida defeated Houston 65-63 in the most unlikely manner, with the Gators leading for a total of 63 seconds. Houston looked good out of the gate to build a 12 point margin in the second half, but when the officials  started calling the game tighter, Houston’s tough defense got put on the defensive. The Gators’ first lead of the second half came with 46 seconds remaining in the game and they held it to win the title.

The Gator win had a big impact on Scuttleball, boosting the top seven and confirming Matt Brock (aka Matt Depenbrock) as the 2025 Champion.