The Rules are as follows
  Entry Fee - $100 per sheet if you pay by check ($105 if you pay by PayPal or Credit Card)

• You are limited to 1 entry with any one name or email address.
• Follow the link at the bottom of the page (which will be active a little while after the pairings are announced) to get to the web page where you will be able to make your picks. All selections must be made on-line and sent automatically by e-mail.
• All entries must be sent by e-mail by 11:55 a.m., Thursday, March 15th. Entry Fees must be received by the pool organizer (or his sons) prior to your entry being received to be official. As the collection of entry fees is by far the toughest part of running the pool, please send them in as soon as possible. See the special rules above.
• As explained below, fees can be sent by mail to Mark Mingelgreen, 500 Fifth Avenue, Suite 2700, New York, NY 10110, sent by messenger to the same location, given to Jason or Cory Mingelgreen or paid through PayPal.com or by credit card.
• If you pay by PayPal please send $105 per entry to msmingel@yahoo.com with the description of “Basketball purchase”. Do not use the words “Pool” or “Tournament”.  
• If you pay by credit card, you must send me an email (msmingel@yahoo.com) with the type of card (MC, Visa or Amex), the name on the card, the account number, the expiration date, the security code and your billing zip code. You will be charged $105 per entry.
• Note that the 4 play in games on Tuesday, March 13^th and Wednesday, March 14^th will not count towards this pool.
• If you receive information about this pool from someone other than the pool organizer, contact the person who sent you the information, as to how to get your fee to the organizer or his designee before the deadline. All entries received without payment will be discarded. If you enter it is your responsibility to make sure that your picks and entry fee are received in a timely manner. 

Scoring System

·        Participants gain points based on the seed of the team you pick to win the game and the round of the game.

·        Total Points for a game = Seed# + Points per round

·        Points per round are as follows:

1st round: 1 point
2nd round: 3 points
3rd round: 6 points
Regional finals: 12 points
Final Four: 20 points
Championship: 35 points

·        Seeding scoring is as follows:

Participants gain points based on the seeding of the team they pick to win

Examples:

(1) You select a 12 seed to defeat a 5 seed in the first round and you are correct in your selection. You receive 1 point for a first round victory, and 12 points for picking the 12th seed to win, a total of 13 points for that game.

(2) In the third round of the tournament, you select a 4 seed to defeat a 1 seed and you are correct in your selection. You receive 6 points for winning a game in the third round plus 4 points because you selected a 4th seed to win the game, a total of 10 points.

Selecting and sending in your bracket

Click on the link at the end of this page to reach the selection page.

When you reach the page make sure to include the information asked for on the top right of the page. Type in your name (last, first), your phone number, your email address, and how you are paying (using PayPal.com, check sent in mail, check sent by messenger, in person, etc. ).  It is very important that you fill out the necessary information so we can send you scoring updates and contact you if there is a problem.

Be sure to fill in every game and the tie-breaker points for the final game. When you are done with your selections, click on the send form button on the bottom of the page. All of your selections will automatically be sent by e-mail to the organizer of the pool. Make sure to print out the page so you have a copy of your picks. Once you select your picks and send them in, you cannot change your selections at any time. Again, all picks must be sent in by 11:55 am EST time on Thursday morning, March 15^th and payments received by that same time. Please continue to read the rules before you make your selections.

Tie-breaker

The tie-breaker is used when two or more people have the same number of points after all tournament games are completed. The first tie-breaker is picking the winner in the championship game. If there is still a tie, the winner will be the one picking the closest to the total points scored in the championship game. If players are still tied, the final tie-breaker is the person who has the correct 2^nd place team.

Tournament Reports

Tournament reports will be available on the web throughout the tournament. The organizer will also send out reports by email throughout the tournament.

Payouts – the payout percentage will be determined after the number of entries are determined.

Tournament Winner: 43% of total pool              
Tournament Runner up: 20%                                       
3^rd Place in Tourney: 15%                                            

4^th Place in Tourney: 9%                                              

5^th Place in Tourney: 6%                                              

6^th Place in Tourney: 3%                                               

7^th Place in Tourney: 2%                                               

8^th Place in Tourney: 1%                                              

Leader after the second round: 1%                               

   
(Note that the organizer of the pool will be entitled to receive 2 free entries into the pool.  Please note again that entry fees paid by PayPal or Credit Card cost $105 (not $100 which is the fee if you pay by check or cash).

Entry Fees

Your $100 entry fee ($105 by Credit Card or PayPal) must be received by Mark, Jason or Cory Mingelgreen by 12:00 noon on Thursday March 15th. Your entry fee may be given to Mark, Jason or Cory or sent to Mark at 500 Fifth Avenue, Suite 2700, New York, NY 10110, or may be paid thru PayPal.com or by credit card.

• If using PayPal, send payment to "msmingel@yahoo.com". Note that you are buying a basketball. Do NOT mention "tournament" or "pool".
• If you pay by credit card, you must send me an email (msmingel@yahoo.com) with the type of card (MC, Visa or Amex), the name on the card, the account number, the expiration date and the security code.

· Enter your selections by following one of the following links after the brackets are completed on March 11th.

Tournament Entry Selection Sheet