Brian Hoffman
The NCAA basketball tournament begins this week, marking the 45th year of our annual “Steps to the Championship” basketball contest.
This should be a great contest. Once again we have “one of our own” in the contest as Salem High School graduate Mark Byington has his Vanderbilt University team in the South Region. The Commodores are the fifth seed and will open against ninth seeded Iowa.
Byington was an all-state player on the ‘94 Salem High state championship team, which most of you remember. However, a couple years ago when Mark was still coaching James Madison I was talking to a Salem High graduate who was going to school at JMU. I asked him if he ever saw Mark on campus and he had no idea the Monarch’s coach was from Salem. How soon we forget.
The University of Virginia is also back in the tournament this year and is a third seed, opening against Wright State in the Midwest Region. Also representing the Old Dominion, but not ODU, is Virginia Commonwealth University. An 11th seed, they’ll open with North Carolina in the South Region.
Liberty and Norfolk State both made the “Big Dance” last year but failed to get invited this year. The Hokies, Richmond, James Madison and George Mason are sitting it out once again.
The bracket for the NCAA Division I men’s basketball championship is on the facing page, and first prize is a $50 gift certificate from Mac & Bob’s restaurant and a year’s subscription to the Salem Times-Register. The rules of the contest are simple. Simply fill in the brackets, right down to the championship winner. The person who fills in the most blanks correctly when the NCAA championship is decided on April 6th in Indianapolis will be the winner.
The tie-breaker, if needed, is as follows. If two contestants are tied for the top spot, the winner is the contestant whose pick to win the championship has advanced farther. If it’s still tied, then whoever had the most correct in the “Final Four” will win. If still tied, we go to the Final Eight, Final 16, etc.
Your completed entry form must be in our office by 5 pm this Friday. So, realize you get the Thursday games for free if you play your cards right. However, don’t try to slip your entry in after the deadline on Friday because we’ll be watching, and you’ll be disqualified. The office closes early on Friday but you can slip your entry through the mail slot next to the front door.
You can also mail your entry, but it must be postmarked by 5 pm Friday. Send it to, “Steps to the Championship,” Salem Times-Register Sports, P.O. Box 1125, Salem, VA 24153.
Please note all contest entries must be on the official ballot, cut out of a Salem Times-Register newspaper, or from an on-line digital copy from this week.
