As I hinted in my last post, were Duke to win the national championship, the winner of this year’s IdiotsHoopla pool would be none other than yours truly.

In fact, Duke won, storming back from a sizable second-half deficit to beat the fearsome Badgers of Wisconsin.

I was as surprised as I was elated. When I picked them to win this tournament, it was with the full expectation that my heart would be broken again. But lo and behold, they did it. And now I find myself alone atop the leaderboard. I will take a moment to revel in the thrill of it all.

But only a moment.

Because the unwritten rules of this contest expressly state that all employees, owners, writers, illustrators, art directors, and etc. of the Idiots’Books corporation are expressly forbidden from winning this tournament, I must now relinquish my crown, handing it along to Liz’sIdealMadness, whomever she may be.

Liz (if that is, in fact, your name), please identify yourself to me, and I will make sure that you get added to the Idiots’Books subscribership promptly.

As for the rest of you who participated, I so appreciate your being part of this bit of yearly fun. As for those of you who had it all pegged on Kentucky, take heart to know that they will probably be back on top of the heap next year.