Other Sports March Madness: There's an Indiana teenager who's missed only two NCAA tournay picks

**Trivers** · 04-01-2016, 10:30 AM

http://www.ncaa.com/news/basketball-...-teenager-whos

March Madness bracket: There's an Indiana teenager who's missed only two NCAA tournament picks
Mike Lopresti | NCAA.com
Last Updated - Apr 1, 2016 09:41 EDT
Contact |Archive |RSS

HOUSTON – You say your NCAA Tournament bracket is in shambles? All that research and study started to crumble way back at Michigan State vs. Middle Tennessee State? Boy, is this story going to make you envious.

Meet Rebecca Gentry, a senior at Jasper High School in southern Indiana, and the young lady who buried you – and you, and you – with her predictions. As first reported by the Dubois County Herald, she filled out a bracket for an English literature class the day after Selection Sunday. She missed Northern Iowa beating Texas at the buzzer. She missed Hawaii beating California. And that’s all she’s missed.
Two games. Two. Had Northern Iowa not hit a half-court Hail Mary, she might have only missed one. She was all over Syracuse, on top of Middle Tennessee State, had Little Rock in her hip pocket, was onto Yale. Her Sweet 16 was THE Sweet 16. And Elite Eight. And Final Four.

So now you’re wondering what sort of college basketball junkie they have in English class at Jasper.

Well...

“I am not really a sports person,” she said over the phone Thursday night.

For instance, does she know anything about seedings? Syracuse at No. 10? “Nope.”

Can she name one player in the Final Four? “Uhhhh …. no. I know faces and stuff. I really don’t know much beyond that.”

She’s not a Final Four expert, then? “I didn’t know there were levels. I didn’t know there was best eight, or whatever. Or Final Four. I didn’t realize there was any of that. I thought they just kind of played basketball.”
For that matter, has she ever seen a basketball game in person in her life?

“I think I might have went to one in middle school, if that counts. Actually I have been to one in high school. The Globetrotters were there. I think that’s what they were called. And I worked the concession stand once, but I didn’t get to see any of the game because I was mostly handing out nachos.”

But she did fill out a bracket because it was for bonus points. “When he first handed the assignment out, I thought I’m not doing this, I don’t know what any of this means, maybe I’ll copy somebody’s.

“That thing is pretty stressful. I had no idea where any of the names went and I had to have people help direct me where I needed to put the names at because it was really confusing for a girl that does not like any sport.”

Next thing she knew, she was watching her picks cut down the nets in the regional. And about that net-cutting business...

“They had the ladder up. I think it was Villanova. I looked at some of the people I was with and I’m like, 'Guys, why are they cutting that net down. Is there something wrong with the net I don’t see?' They said, 'Rebecca, they cut the net down when they win.’ And then they started explaining how they put it on the trophy and I thought that was the coolest thing I ever heard.

“So now I know about the net.”

Feeling humbled yet?

“It still hasn’t really sank in that this is actually happening,” said Aaron Hohl, her teacher. “It’s kind of overwhelming for me and I’m just the teacher. I don’t think she really realizes the magnitude of what she’s done.”

Said Rebecca, “I thought I was already failing with two mistakes.”

This is all on the level. Hohl has the kids fill out their brackets in ink each March, then takes them home for spring break. After break, he hands them out for the students to mark, then asks the class how it went. That’s when Rebecca held up her hand and said she’d missed two.

“I kind of rolled my eyes. OK, let me see it,” he said. “I sat down and took a look at this bracket, and my jaw just dropped.”

Other things began to fall into place. How he had noticed a green sweatshirt Rebecca had often worn, with the letters MTSU on it. “Only recently have I noticed that she’s been wearing a Middle Tennessee State sweatshirt through the entire school year,” he said. “It gets more and more strange as time goes on.”

So what’s her secret? “It was a little bit of instinct, a little bit of guessing,” she said. “And pure luck. I had no idea what was going on half the time with my bracket.”

Her bracket shows two lines drawn through Texas and California, the teams she missed. Also, she had started to write Utah over Gonzaga, but scratched it out and changed her mind. A friend told her Gonzaga.

Stephen F. Austin over West Virginia? “One of my friends kind of liked them. Honestly I just liked the name of that team better.”

Little Rock over Purdue? “I do not like Purdue. That was a pretty obvious one.”

Middle Tennessee State over Michigan State? “My mom actually almost went there for college and I’ve seen a little bit of the campus from pictures she showed me and stuff. I kind of chose that one because my mom loved that team.”

Yale over Baylor? “I thought if they’re a huge college for academics and stuff, they’re probably going to be pretty good with basketball.”

Indiana over Kentucky? “That one was a hard decision. My boyfriend is a huge Kentucky fan. He has shirts upon shirts and he has a little stamp on the back of his truck for Kentucky. I just thought my state of Indiana would beat Kentucky.”

Syracuse in the Final Four? “Actually, that was one of my guesses. I had seen a few games of theirs, just a few. Ultimately, I thought I’m going to make Syracuse go pretty far. Nobody else is going to think that Syracuse is going to go anywhere so I’m going to make them go somewhere.”

For the record, she has Villanova beating Syracuse in the championship game. Sorry, North Carolina and Oklahoma.

So now her fame spreads in Jasper.

“My boyfriend’s pretty jealous right now because his bracket is totally over,” she said. "But hey, I got mentioned on a radio station and I got put in the newspaper, so that’s good for the next 15 years. I’ll hang that on my refrigerator.”

Plus, her teacher is impressed.

“He might be giving us doughnuts, so that’s always a plus.”

So now comes the Final Four, and the chance for Rebecca to really make championship confetti out of her bracket. This teenaged hoop seer of seers will be watching, right? Right?

“If I have time.”

**Trivers** · 04-01-2016, 10:32 AM

In the past, I've lost big football pools to: a woman co-worker who selected her picks by the colors of the uniforms; and one to who selected the teams by which had the cuter quarterback.

TLO · 04-01-2016, 10:36 AM

Need pics to verify how awesome this story really is.

TLO · 04-01-2016, 10:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dr. Pepper

Need pics to verify how awesome this story really is.

MMXcalibur · 04-01-2016, 11:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dr. Pepper

HEY!!!

MY BRACKET!!

Pasta Little Brioni · 04-01-2016, 12:35 PM

Blind luck, so meh u

**TribalElder** · 04-01-2016, 02:45 PM

Her bracket will crumble at ok vs nc

Rasputin · 04-01-2016, 02:48 PM

She grew up in an Indiana town
Had a good lookin' momma who never was around
But she grew up tall and she grew up right
With them Indiana boys on an Indiana night

Well she moved down here at the age of eighteen
She blew the boys away, it was more than they'd seen
I was introduced and we both started groovin'
She said, "I dig you baby but I got to keep movin'...on, keep movin' on"

Last dance with Mary Jane
One more time to kill the pain
I feel summer creepin' in and I'm
Tired of this town again

Well I don't know what I've been told
You never slow down, you never grow old
I'm tired of screwing up, I'm tired of goin' down
I'm tired of myself, I'm tired of this town
Oh my my, oh hell yes
Honey put on that party dress
Buy me a drink, sing me a song,
Take me as I come 'cause I can't stay long

Last dance with Mary Jane
One more time to kill the pain
I feel summer creepin' in and I'm
Tired of this town again

There's pigeons down in Market Square
She's standin' in her underwear
Lookin' down from a hotel room
Nightfall will be comin' soon
Oh my my, oh hell yes
You've got to put on that party dress
It was too cold to cry when I woke up alone
I hit the last number, I walked to the road

Last dance with Mary Jane
One more time to kill the pain
I feel summer creepin' in and I'm
Tired of this town again

Why Not? · 04-01-2016, 02:52 PM

Hahhaahahhaha. That's what you get for not picking Hawaii. Bitch.

Kidding, kidding

Lex Luthor · 04-01-2016, 03:12 PM

Quote:

This is all on the level. Hohl has the kids fill out their brackets in ink each March, then takes them home for spring break. After break, he hands them out for the students to mark, then asks the class how it went. That’s when Rebecca held up her hand and said she’d missed two.

I call bullshit on this story. This is nothing more than a practical joke that has made her famous. According to the story, she filled out the bracket along with all of her classmates. Everybody gave their brackets to the teacher, who kept them over spring break. Then after classes resumed, he gave everybody back their own brackets so they could score them.

What's more likely: That she beat odds greater than a million to one and got all of those picks right through blind luck, or that she filled out a second bracket the night before and scored it instead of her original bracket?

I hate to by so cynical, but this sounds a hell of a lot like the news report several years ago about an autistic teenager who picked the first two rounds perfectly on CBSsports.com's Bracket Manager web site. The news stories said the odds against that were 13,460,00 to 1.

Then the story quietly disappeared after people noticed that this particular web site allowed the person running the pool to edit the picks after the games had been played. The guy running the pool was his brother.

Deberg_1990 · 04-01-2016, 04:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trivers

Yale over Baylor? “I thought if they’re a huge college for academics and stuff, they’re probably going to be pretty good with basketball.”

Yes! Makes perfect sense!

KCwolf · 04-01-2016, 04:41 PM

I call BS .... A hand written picture??

Spott · 04-01-2016, 04:44 PM

It seems like the people that have near perfect brackets are the ones that don't follow the sport. I haven't watched a college basketball game in years, but I still filled out a bracket that has 3 of the final four teams right.

Hoopsdoc · 04-01-2016, 06:21 PM

Jasper is 25 miles from my house. Maybe I should head on over and introduce her to a legendary 14 inch Chiefsplanet "package". She can stroke my goatee as she writhes in the ecstasy of multiple earth shattering orgasms.

listopencil · 04-01-2016, 08:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hoopsdoc

Jasper is 25 miles from my house. Maybe I should head on over and introduce her to a legendary 14 inch Chiefsplanet "package". She can stroke my goatee as she writhes in the ecstasy of multiple earth shattering orgasms.

"Meet Rebecca Gentry, a senior at Jasper High School in southern Indiana..."

04-01-2016, 10:30 AM
Trivers Always ask 'Why?" Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Two Rivers, Wisconsin Casino cash: $-737600	March Madness: There's an Indiana teenager who's missed only two NCAA tournay picks http://www.ncaa.com/news/basketball-...-teenager-whos March Madness bracket: There's an Indiana teenager who's missed only two NCAA tournament picks Mike Lopresti \| NCAA.com Last Updated - Apr 1, 2016 09:41 EDT Contact \|Archive \|RSS HOUSTON – You say your NCAA Tournament bracket is in shambles? All that research and study started to crumble way back at Michigan State vs. Middle Tennessee State? Boy, is this story going to make you envious. Meet Rebecca Gentry, a senior at Jasper High School in southern Indiana, and the young lady who buried you – and you, and you – with her predictions. As first reported by the Dubois County Herald, she filled out a bracket for an English literature class the day after Selection Sunday. She missed Northern Iowa beating Texas at the buzzer. She missed Hawaii beating California. And that’s all she’s missed. Two games. Two. Had Northern Iowa not hit a half-court Hail Mary, she might have only missed one. She was all over Syracuse, on top of Middle Tennessee State, had Little Rock in her hip pocket, was onto Yale. Her Sweet 16 was THE Sweet 16. And Elite Eight. And Final Four. So now you’re wondering what sort of college basketball junkie they have in English class at Jasper. Well... “I am not really a sports person,” she said over the phone Thursday night. For instance, does she know anything about seedings? Syracuse at No. 10? “Nope.” Can she name one player in the Final Four? “Uhhhh …. no. I know faces and stuff. I really don’t know much beyond that.” She’s not a Final Four expert, then? “I didn’t know there were levels. I didn’t know there was best eight, or whatever. Or Final Four. I didn’t realize there was any of that. I thought they just kind of played basketball.” For that matter, has she ever seen a basketball game in person in her life? “I think I might have went to one in middle school, if that counts. Actually I have been to one in high school. The Globetrotters were there. I think that’s what they were called. And I worked the concession stand once, but I didn’t get to see any of the game because I was mostly handing out nachos.” But she did fill out a bracket because it was for bonus points. “When he first handed the assignment out, I thought I’m not doing this, I don’t know what any of this means, maybe I’ll copy somebody’s. “That thing is pretty stressful. I had no idea where any of the names went and I had to have people help direct me where I needed to put the names at because it was really confusing for a girl that does not like any sport.” Next thing she knew, she was watching her picks cut down the nets in the regional. And about that net-cutting business... “They had the ladder up. I think it was Villanova. I looked at some of the people I was with and I’m like, 'Guys, why are they cutting that net down. Is there something wrong with the net I don’t see?' They said, 'Rebecca, they cut the net down when they win.’ And then they started explaining how they put it on the trophy and I thought that was the coolest thing I ever heard. “So now I know about the net.” Feeling humbled yet? “It still hasn’t really sank in that this is actually happening,” said Aaron Hohl, her teacher. “It’s kind of overwhelming for me and I’m just the teacher. I don’t think she really realizes the magnitude of what she’s done.” Said Rebecca, “I thought I was already failing with two mistakes.” This is all on the level. Hohl has the kids fill out their brackets in ink each March, then takes them home for spring break. After break, he hands them out for the students to mark, then asks the class how it went. That’s when Rebecca held up her hand and said she’d missed two. “I kind of rolled my eyes. OK, let me see it,” he said. “I sat down and took a look at this bracket, and my jaw just dropped.” Other things began to fall into place. How he had noticed a green sweatshirt Rebecca had often worn, with the letters MTSU on it. “Only recently have I noticed that she’s been wearing a Middle Tennessee State sweatshirt through the entire school year,” he said. “It gets more and more strange as time goes on.” So what’s her secret? “It was a little bit of instinct, a little bit of guessing,” she said. “And pure luck. I had no idea what was going on half the time with my bracket.” Her bracket shows two lines drawn through Texas and California, the teams she missed. Also, she had started to write Utah over Gonzaga, but scratched it out and changed her mind. A friend told her Gonzaga. Stephen F. Austin over West Virginia? “One of my friends kind of liked them. Honestly I just liked the name of that team better.” Little Rock over Purdue? “I do not like Purdue. That was a pretty obvious one.” Middle Tennessee State over Michigan State? “My mom actually almost went there for college and I’ve seen a little bit of the campus from pictures she showed me and stuff. I kind of chose that one because my mom loved that team.” Yale over Baylor? “I thought if they’re a huge college for academics and stuff, they’re probably going to be pretty good with basketball.” Indiana over Kentucky? “That one was a hard decision. My boyfriend is a huge Kentucky fan. He has shirts upon shirts and he has a little stamp on the back of his truck for Kentucky. I just thought my state of Indiana would beat Kentucky.” Syracuse in the Final Four? “Actually, that was one of my guesses. I had seen a few games of theirs, just a few. Ultimately, I thought I’m going to make Syracuse go pretty far. Nobody else is going to think that Syracuse is going to go anywhere so I’m going to make them go somewhere.” For the record, she has Villanova beating Syracuse in the championship game. Sorry, North Carolina and Oklahoma. So now her fame spreads in Jasper. “My boyfriend’s pretty jealous right now because his bracket is totally over,” she said. "But hey, I got mentioned on a radio station and I got put in the newspaper, so that’s good for the next 15 years. I’ll hang that on my refrigerator.” Plus, her teacher is impressed. “He might be giving us doughnuts, so that’s always a plus.” So now comes the Final Four, and the chance for Rebecca to really make championship confetti out of her bracket. This teenaged hoop seer of seers will be watching, right? Right? “If I have time.”
Posts: 3,007

04-01-2016, 10:32 AM	#2
Trivers Always ask 'Why?" Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Two Rivers, Wisconsin Casino cash: $-737600	In the past, I've lost big football pools to: a woman co-worker who selected her picks by the colors of the uniforms; and one to who selected the teams by which had the cuter quarterback. Last edited by Trivers; 04-01-2016 at 12:19 PM..
Posts: 3,007

04-01-2016, 10:36 AM	#3
TLO Life is changing.. Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: NW Missouri Casino cash: $-2370000	Need pics to verify how awesome this story really is.
Posts: 43,040

04-01-2016, 12:35 PM	#6
Pasta Little Brioni Consuming CP souls Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: U.S.A. Casino cash: $388880	Blind luck, so meh u __________________ **Official TFWdemB Trivia Commisioner**
Posts: 72,920

04-01-2016, 02:45 PM	#7
TribalElder Arrowhead Trail of Tears Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: KansasCity Casino cash: $-469559	Her bracket will crumble at ok vs nc __________________ Pressure is a privilege, and champions adjust
Posts: 29,548

04-01-2016, 02:48 PM	#8
Rasputin Tip of the hat LIV Champs Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: ks Casino cash: $235421	Last dance with Mary Jane ~ Tom Petty/Heartbreakers She grew up in an Indiana town Had a good lookin' momma who never was around But she grew up tall and she grew up right With them Indiana boys on an Indiana night Well she moved down here at the age of eighteen She blew the boys away, it was more than they'd seen I was introduced and we both started groovin' She said, "I dig you baby but I got to keep movin'...on, keep movin' on" Last dance with Mary Jane One more time to kill the pain I feel summer creepin' in and I'm Tired of this town again Well I don't know what I've been told You never slow down, you never grow old I'm tired of screwing up, I'm tired of goin' down I'm tired of myself, I'm tired of this town Oh my my, oh hell yes Honey put on that party dress Buy me a drink, sing me a song, Take me as I come 'cause I can't stay long Last dance with Mary Jane One more time to kill the pain I feel summer creepin' in and I'm Tired of this town again There's pigeons down in Market Square She's standin' in her underwear Lookin' down from a hotel room Nightfall will be comin' soon Oh my my, oh hell yes You've got to put on that party dress It was too cold to cry when I woke up alone I hit the last number, I walked to the road Last dance with Mary Jane One more time to kill the pain I feel summer creepin' in and I'm Tired of this town again
Posts: 56,907

04-01-2016, 02:52 PM	#9
Why Not? In Search of a Life Join Date: Apr 2013 Location: Kansas Casino cash: $-471006	Hahhaahahhaha. That's what you get for not picking Hawaii. Bitch. Kidding, kidding
Posts: 23,765

04-01-2016, 04:41 PM	#12
KCwolf Finisher Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Portland Oregon Casino cash: $3961116	I call BS .... A hand written picture?? __________________
Posts: 1,917

04-01-2016, 04:44 PM	#13
Spott Court Jester Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: Orlando Casino cash: $-607600	It seems like the people that have near perfect brackets are the ones that don't follow the sport. I haven't watched a college basketball game in years, but I still filled out a bracket that has 3 of the final four teams right. Last edited by Spott; 04-01-2016 at 08:58 PM..
Posts: 20,675