-Day 6 & 7 recap-

JT, Vitale rise from the ashes

Either Charles or Leta Corwin (Senor Wences and Momma Mia, respectively) has been at the top of the leader board since the second day of competition. Their battle for bracket supremacy enthralled the Chippens Nation as we watched their struggle threaten to break the bonds of love that were forged nearly 40 years ago in a small Methodist church in Hart, Michigan. It seemed only right that in the end one of them should be able to wear the most prestigious crown in spectator sports. But now, in a bitter twist of fate that not even the likes of Shakespeare could dream up, neither of them can win. Oh, unhappy fortune!

In their places stand two unlikely heroes, Justin Thompson and Mike Theune (JT and Vitale), with JT one point ahead of Vitale, 130-129. Both players are the only players left in the tournament who still have all their Final Four teams viable. Only one other player, Susu, even had Villanova in the Final Four.

The trip to the top of the standings has been nothing less than epic for both JT and Vitale. At the end of the first weekend, JT was languishing in 21st place while Vitale was all but forgotten in 46th. Now, each man is one of only seven players left who still have a shot at the ultimate glory.

Yes, only seven gifted players can still win. The biggest underdog of the seven has to be Man of Achievement, who is currently in 42nd place but can still win it all if Louisville beats North Carolina in the finals.

Many dreams will either die or gain new life when the final buzzer sounds at the end of Sunday’s MSU-Louisville matchup. This situation is especially true for our two leaders, for JT has Michigan State and North Carolina filling out his Final Four while Vitale has Louisville and North Carolina.

Veteran Chippens competitor and 2005 runner-up Blizzard T. Husky (Nick Schultz) also has a lot riding on the Spartans. If they lose in the finals to UNC, Husky will no doubt have a smile on his face that will be visible from Houghton all the way to Birch Run.

The two players rooting for Oklahoma tomorrow will be Adam Lombard and Matt Fowler. Lombard has the Sooners going the distance, while Fowler has them losing in the finals to Louisville.

The only person among the seven contenders rooting for Connecticut the rest of the way will be Meggie Byrne. The Chippens rookie has a UConn-UNC Final.