Answer to the Problem of the Week
for the week of March 6, 2006

March Madness
by R. Wayne Schmittberger
in Games Magazine (March 2006)

Eight basketball teams reached the quarterfinals of the March Invitational Tournament, in which a single loss means elimination.

The nicknames of these teams are the Armadillos, Badgers, Caribous, Ducks, Elks, Falcons, Gophers, and Hedgehogs. The teams were seeded (ranked) from 1st (highest) through 8th (lowest), then written into the quarterfinal columns on the left end of the table below, next to their ranks (which appear in parentheses).

From the following clues, can you figure out which team was seeded where, and complete the table to determine who won the tournament?
Please send your answers in the form requested below.



Clues

  1. Of the seven games played during the event (four in the quarterfinals, two in the semifinals, and one in the finals), the higher-ranked team won only three times.
  2. The Falcons were one of just two quarterfinal winners who were ranked higher than their opponent.
  3. One finalist was seeded two ranks higher than the other finalist.
  4. The 7th-seeded team was eliminated by the Hedgehogs.
  5. The Ducks reached the finals by defeating teams ranked both lower and higher than themselves.
  6. The Gophers, who were not the 4th seed, ranked just below the Falcons.
  7. The Armadillos played more than one game.
  8. The Badgers were ranked higher than the Caribous but lower than the Elks.


Please send in your answers in a text file in the following order:
 
(1)   _____________________
(8)   _____________________
(5)   _____________________
(4)   _____________________
(3)   _____________________
(6)   _____________________
(7)   _____________________
(2)   _____________________
 
(A)   _____________________
(B)   _____________________
(C)   _____________________
(D)   _____________________
 
(E)   _____________________
(F)   _____________________
 
(G)   _____________________



 

Solution to the Problem:

The Hedgehogs won the tournament.




Correctly solved by:

1. Garrett Hix Brookstone School
Columbus, Georgia
2. Danny Gordon Brookstone School
Columbus, Georgia
3. Jeff McKenzie John Handley High School
Winchester, Virginia
4. Shaan Arora Brookstone School
Columbus, Georgia
5. Sagar Patel Brookstone School
Columbus, Georgia
6. David & Judy Dixon Bennettsville, South Carolina
7. Lauren Coles Chelmsford High School
Chelmsford, Massachussetts
8. Kunal Singh Kendriya Vidyalaya School
Happy Valley, Shillong, India
9. Emily Powell John Handley High School
Winchester, Virginia
10. Dana Moats Ft. Eustis, Virginia
11. Andrew Dau South O'Brien High School
Gaza, Iowa
12. Danny Bintrim Harrisonburg, Virginia
13. Bobby Arthur John Handley High School
Winchester, Virginia
14. Billy Sutherland John Handley High School
Winchester, Virginia
15. Julianne Harris John Handley High School
Winchester, Virginia
16. Larry Schwartz Norwalk, Connecticut
17. Tristan Collins Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, Virginia
18. Jess Thorpe ----------
19. Laura Gronauer John Handley High School
Winchester, Virginia
20. Sharina Smith Newport News, Virginia
21. Angelo Leone Middletown, Connecticut
22. Kelley Kolar John Handley High School
Winchester, Virginia
23. Andrew Montoya John Handley High School
Winchester, Virginia