It's been a little over three weeks since Conference Tournament 3 began, and there's one team that's in the lead by far -- in both this tournament and the others. With only a week left of play, it's unlikely that any team in this tournament will catch up.
Welcome to ECI8's March Sadness Bracketology Report. The competition is in full swing, and teams across every tournament are vying for a top spot in an effort to win a brand new HVAC unit worth up to $20,000.
Let's take a look at how the teams in Conference Tournament 3 are doing. You can also watch the video recap from ECI8 below.
Who is the projected #1 or #2 seed from this tournament?
Team Up In Smoke is currently in 1st place with 80.0% of the votes. This is an original Levittown boiler that has been beyond repair for several years. For two years it didn't work, but the team's owners were able to get it up and running by some miracle. It's blowing soot all over the house, and it almost set the house on fire a little while back. This team is winning in their tournament by a lot, and it's clear that they deserve a top spot in the final March Sadness tournament.
How does the top seed compare to the top seeds in the other tournaments?
Out of the top seeds so far, Team Up In Smoke ranks third as far as highest percentage of total votes. To compare, Team Baby Ice has 93.1% of the votes. Team We Need A Break has 82.6% of the tournament votes. Team Half A Century Old has 60.9% of the votes. Team Hot And Heavy has 56.9% of their tournament votes. Team Love Not War has 52.4% of the tournament votes.
While this does not always mean that the other top teams are doing worse than Team Up In Smoke, in this case, they are definitely a top performer. But ultimately, our well-trained Selection Committee will determine seed placements based on multiple factors. While number of votes is the main factor, other team attributes will play a role.
What team has the possibility of improving its ranking?
Team Nightmare from Ambler, Pa. is in 2nd place with 17.0% of the tournament votes. This 22-year-old heating and cooling system barely works and is impossible to program. With all the money it gets, you'd think it would try harder; but unfortunately that's not the case here. The owners are sick of this unit -- the only ones that seem to like it are the squirrels who got into the attic and made a home in this mess of a system. While this team probably won't catch up to Team Up In Smoke, they should still work on getting more votes. Remember, more votes = a better chance at a higher seed in the final tournament. 
Of the struggling teams, which loss might be most damaging?
Team Waiting For The Roof To Cave In of Bensalem, Pa. is in 3rd place with 2.3% of the votes. This air conditioner is close to 50 years old and unserviceable at this point. Besides barely having AC, these owners need to run a shop-vac multiple times a day throughout the summer to suck the water out and prevent it from building up and ruining the attic. They are quite literally waiting for the roof to cave in, so this lack of votes could really be damaging for them. Yes, even if they get a lower seed #, an upset is definitely possible. But their best bet is to rally for some more votes by the end of next week!
Finally, Team Time For Betsy Jr. in Levittown is in 4th place with 0.6% of the tournament votes. Their 33-year-old boiler is costing this team lots of money and has been ready for a replacement for a few years now. Old Betsy does not appreciate the owners' efforts, and they are ready for Betsy Jr. However, with this lack of votes, will their wishes be granted? Only time can tell.
Come back throughout the week to look at our bracketology updates for the other tournaments.
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