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March 17, 2008 3:32 PM EDT
As March Madness(R) kicks into full gear, a new Lincoln Retirement(SM) Institute survey finds that more people are focused on money in the bank than wagering on this year’s NCAA Tournament.WHAT: March Madness(R) is a phenomenon that traditionally gripsAmericans across the nation from the first week of Marchthrough the first week of April. For more than 75 years, thiscraze has infiltrated the home, classroom and, often, theoffice. However, the most recent survey by the LincolnRetirement(SM) Institute found that people are taking thenews about the reality of an economic slowdown to heart. Thesurvey surprisingly discovered that people expect to spendmore time thinking about planning and saving for retirementin March than focusing on their NCAA tournament bracketpicks. Statistical highlights from this up-to-the-minutesurvey(1) include:(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050830/LFLOGO ) — Seventy-two (72%) percent of those surveyed said they willspend less than one hour making their March Madness(R)picks this year.– Eighty-seven (87%) percent of survey respondents plan tospend up to 5 hours in March thinking about planning andsaving for retirement.– Not surprisingly, surveyed men are planning to dedicatemore time to their March Madness(R) bracket picks thansurveyed women.– However, both genders plan on spending equal amounts oftime thinking about their financial futures, indicatingthat women are beginning to disprove the stereotypethat they don’t have a handle on or interest in theirfinances.– Survey respondents in the 18-24 age group anticipatespending the same amount of time thinking about planningand saving for retirement as selecting their MarchMadness(R) bracket picks, showing that those in theyoungest generation put as much emphasis on finances asthey do fun.– In the older age groups, especially those ages 45-54,nearly three times as many people estimate they willspend significantly more time, up to 10 hours, thinkingabout their retirement planning efforts as compared toengaging in NCAA tournament research.– Twice as many people surveyed gave themselves an “A+” fortheir in-depth knowledge of their 401(k) plans andinvestment choices versus their knowledge of NCAAtournament player statistics and college team rankings.– Nearly 3 out of 5 people surveyed gave themselves apassing grade when it comes to specific knowledge of their401(k) or retirement plans, suggesting that many aregetting more comfortable with the retirement tools theyhave in place.– Surveyed men were almost twice as likely as women togive themselves top marks (”A” or “B”) in terms oftheir knowledge of their 401(k) plan, investmentallocations and stock options.– It is a telling sign of the economic times that more thantwice the number of survey respondents plan to check theirbank account balances when logging onto their computers inMarch versus learning the latest on the NCAA tournamentscores.WHEN: March Madness(R) 2008 NCAA TournamentMarch 17-April 2, 2008WHO:Tim JohnsonChief Investment Strategist, Lincoln Financial Advisors, a25-year industry veteranHOW:”As Americans face the possibility of spending $4 for agallon of milk or gas, economic realities are hitting uswhere us it hurts — our wallets. These issues demand ourattention and require new levels of discipline. What isusually a national celebration of the underdogs andpowerhouses of college men’s basketball is being relegated toa more intense focus on smart money management. As a teamascends to its ‘one shining moment,’ Americans are trying toensure their retirements are filled with many shining momentsof their own,” said Tim Johnson, Lincoln Financial Advisors.ADDITIONAL: The Lincoln Retirement(SM) Institute is an organizationwithin Lincoln Financial Group (LFG) that was created toconduct research, organize the intellectual capital of thecompany and work with external thinkers on retirementsubjects that are relevant to the baby boomer generation.Please visit the Lincoln Retirement(SM) Institute web site,http://www.LincolnFinancial.com, for interactive tools,calculators and fresh content to help baby boomers andretirees prepare for their lengthy retirement years. Thissurvey was conducted by Zoomerang, an independent researchfirm based in San Francisco. A nationally representativeonline survey of 392 U.S. adults ages 18-54 of all incomelevels was conducted March 7-12, 2008.CONTACT: To set up an interview, please contact:Jeff Van Pelt, Lincoln Financial Advisors, 603-226-5216Megan Haney, Tierney Communications, 215-790-4344

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Selection Sunday has come and gone, and the Madness is nigh.
For the NCAA tournament selection committee, that madness began early: Sunday’s five conference games had bracket implications, and the 65-team bracket wasn’t done until 20 minutes before CBS began its broadcast. (The biggest drama of the day: Georgia — which otherwise would have gone home — completed its unlikely run through the SEC tournament, beating Arkansas for an automatic bid.)
The bracket was refreshingly free of cries of “Injustice!” Top seed North Carolina is widely regarded as deserving of that honor, and among the other No. 1s — UCLA, Memphis and Kansas — only the Jayhawks came with caveats. (Coulda been Tennessee or Texas.) For the first time since 1980, last year’s finalists will be left out of the tournament. But while Ohio State was a possibility for an at-large spot, defending-champion Florida deserved its trip to the NIT.
The Buckeyes can fuss, at least minimally. So can Virginia Tech, Virginia Commonwealth and Illinois State. The team with the biggest cause for complaint? Arizona State: The Sun Devils beat their archrivals at Arizona twice and then saw the Wildcats grab a No. 10 seed. Still, all in all there were few howls and whines when the bracket was complete.

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UCLA’s Darren Collison (2) scores on a layup as Stanford’s Robin Lopez defends during the first half of the championship game of the Pac-10 Conference at the Staples Center in Los Angeles Saturday, March 15, 2008. Collison finished with 28 points and UCLA won 67-64. (AP Photo/Kevork Djansezian)
LOS ANGELES —- UCLA may have a champion’s portfolio, but it has an underdog’s heart.
Behind 28 points from Darren Collison, the Bruins defeated Stanford 67-64 in the championship game of the Pac-10 Conference tournament on Saturday before 17,534 at Staples Center.
It was the second tournament title in the last three years for UCLA (31-3), which has won three consecutive conference titles and made back-to-back Final Fours. And it was the kind of victory that plays better in Peoria, Ill., or Allentown, Pa., than Hollywood, because it was anything but pretty.
With one starter, Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, already out with an ankle injury, the sight of star freshman Kevin Love clutching at his back in obvious pain just over two minutes into this one was cause for concern. Love left the game twice in the first eight minutes, and admitted to being in pain after the game. UCLA defeated Stanford (26-7) three times this season.

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