So, how does your bracket look, now?
If it’s like mine, not very good. But the NCAA tournament play far outweighs a bracket that will NEVER be perfect.
In fact, Duke University math professor Jonathan Mattingly says the odds of someone picking a perfect bracket are one in 2.4 trillion. Yes, trillion with a T.
For last year’s tournament, there was not one perfect Sweet 16 bracket among the 17.3 million filled out on ESPN.
This year, there are no remaining perfect brackets. However, nearly 8,000 of the 17.2 million correctly picked the Final Four teams. That’s .0005% for the mathematicians out there.
Auburn and Texas Tech are not only bracket busters for most of us, they both are also making their first ever appearance in a Final Four.
Michigan State’s upset of Duke in a thrilling game on Sunday not only meant the end of phenom Zion Williamson’s college career, it also meant only one #1 seed – Virginia – would make it to the Final Four. And they did so, only because of a near-miraculous overtime win over Purdue on Saturday.
It also meant my bracket had more cross-outs on it, with me losing 3 of my Final Four teams in Duke, Gonzaga and UNC. As you can see below, I was bitten by underdogs in the Sweet 16 and Elite 8.
This is why we find the NCAA tournament so exhilarating and frustrating all at the same time. Great games. Bad brackets.
The fun of this year’s last four is that other than Michigan State, none of the other teams have never won a national title.
There is history at these schools, for sure. CBS’ cameras have cutaway often to Sparty legend Magic Johnson and Cavalier great Ralph Sampson, who just may be the tallest fan left in the tournament. Charles Barkley waves the flag for his alma mater, Auburn.
But, Texas Tech? Has there been a Tony Battie or Darvin Ham sighting?
I wonder how their brackets look.
*Find more sports history in my new book, The Average Joe's Super Sports Almanac.