The first round of March Madness began on March 19th with Texas Christian University and Ohio State University opening up the men’s collegiate basketball season championships. The biggest thing about March Madness is the brackets that try to predict the overall winner of the season and the winner of each game that leads up to the final.
Many fans speculate if there is a way to strategically pick your winners or if it’s all just a guessing game.
Humanities teacher Mr. Cope said, “Any method you choose is the right method for you. But you need to be consistent with that methodology, especially when it comes to the teams you actually are passionate about. The goal is to remove emotion and focus on rational decision making.” Many college basketball fans also place bets based on who they have winning each game in their brackets, these bets are often placed through apps like FanDuel, DraftKings, BetMGM, Caesars, and Fanatics.
Is it possible that anyone can create a bracket and win? Not how you’d think. The odds of someone predicting the winner of all 63 games is 1 in 9.2 quintillion. This statistic explains that no one has ever successfully predicted all 63 games, the record for predicting March Madness games is 49 games. This record was set by Gregg Nigl from Columbus, Ohio in 2019. His streak was defeated in the Sweet Sixteen round, causing him to lose the opportunity to win Warren Buffett’s Million Dollar prize. The prize is only eligible if a person predicts the winner of every game.
Though it is common to not use your personal feelings on teams when making a bracket, some choose a completely different path. Humanities teacher Mr. Segal said, “Normally I pick my alma mater, Maryland, to win it all, but they did not make the field this year, so I just went with who I thought was the best team. That said, I would never pick someone I actively root against to win it all (like Duke), because loyalty is more important than a bracket.” Mr. Segal values his loyalty to his team and their rivalries rather than winning a bracket competition. Many people also choose to make brackets based on their favorite team winning. They strategically chose the winners for the games not including their team and then always let their team win their games.
One of the most enjoyable parts of March Madness for college basketball fans is the incentive that the bracket gives them to keep up with the scores and watch the games. Junior Jayden Paulson said, “I love college basketball and love watching March Madness. It is my favorite playoff, and I make a bracket every year. I love the madness of it all, in that it is full of upsets and craziness, and I also love college sports because of the fanbases. [College teams] feel more connected to their teams and since every moment counts as they are yelling and screaming through every insane moment.”
The likelihood of a March Madness bracket being perfectly correct is almost impossible but that doesn’t mean these brackets aren’t worth it. They bring out community amongst loyal team fans and friendly competition between friends, family, and even coworkers. There is no right way to make a March Madness bracket, as long as you pick what is right for you then it is perfect for your season!
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