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The Challenge of Achieving a Perfect NCAA Tournament Bracket
For another year, the dream of a flawless NCAA Tournament bracket remains elusive. The hopes of many were dashed by unexpected upsets by underdog teams such as Yale, Oakland, and Duquesne. The latest blow occurred when James Madison secured a surprise victory over Wisconsin with a score of 72-61 on Friday night.
Survival Rates Plummet
Out of the more than 22 million brackets submitted to ESPN’s Tournament Challenge, only 1,825 managed to make it through the initial day of matchups. However, the numbers dwindled substantially with each subsequent game. Florida Atlantic’s defeat to Northwestern eliminated nearly half of the remaining brackets, as the eighth-seeded Wildcats were favoured in about 45% of predictions.
As the tournament progressed, the field narrowed even further. Following Colorado’s triumph over Florida and Yale’s unexpected win against Auburn, the count of perfect brackets on the ESPN website plummeted to a mere three. In contrast, CBS and March Madness Live saw no remaining perfect brackets on their respective platforms.
Unattainable Perfection
For one ESPN user, the pursuit of a winless bracket proved to be a brief endeavour. Despite boldly selecting 16th seed Wagner to upset top-seeded North Carolina, they failed to predict the losses of third-seeded Kentucky and No. 6 seeds Texas Tech and Brigham Young. Their journey towards the ignominious distinction of a perfectly imperfect bracket was halted by Colorado’s thrilling last-second victory over Florida.
The astronomical odds of achieving a flawless bracket, even without considering play-in games, stand at 1 in 9.2 quintillion. To put this into perspective, this figure surpasses the estimated number of grains of sand on Earth, as revealed by researchers at the University of Hawaii.
Record Participation and Upsets
ESP fixed a record number of 22 million brackets were submitted this year, reflecting a 15% increase from the previous tournament. Several major upsets, including Mississippi State’s loss to Michigan State and Kentucky’s defeat by Oakland, had a significant impact on participants. Notably, North Carolina’s victory over Michigan State and Duquesne’s surprise win against Brigham Young also led to the elimination of millions of brackets.
Similarly, in the women’s tournament, ESPN witnessed a record-breaking 3.25 million entries, marking a 56% surge from the previous year. The thrilling games did not disappoint, with Middle Tennessee’s upset over Louisville and Michigan State’s loss to North Carolina causing a significant number of brackets to fall.
CBS also noted a substantial increase in bracket submissions for the women’s tournament, signalling a 126% rise from the previous year. The excitement and unpredictability of the NCAA Tournament continue to captivate fans and participants alike, proving that the quest for a perfect bracket remains a challenging yet exhilarating pursuit.
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