Are you a person who likes watching drama unfold, emotions rise, people turning on others? Then, the best playoff in sports may spark your interest: March Madness.
This month, the unexpected is expected. Every year, one tradition stays true. A bracket. A paper containing 68 teams all contending for a championship, glory, and a chance to cut down the nets. In the history of this tradition, not one person has ever made a perfect bracket, let alone been perfect through the Sweet Sixteen, which is only the third round of 6.
In this tradition are pools where friends or co-workers in the office throw in some money and all compete for it based solely on their prediction of the madness. The man to make the closest to a perfect bracket was Gregg Nigl in 2019, who correctly predicted 49 straight games. He even has his own plaque for his world record.
Another record is the number of brackets that were filled out this year. There’s been a rise in bracket production in recent years, but this year blew the rest away. 2 million more brackets were filled out this year compared to last. It went from 22 to 24 million brackets made.
This year, for the first time in seven years not a single 13,14,15, or 16 seed won a game. These seeds winning is what makes the madness. They become Cinderellas but it hasn’t happened.
In fact, according to ESPN, this year’s most accurate bracket gets close to matching Gegg Nigl’s record in 2019. 42 correct games. However, it was busted by 3-seeded Kentucky beating 6-seeded Illinois.
After all, this is a beloved tournament and is considered the best playoff in all of sports by many. The unpredictability and the way it keeps people on their toes ensures that no one can watch this tournament without breaking a sweat.
