Heading into the first round of Yahoo’s women’s bracket contest, 57 perfect brackets remained intact. However, after a series of games that saw favorites advancing, the number was reduced to just one perfect bracket by Sunday afternoon. This entry, known as trisdyn’s Rad Bracket, predicted South Carolina beating Iowa in the national championship by a score of 90-88. Another entry had also correctly chosen all the games leading up to that point, but failed to enter a tiebreaker final score in its championship pick.
The second day of play on Saturday saw the field drastically reduced as favorites like UConn, Iowa, and Indiana all advanced, knocking out all but 0.1% of the remaining perfect brackets. By the time Ole Miss and USC secured wins, only 102 perfect brackets remained. Further wins by UCLA, West Virginia, and Gonzaga saw the number shrink to just 59 brackets by the end of the day. Wins by UCLA and Utah in later games further reduced the number to 57. While the first round produced few upsets, the second round saw Duke’s win over Ohio State play spoiler to most of the remaining perfect brackets.
In contrast to the women’s tournament, the men’s bracket contest saw the final perfect bracket eliminated early on when No. 13 seed Yale upset fourth-seeded Auburn. Prior to this upset, 0.1% of entries had survived after No. 14 seed Oakland shocked No. 3 seed Kentucky in the biggest upset of the tournament on Thursday. The perfect men’s bracket pool had been reduced to just 0.1% of entries after No. 10 Colorado’s win over No. 7 Florida eliminated 12 of the then-remaining 13 perfect brackets.
While the women’s bracket contest saw a steadily dwindling number of perfect brackets after few upsets in the first round, the men’s bracket contest experienced early eliminations due to upsets in the initial games. Ultimately, both contests have showcased the difficulty of predicting outcomes in March Madness, with only one perfect bracket remaining in the women’s contest and none in the men’s. As the tournaments progress, fans will continue to witness unexpected results and exciting matchups that add to the drama of college basketball’s biggest event.
Despite the odds stacked against participants in these bracket contests, the thrill of predicting outcomes and following along with the action is a major draw for fans of college basketball. The unprecedented nature of March Madness, with its upsets and unpredictable outcomes, only adds to the excitement of filling out brackets and seeing how they fare against the actual results. With just one perfect bracket remaining in the women’s contest and none in the men’s, the competition and anticipation will only continue to grow as the tournaments progress towards crowning a champion.
As fans await the conclusion of both tournaments, the excitement of March Madness will undoubtedly continue to captivate audiences and keep them on the edge of their seats. With unexpected upsets and thrilling matchups unfolding, the drama and intensity of college basketball’s biggest event are on full display. While perfect brackets may be hard to come by, the sheer unpredictability and excitement of the games themselves make March Madness a truly unique and unforgettable experience for fans of the sport.
