Wow! What a great NCAA tournament this year. There was plenty of intrigue, disappointment, and upsets. While most of these teams are looking towards next year, I am looking to revisit the past and give you all an update on the (friendly) competition between Emily and me on the Bracket Challenge. So let’s dive into the recap!
First and Second Rounds of the Bracket
As a brief recap, Emily generally performs better in the Bracket Challenge than I do. This year started out no different. The first 2 rounds were very good for her, and not good for me. She picked 11 Sweet Sixteen teams correctly, including the entire Midwest region. I ended up picking half of the Sweet Sixteen teams correctly. At this point, she had all of our Final Four teams still intact, while the first big upset of the tournament knocked one of mine out with Florida losing to Iowa. This meant she was in the lead overall by quite a bit. I wasn’t giving up hope yet, though.
Sweet 16 and Elite 8
Going into this weekend, Emily was convinced it was over, that she was going to win. I admit, I wasn’t truly optimistic about my chances, but I wasn’t out of it yet. The Sweet 16 started off with one of Emily’s Final Four teams going down, Houston losing to Illinois. This round then proceeded to almost eliminate me completely, with my National Champion pick, Iowa State, getting upset by Tennessee. The rest of the Sweet 16 was uneventful, as she picked 5 of the Elite 8 teams, while I selected 4 of the 8.
The Elite 8 had one of the biggest upsets of the tournament (if you can call it that), and it SAVED MY BRACKET. When #1 Duke and #2 UCONN squared off, I knew that my entire bracket was riding on this. I picked UCONN to make the National Championship game, then subsequently lost to Iowa State. Emily picked Duke to make the Final Four, then promptly lost to Houston. So when UCONN was down in the final seconds, I came to the realization that I would lose the Bracket Challenge…again. As I lay on our bed, watching my bracket burn in flames, something miraculous and unexpected happened. UCONN forced a turnover and then hit a game-winning 3-pointer from DEEP! I mean like 35 feet from the basket. I jumped up from the bed and shouted, “No Way!” This catapulted them into the Final Four and kept my bracket alive for another week. With the Duke loss, Emily correctly predicted 2 Final Four teams, Arizona and Michigan. I also predicted 2 Final Four teams, UCONN and Arizona.
The Final Four and National Championship Bracket
By this time, Emily was still in the lead overall. I had clawed my way back, but we both knew it came down to both Final Four games. She picked Arizona to win the National Championship, and I picked UCONN to make the National Championship game. So, if both UCONN and Arizona won, I wouldn't be able to make up for the lack of points in time. When UCONN took down Illinois, I knew I was in business. All that needed to happen was for Michigan to beat Arizona. Arizona started the game sluggishly and could never get anything going offensively. Michigan came out of the gate hot and never let up the entire game. With Michigan eliminating Arizona, I knew I had done it. Even though it seems unbelievable, I won the Bracket Challenge this year! Final scores were Michael 880, Emily 820.
To the Victor go the spoils
Now, I am sure you all are wondering what Emily has to do now that I won the Bracket Challenge. I decided that I wanted her to do something she doesn’t like to do or has never done before. She really does not like to play video games on PlayStation. Therefore, I decided that she would have to play video games with me for an hour without complaining. I haven’t decided what we're going to play yet, but I know I am going to love it, and she is not. My victory gets me very excited to try to run it back next year and repeat as the Bracket Challenge winner!
-Michael
To read more about our annual March Madness bets, click HERE
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