Michigan cuts down the nets. Mr. Awesome cuts down the leaderboard. 172 points. A new all-time pool record, breaking Christy Brown’s 165 from 2009. Forty-nine correct picks out of 63. Four Final Four teams alive at the end. Michigan as his champion pick. There’s nothing else to say about first place. He earned the name.
Michigan pickers owned this tournament. 14 of 66 brackets picked Michigan to win it all. 12 of them finished in the top 15. The top 12 spots are all Michigan champion picks. Dan Brinker(2) took 2nd at 149. Will Huynh grabbed 3rd at 138. If you picked Michigan, you cashed. If you didn’t, you watched.
Arizona was fool’s gold. The most popular champion pick in the pool (17 brackets). Jay Bilas picked them. Seth Davis picked them. Barack Obama picked them. Your pool commissioner picked them. None of it mattered. Arizona’s 17 brackets averaged a finish of 39th out of 66. The wisdom of the crowd got it wrong. The 14 contrarians who picked Michigan got it right.
The Duke disaster, final tally. 14 brackets picked Duke. Their average finish: 45th. Shawn Hall(2) brought up the rear at 66th with 40 points, 29 correct picks, and zero Final Four teams alive. The broken foot of Caleb Foster echoed through 21% of the pool’s brackets all tournament long.
The rise and fall of everyone. AnnRustrum led after Round 1 with 29 correct out of 32. She finished 39th. snapper1 took over first after Round 2. He finished 37th. kaylee autry was 3rd after Round 1 with Michigan State as her champion. She finished 51st with zero Final Four teams alive. This tournament rewarded patience and punished hot starts.
About those experts. ESPN’s Jay Bilas finished with 74 points. CBS’s Seth Davis finished with 76. Both picked Arizona. Over half the pool beat Bilas. Your buddy who picks based on mascot matchups and jersey colors probably beat a national TV analyst this year. March Madness, everybody.
By the numbers:
- Pool entries: 66
- Champion: Michigan (picked by 14 brackets, 21% of the pool)
- All-time record: 172 (Mr. Awesome), previous record 165 (Christy Brown, 2009)
- Champion picks eliminated: 52 of 66 (79%)
- Michigan pickers in top 15: 12 of 14
- Arizona pickers average finish: 39th
- Duke pickers average finish: 45th
- Highest score without champion bonus: 114 (Breezy(3), Arizona)
- Lowest score: 40 (Shawn Hall(2), Duke)
Final standings (top 3):
- Mr. Awesome, 172 points, Michigan (ALL-TIME RECORD)
- Dan Brinker(2), 149 points, Michigan
- Will Huynh, 138 points, Michigan
See you next March. Start scouting your champion pick now. And maybe don’t pick Duke.