Welcome to the On The Bench Report 2015 NCAA Bracket competition. Check in regularly to chime in on the Bracket-Master and Bracket-Bum.
Final 4 Preview:
|
Standings |
||||||
|
1 |
92 |
42 |
156 |
45 |
Kentucky (143) |
|
|
2 |
67 |
38 |
67 |
38 |
Villanova (151) |
|
|
3 |
64 |
36 |
80 |
37 |
Virginia (142) |
|
|
3 |
64 |
31 |
80 |
32 |
Gonzaga (168) |
|
|
5 |
56 |
38 |
56 |
38 |
Notre Dame (168) |
|
|
6 |
49 |
35 |
49 |
35 |
San Diego St (84) |
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Close the book, this story is over. Just as the OTBR bracket challenge has a clear winner before the Final Four, Kentucky is the clear favorite in the real life NCAA Tournament.
Two big surprises in the OTBR bracket challenge are that Jason has the only predicted winner actually in the Final Four, and Jason has the only bracket with more than two teams in the Final Four with Kentucky, Wisconsin, and Duke. It seems everyone else was trying to beat the bracket by picking upsets.
The one major surprise in the actual NCAA Tournament is Michigan State. Each team in Final Four is a Number 1 seed, except for the Wolverines. Don’t count them out. Remember the ’85 Villanova team that was ranked 8? That year they beat the Number 1 seeded Georgetown Hoyas – a team that could be compared to the 2014-2015 Kentucky Wildcats. So Michigan State could be the ultimate bracket buster, and also the team that could put a cool $1million in the pocket of everyone’s favorite downtown Vegas casino owner and Detroit native…Derek Stevens.
In real life, I think we can congratulate both the Kentucky Wildcats and Jason for their wins.
Round 2 Standings:
| Standings | ||||||
| Rank | Team Name | Score | Correct | Best Score | Best Correct | Champion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jason Fisher | 44 | 33 | 156 | 45 | Kentucky (143) |
| 1 |  Michael Jacobs (2) |
44 | 35 | 160 | 47 | Notre Dame (168) |
| 3 | Joel Goldschmidt | 43 | 33 | 99 | 42 | Villanova (151) |
| 4 | Robert Moreno | 41 | 33 | 61 | 37 | San Diego St (84) |
| 5 | Ash Boodel | 36 | 30 | 96 | 39 | Virginia (142) |
| 6 | Michael Jacobs |
32 | 25 | 144 | 37 | Gonzaga (168) |
The biggest mover in Round 2 were Jason Fisher making the jump from 5th place to a tie for 1st! Jason is the only OTBR contributor who has his entire Final Four predictions still in tact.
Ash, on the other hand, picked Virginia to win it all, so his horse is already out of the running thanks to the upset by Michigan State. Even though Ash made his predictions based on the Golden Rule of using his brain rather than his heart, maybe he should have chosen Gonzaga over Virginia in the Final Four.
Joel and Robert had both been drafting off the leaders, but they took nasty hits to their brackets in Round 2. Joel took a massive blow when his predicted champion Villanova got upset by NC State – an upset that nobody could have predicted. Robert, on the other hand, has no horse left in the race, as both Kansas and his predicted winner San Diego State (who would have been the ultimate Cinderella) fell over the weekend.
Michael, aka the cheater with his two brackets, couldn’t have a bigger spread. His dartboard picks are doing well being tied for first with Jason. He really needs Kentucky to go down in order to have any chance to beat Jason. Meanwhile, the bracket that he used his brain, has been the cellar dweller. It has a chance, but again, that bracket needs Kentucky to lose soon in order to have any chance to catch Jason.
Can’t wait until the Sweet 16 kicks off on Thursday!
Round 1 Standings:
| Standings | ||||||
| Rank | Team Name | Score | Correct | Best Score | Best Correct | Champion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michael Jacobs (2) |
26 | 26 | 170 | 51 | Notre Dame (168) |
| 2 | Robert Moreno | 25 | 25 | 177 | 53 | San Diego St (84) |
| 3 | Ash Boodel | 24 | 24 | 178 | 52 | Virginia (142) |
| 4 | Joel Goldschmidt | 23 | 23 | 167 | 50 | Villanova (151) |
| 5 | Jason Fisher | 22 | 22 | 172 | 49 | Kentucky (143) |
| 6 | Michael Jacobs |
18 | 18 | 162 | 42 | Gonzaga (168) |