An exciting tip-off to March Madness has given us our first two winners. Congratulations to Mr. Krapels for leading after the Round of 64 and The Lance’s own Olivia Connell for leading after the Round of 32.
Mr. Krapels was not at all surprised by his bracket’s success, going as far as to offer up his strategy. It goes as follows:
Step 1) “Pay absolutely no attention to nor ever play one game of basketball, and do that for upwards of four decades.”
Step 2) “When the March Madness games begin, make sure not to tune into any of them—watch literally anything else on TV.”
Step 3) “Wake up to a Saturday text message from Ms. Kulick informing you of your success.”
Krapels is glad to have won, but now he wants to allow students to do well, he said.
Olivia Connell, our current leader and a managing editor for The Lance, had a more conventional strategy. Connell occasionally watches college basketball but wouldn’t consider herself a diehard fan. She believes in her ability to win the challenge, yet ESPN disagrees and gives her a 2% chance to do so.
In the first two rounds, many brackets were seemingly eliminated from contention thanks to their championship pick falling way short of expectations. Up to this point, just over 30% of contestants picked the incorrect National Champion, with James Madison, Kentucky, and Texas being the most devastating early-round exits.
ESPN’s forecast currently gives junior Zoe Kouridis the best chance to go the distance at a 26.8% chance. Senior Grayson Housley has the highest potential maximum score since she has 13 of the 16 Sweet 16 picked correctly. Additionally, all of Housley’s Elite Eight picks and beyond remain in the tournament.
Winners of the first two rounds will receive a free lunch at the cafeteria and a Lance-branded phone card holder. Continue to keep up with the standings on ESPN’s bracket challenge under “OT The Lance” (or use the link below) as the prizes will ramp up with each remaining round.