Despite not earning any points in the final two rounds, Irish017 held on to win the second-annual Santa Barbara NCAA Bracket Contest presented by Presidio Sports and Santa Barbara Brewing Company.
In fact, just one of the 68 contestants correctly picked either UConn and Kentucky to even make the championship game, much less become national champions. The only bracket to earn points in the final two rounds was “Black Mamba”, which had Kentucky in the title game against Virginia.
Irish017, who made 40-of-63 picks correctly, struggled early on, losing his first Final Four team, Duke, in the first round. But the bracket, dubbed “Purdue”, picked up steam in the later rounds thanks to UConn. Of the hundreds of thousands of brackets filled out on ESPN.com, only 0.4% of contestants predicted UConn to make the Final Four. Irish17 benefitted greatly from being in the select group.
View the winning bracket HERE. Below are the final standings.
The first-place champion will receive a $100 gift card to Santa Barbara Brewing Company and get their picture printed in the Santa Barbara Sentinel that is released on Saturday, April 19. Additional prizes for the top finishers come from Natural Cafe, Santa Barbara Running Company, and Spa del Mar at the Fess Parker DoubleTree Resort.
FINAL STANDINGS
RANK BRACKET R64 R32 S16 E8 F4 NCG CHAMPION TOTAL PCT 1 220 220 200 160 0 0 Florida 800 97.0 2 280 200 200 80 0 0 Michigan 760 93.9 3 230 200 160 160 0 0 Michigan St 750 92.7 4* Michael Winner!
240 220 200 80 0 0 Florida 740 91.3 4* Bracketlicious
260 240 160 80 0 0 Louisville 740 91.3 4* 220 200 160 160 0 0 Michigan St 740 91.3 7 270 220 160 80 0 0 Michigan St 730 89.7 8* Presidio Punisher
240 200 200 80 0 0 Wichita State 720 87.9 8* 240 200 120 160 0 0 Virginia 720 87.9 10* 250 220 160 80 0 0 Florida 710 85.7 10* 250 220 160 80 0 0 Florida 710 85.7 10* 230 200 120 160 0 0 Florida 710 85.7 10* BLACK MAMBA
230 160 80 80 160 0 Virginia 710 85.7 14* 260 200 160 80 0 0 Michigan St 700 83.4 14* 220 200 200 80 0 0 Michigan St 700 83.4 14* Warpath U
260 200 160 80 0 0 Michigan St 700 83.4 14* 260 240 120 80 0 0 Michigan St 700 83.4 14* 220 160 160 160 0 0 Florida 700 83.4 19* 230 220 160 80 0 0 Michigan St 690 80.7 19* 230 180 120 160 0 0 Florida 690 80.7 21 240 200 160 80 0 0 Florida 680 77.6 22* 230 200 160 80 0 0 Kansas 670 72.9 22* 230 200 160 80 0 0 Michigan St 670 72.9 22* 250 220 120 80 0 0 Florida 670 72.9 22* 230 200 160 80 0 0 Michigan St 670 72.9 26* 240 220 120 80 0 0 Arizona 660 69.4 26* 240 220 120 80 0 0 Kansas 660 69.4 26* 220 200 160 80 0 0 Florida 660 69.4 26* 260 200 120 80 0 0 Michigan St 660 69.4 26* Dennis Hooper
240 220 120 80 0 0 Louisville 660 69.4 31 230 180 160 80 0 0 Florida 650 65.8 32* 240 200 120 80 0 0 Florida 640 62.1 32* 220 220 120 80 0 0 Duke 640 62.1 34* Pay Me 1 Billion
210 180 160 80 0 0 Florida 630 58.2 34* 230 200 120 80 0 0 Louisville 630 58.2 36 220 200 120 80 0 0 Michigan St 620 54.4 37* 250 160 120 80 0 0 Florida 610 50.6 37* 210 160 160 80 0 0 Syracuse 610 50.6 37* LAYER CAKE
230 180 120 80 0 0 Michigan St 610 50.6 37* The real Oracle of Omaha
230 140 80 160 0 0 Duke 610 50.6 37* 230 180 120 80 0 0 Florida 610 50.6 42* hoopskirt22
220 180 120 80 0 0 Wisconsin 600 46.9 42* 220 180 120 80 0 0 Florida 600 46.9 42* 200 200 120 80 0 0 Florida 600 46.9 42* 260 180 80 80 0 0 Wichita State 600 46.9 42* 240 200 80 80 0 0 Duke 600 46.9 47* Brennan Titus
230 160 120 80 0 0 Arizona 590 43.2 47* 230 160 120 80 0 0 Florida 590 43.2 49 Ball-erina
240 180 80 80 0 0 Wichita State 580 39.7 50* 230 180 80 80 0 0 Florida 570 36.4 50* 270 180 120 0 0 0 Louisville 570 36.4 50* 230 220 120 0 0 0 Louisville 570 36.4 53* 200 160 120 80 0 0 Florida 560 33.3 53* Syracuse. Orange. hoops.
260 180 120 0 0 0 Syracuse 560 33.3 53* 220 180 160 0 0 0 Michigan St 560 33.3 56* 250 140 80 80 0 0 Kansas 550 30.2 56* TyLeR’s BrAcKeT
210 220 120 0 0 0 Arizona 550 30.2 56* 210 140 120 80 0 0 Louisville 550 30.2 59 240 180 40 80 0 0 Florida 540 27.4 60 Greek_Freak
250 160 120 0 0 0 Michigan St 530 24.8 61 AyyGeeeeeee
230 160 120 0 0 0 Duke 510 20.0 62* Discocosmopolis
220 180 80 0 0 0 Wichita State 480 14.2 62* Newsies
260 180 40 0 0 0 Syracuse 480 14.2 64 Brewconelly86
230 160 80 0 0 0 UCLA 470 12.6 65 220 140 80 0 0 0 UCLA 440 8.7 66 200 80 40 80 0 0 Florida 400 5.2 67 170 100 40 0 0 0 Syracuse 310 1.8 68 180 80 40 0 0 0 Cincinnati 300 1.6
