O'Dea March Madness

Round 1 and 2 Update

What a great first and second round of March Madness! We’re excited to share the latest updates on our tournament!

Here’s what you need to know after the first two rounds:

Tournament Standings

The competition is fierce, and the brackets are busting left and right! Here’s a snapshot of the current leaderboard:

1) Dave & Liam Kimble - Auburn – 540 Points

2) THIS IS SPARTA - Michigan State – 540 points

3) AllHailLithuania’s Picks 1 - Florida – 530 points

4) Bracket Royale - Duke – 530 points

5) Darryl D - Florida – 530 points

We had 21 brackets lose their championship pick in the first two rounds. 8 of them had chosen the #2 seed St. John’s Red Storm to win it all but Coach Rick Pitino’s team was eliminated in a not-so-shocking upset against the #10 seed Arkansas Razorbacks.

Full standings are available here.

Biggest Upsets

This year’s tourney has been relatively chalky, with fewer upsets than usual. The higher-seeded teams have largely taken care of business, avoiding the chaos that typically defines March Madness. Seven of the top eight seeds are still alive in the Sweet 16. The biggest upsets came in round one.

A pair of 12 seeds delivered thrilling upsets, McNeese State edged out #5 Clemson in a nail-biting 69-67 victory, while Colorado State took down #5 Memphis, coached by Penny Hardaway, with a 78-70 win in Seattle. Unfortunately, both McNeese and Colorado State lost their next game.

Cinderella Story Watch

Not much here. In fact, only two #6 seeds (BYU and Ole Miss) and a #10 seed (Arkansas) come anywhere close to resembling Cinderella teams.

The biggest one here is Coach John Calipari and his #10 seeded Razorbacks facing off against the #3 seeded Texas Tech Red Raiders for a spot in the Elite 8.

Upcoming Games to Watch

Don’t miss these key matchups coming this week:

(1) Duke Blue Devils vs. (4) Arizona Wildcats, Thursday, March 27th at 6:39pm PST

As a No. 1 seed, Duke has showcased dominance throughout the tournament, recently defeating #9 Baylor 89-66, with Tyrese Proctor leading the way with 25 points. Their opponent, #4 seed Arizona, secured their spot by overcoming former Pac-12 foe and the #5 seeded Oregon Ducks, 87-83, in a thriller in Seattle.

(1) Florida Gators vs. (4) Maryland Terrapins, Thursday, March 27th at 4:39pm PST

Top-seeded Florida narrowly escaped an upset in the second round, edging out the back-to-back defending champion (and #8 seeded) UConn Huskies, 77-75, thanks to Walter Clayton Jr.’s 23-point performance. They now face #4 seed Maryland, who advanced by defeating the #12 seed, Colorado State 72-71 with a last-second buzzer beater from star freshman, Derik Queen.

(2) Tennessee Volunteers vs. (3) Kentucky Wildcats, Friday, March 28th at 4:39pm PST

In the Midwest Region, #2 seed Tennessee will go head-to-head with #3 seed Kentucky. Both teams have proved worthy of their seeding, winning their first two games rather easily. Notably, this marks their third meeting this season, adding an extra layer of familiarity.

Thank you all for your enthusiasm and participation. March Madness wouldn’t be the same without the energy you bring!

Stay tuned for more updates, and may the best bracket win!