Millions of brackets were filled out in the Capital One Bracket Challenge Game this year, but only 37,356 correctly picked the national championship matchup of Michigan vs. Villanova.
Of those brackets, 54.2 percent picked Villanova to win the title — one that would be their second in three years.
In total, 17.5 percent of all brackets picked the Wildcats to win the championship, the most of any team. Michigan was picked to win it all in 3.5 percent of all brackets, good for 9th place.
| Rank | Team | Picked to win title | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Villanova | 17.5% | IN CHAMP GAME |
| 2 | Virginia | 16.46% | Lost in first round |
| 3 | Duke | 10.96% | Lost in Elite Eight |
| 4 | Kansas | 9.56% | Lost in Final Four |
| 5 | UNC | 8.36% | Lost in second round |
| 6 | Mich. St. | 7.74% | Lost in second round |
| 7 | Arizona | 4.92% | Lost in first round |
| 8 | Xavier | 4.18% | Lost in second round |
| 9 | Michigan | 3.5% | IN CHAMP GAME |
| 10 | Purdue | 2.59% | Lost in Sweet 16 |
The matchup also means that only two brackets have a chance to win the Bracket Challenge Game.
Bracket ‘Che 3’ is currently in first place, and picked Villanova to win. ‘Team Bellisimo’ is in second, with Michigan as its champion.
The 37,356 who nailed the championship game is an impressive leap from just the 54 brackets that got a perfect Final Four. You can thank 11-seed Loyola — which became the fourth 11 seed to make the Final Four (and the fourth to lose in the semifinal) — for that disparity.
Michigan vs. Villanova — a 3 seed against a 1 seed — wasn’t exactly the most surprising of championship matchups.
The average combined seed value for a national championship is 4.7, and 16 of the 33 championships since 1985 have featured a seed value of 4 or lower. Interestingly though, this is just the second time ever that a 1 and 3 seed are facing off for the title.
| Year | Total Seed value | Matchup | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | 2 | (1) UNC vs. (1) Michigan | UNC, 77-71 |
| 1999 | 2 | (1) UConn vs. (1) Duke | UConn, 77-74 |
| 2005 | 2 | (1) UNC vs. (1) Illinois | UNC, 75-70 |
| 2007 | 2 | (1) Florida vs. (1) Ohio State | Florida, 84-75 |
| 2008 | 2 | (1) Kansas vs. (1) Memphis | Kansas, 75-68 |
| 2015 | 2 | (1) Duke vs. (1) Wisconsin | Duke, 68-63 |
| 2017 | 2 | (1) UNC vs. (1) Gonzaga | UNC, 71-65 |
| 1986 | 3 | (2) Louisville vs. (1) Duke | Louisville, 72-69 |
| 1987 | 3 | (1) Indiana vs. (2) Syracuse | Indiana, 74-73 |
| 1994 | 3 | (1) Arkansas vs. (2) Duke | Arkansas, 76-72 |
| 1995 | 3 | (1) UCLA vs. (2) Arkansas | UCLA, 89-78 |
| 2001 | 3 | (1) Duke vs. (2) Arizona | Duke, 82-72 |
| 2009 | 3 | (1) UNC vs. (2) Michigan State | UNC, 89-72 |
| 2012 | 3 | (1) Kentucky vs. (2) Kansas | Kentucky, 67-59 |
| 2016 | 3 | (2) Villanova vs. (1) UNC | Villanova, 77-74 |
| 1990 | 4 | (1) UNLV vs. (3) Duke | UNLV, 103-73 |
| 2018 | 4 | (1) Villanova vs. (3) Michigan | TBD |
| 1991 | 5 | (2) Duke vs. (3) Kansas | Duke, 72-65 |
| 1996 | 5 | (1) Kentucky vs. (4) Syracuse | Kentucky, 76-67 |
| 1997 | 5 | (4) Arizona vs. (1) Kentucky | Arizona, 84-79 |
| 1998 | 5 | (2) Kentucky vs. (3) Utah | Kentucky, 78-69 |
| 2003 | 5 | (3) Syracuse vs. (2) Kansas | Syracuse, 81-78 |
| 2004 | 5 | (2) UConn vs. (3) Georgia Tech | UConn, 82-73 |
| 2006 | 5 | (3) Florida vs. (2) UCLA | Florida, 73-57 |
| 2013 | 5 | (1) Louisville vs. (4) Michigan | Louisville, 82-76 |
| 1989 | 6 | (3) Michigan vs. (3) Seton Hall | Michigan, 80-79 |
| 2000 | 6 | (1) Michigan State vs. (5) Florida | Michigan State, 89-76 |
| 2002 | 6 | (1) Maryland vs. (5) Indiana | Maryland, 64-52 |
| 2010 | 6 | (1) Duke vs. (5) Butler | Duke, 61-59 |
| 1988 | 7 | (6) Kansas vs. (1) Oklahoma | Kansas, 83-79 |
| 1992 | 7 | (1) Duke vs. (6) Michigan | Duke, 71-51 |
| 1985 | 9 | (8) Villanova vs. (1) Georgetown | Villanova, 66-64 |
| 2011 | 11 | (3) UConn vs. (8) Butler | UConn, 53-41 |
| 2014 | 15 | (7) UConn vs. (8) Kentucky | UConn, 60-54 |
