This year, Jack Fitzpatrick’s 27-person March Madness Men’s Bracket Challenge brought incredible energy across the school, as many students eagerly joined the competition and fueled the excitement leading up to tip-off. The buy-in was $20 per person, meaning the winners would be coming home with a nice bit of cash. Conversations filled classrooms with trash talk, with everyone confident their picks would come out on top.

Michael Palmer had a tournament to forget. Before the games even began, he was showing his publications class all his picks, confidently claiming his bracket would be great because of how different it was. However, that confidence quickly faded as his picks fell apart almost immediately, ultimately turning into what many are calling the worst bracket in challenge history.

Luke Flickinger ultimately claimed first place, but his path to victory was not obvious early on. His bracket started off looking fairly average compared to others, but his Sweet 16, Elite 8, Final Four, and championship selections proved to be the difference. Those later-round picks allowed him to surge ahead while other strong brackets began to fall apart.

Brennan Brogan finished in second place, staying close behind Luke and making the race competitive until the very end. Many participants had solid brackets overall, but a common mistake held them back. A large number picked Arizona to win it all, which ultimately cost them valuable points.

Jack Fitzpatrick was among that group and later explained his reasoning. He said “Arizona had let me down in the past, so I chose them this year because I knew if they finally went all the way and I had not picked them, I would have been even more upset.” In the end, the challenge showcased both skill and unpredictability, making it one of the most memorable competitions of the year.