The 2015 Rambler Bracket Challenge is shaping up to be a close one. Heading into the Final Four, the highest score that could have been achieved was 1,280 points. As of right now, there are only three people in all of Cathedral Prep who scored above 1,000 points: junior Thomas Rosenthal (1,050 points), sophmore Josh Heberlein (1,010 points) and social studies teacher Mr. Parsons (1,010 points). Their Final Four teams are all intact, except for Mr. Parsons who had Arizona over Wisconsin, which was a costly pick.
The surprising fact is that all three have different championship teams, including Wisconsin over Duke (Thomas), Duke over Kentucky (Josh), and Kentucky over Duke (Parsons). Of the top 10 remaining entries, 40 percent of them have Kentucky winning the national title. Another 30 percent has Duke taking the crown, and the remaining 30 percent have teams that are no longer in the tournament or have Wisconsin cutting down the nets.
Now for the people that will go down in infamy for having the worst picks in the competition. The bottom three contestants are sophomore Andrew Haverly, who used the random number generator to pick the winners, causing him to record what has to be the worst score in the history of the contest with 190 points and no teams left past the Sweet 16. Second to last is The Rambler‘s very own junior editor, Joe Sala. Joe was pulling for some upsets to set himself apart in the bracket, but ultimately it led him to utter defeat as he has no teams left in the Final Four. Finally, the third worst bracket among the 50+ entered is also another member of The Rambler, senior Oliver Wiesner. “Weez,” as he is known by friends, was looking to ride the Iowa State train all the way to Indianapolis with the Cyclones hoisting the title. Sadly, the team didn’t even making it out of the first round, falling to 14-seeded UAB. When asked about the bracket, he felt that he “was rushed” and “needed more time.”
The Final Four takes place this Saturday and the championship takes place Monday night, the day after Easter. The winners for the tournament will receive their prizes the week Prep returns from Easter break, so good luck to the entrants with chances to win and thanks for playing to all who entered. See the updated standings below: