Trio of entries share the early lead after first week of The Standard’s Bracket Challenge
The 2024 NCAA Men’s Basketball National Championship Tournament has gotten underway, holding its share of upsets and nail-biting finishes in its first two rounds played this past weekend. The Standard’s 2024 Bracket Challenge is also underway, featuring its own close results through those same first two rounds of play.
Following this past weekend’s trimming of the tournament field to its Sweet Sixteen teams, the top 35 Bracket Challenge entries currently stand as follows:
Darrel Wicks 51
Herbie Krambeer 51
Melissa Wicks 51
Hunter Hammel 50
Matt Welsh 50
Ronnie P. Herman 49
Darwin Johnson 49
Maria Miene 49
Lori Bahr-Stevenson 49
Mason McMillan 49
Steve Engrav 49
Bobby Schultz 49
Jon Herman 49
Dick Reinke 49
Devin Bieber 48
Caylie Adam 48
Gail Prestemon 48
Allie Bieber 48
Keira McCormick 47
Jarod Dahlstrom 47
Shannon Christianson 47
Lyssa Eiden 47
Scott Livingston 47
Greg Berns 47
Brock Hatlan 47
Dylan Bieber 47
Carol Johnson 46
Brooke Froman 46
Chad Curtin 46
Ken Krambeer 46
Troy Gress 46
Brittany Beneke 46
Jerrylyn Brinkman 46
Bryan Phipps 46
Gina Curtin 46
As one can see by this list, these 35 entries are separated only by five points from top to bottom, making a sudden change in this mix and the overall field of entries easily possible with the point totals for correct picks growing with each round of the Bracket Challenge. Of this year’s entries, 27% have chosen UConn to win this season’s National Championship, with Iowa State next in line at 13% and being the only two-seed to be chosen among the top five of this season’s tournament-winning picks. Additional number-one-seeds Houston (11%), Purdue (10%) and North Carolina (8%) round out those top five championship selections.
Much like the tournament itself, results for the Bracket Challenge can change quickly and drastically. Pick up next week’s copy of The Standard to see who takes the lead next in this season’s Bracket Challenge.
