Trump misses chance at March Madness bracket predictions, offers backdated one
President Donald Trump may have missed the deadline to fill out a March Madness bracket, but that doesn’t mean he won’t try to sneak one in afterward. The President was asked by Fox News Senior White House correspondent Peter Doocy if he had filled out a bracket while speaking with reporters outside the White House on Friday. Trump admitted, “I didn’t. I should have. Have there been upsets? A couple, right?”
With the NCAA Tournament in full swing, the number of perfect brackets was dwindling rapidly. According to the NCAA, only 0.0044% of the 34 million brackets were still perfect after Friday’s early first-round games. ESPN’s tracker listed 1,098 perfect brackets out of 24 million after Ole Miss’ 71-64 upset win over North Carolina, with more than 100 brackets being eliminated in the process.
CBS Sports also reported a similar attrition rate, with only 0.005% of brackets remaining unblemished after the Ole Miss victory. One of the biggest upsets came when Clemson, a popular pick among bracketologists, fell to McNeese State 69-67, knocking out 6.6 million ESPN brackets in the process.
Creighton was labeled as ESPN’s top bracket buster after their 89-75 win over Louisville, eliminating over 13 million brackets. Conversely, ESPN reported that 30 of their brackets had every pick incorrect.
President Trump jokingly mentioned that he could provide a backdated bracket, allowing him to avoid the pitfalls of the early rounds that ruined countless brackets across the country. With the tournament in full swing and upsets galore, it’s clear that March Madness is living up to its name this year.
The President’s missed deadline to fill out a bracket may not have been intentional, but it’s clear that he’s keeping an eye on the action. As the tournament progresses and the field narrows, it will be interesting to see if any more upsets shake up the bracket and if President Trump manages to sneak in a last-minute prediction.
