The four No. 1 seeds combined to dominate Bracket Challenge Game players’ selections for the national championship.
Gonzaga, Baylor, Illinois and Michigan combined to pick up 70.56 percent of title picks by all BCG users. The undefeated Bulldogs carried more than half of that load — 38.82 percent.
The No. 2 seeds were next on the list, though they combined for only 12.07 percent. Ohio State’s 3.27 percent led the group.
Here’s the list, broken down by seed:
| Seeds | Teams | Combined percentage | Top team |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gonzaga, Baylor, Illinois, Michigan | 70.56 | Gonzaga (38.82) |
| 2 | Alabama, Ohio State, Iowa, Houston | 12.07 | Ohio State (3.27) |
| 3 | Arkansas, West Virginia, Texas, Kansas | 5.48 | Kansas (2.09) |
| 4 | Florida State, Purdue, Oklahoma State, Virginia | 3.52 | Oklahoma State (1.47) |
| 5 | Creighton, Villanova, Tennessee, Colorado | 1.52 | Villanova (0.74) |
| 6 | USC, Texas Tech, BYU, San Diego State | 1.10 | Texas Tech (0.40) |
| 7 | Oregon, UConn, Clemson, Florida | 1.00 | UConn (0.36) |
| 8 | LSU, Loyola Chicago, North Carolina, Oklahoma | 1.58 | North Carolina (0.87) |
| 9 | Missouri, Georgia Tech, Wisconsin, St. Bonaventure | 0.72 | Wisconsin (0.42) |
| 10 | Maryland, Virginia Tech, VCU, Rutgers | 0.31 | Maryland (0.10) |
| 11 | Syracuse, Utah State, Drake, UCLA | 0.58 | UCLA (0.24) |
| 12 | Oregon State, Georgetown, Winthrop, UCSB | 0.35 | Georgetown (0.21) |
| 13 | Ohio, North Texas, Liberty, UNC Greensboro | 0.21 | Liberty (0.09) |
| 14 | Abilene Christian, Morehead State, Colgate, Eastern Washington | 0.30 | Colgate (0.18) |
| 15 | Grand Canyon, Cleveland State, Oral Roberts, Iona | 0.25 | Oral Roberts (0.09) |
| 16 | Drexel, Hartford, Norfolk State, Texas Southern | 0.47 | Drexel (0.19) |
Though the percentages often decreased the lower you go down the seed list, that wasn’t always the case. One especially notable difference came with the No. 8 seeds. Those four teams combined for a higher percentage than the Nos. 5, 6 and 7 seeds — thanks to North Carolina. The popular Tar Heels, though seeded No. 8, are title champs on 0.87 percent of brackets — a number higher than that of three of the four No. 4 seeds (only Oklahoma State is higher) and all four No. 5 seeds. Villanova’s 0.74 percent topped the No. 5 seeds but trailed UNC’s percentage.
Down at the No. 16 level, Drexel’s 0.19 percent stands out. That’s a bigger percentage than any No. 13, No. 14 or No. 15 seed.
