The University of Connecticut has won the NCAA championship, and you don’t have a perfect bracket.
But don’t feel bad, because no one does.
Warren Buffett bet one billion dollars from his own pocket on the assumption that no one would have a perfect bracket. And after only the first 25 games of the tournament, his money was safe.
The fireworks of the tournament started when 11-seeded Dayton knocked off six seed Ohio State in a tightly contested game.
In the same round, the state of North Carolina had its own share of drama when the three-seeded Duke Blue Devils were knocked off by 14-seeded Mercer.
The early upsets destroyed brackets, but thrilled viewers, who, like me, didn’t have much at stake with their brackets.
The first No. 1 seed to fall was Wichita State, who was criticized all season for playing in a weak conference. Kentucky, who marched all the way to the tournament final to face the Huskies, beat them by two in a classic duel.
Most importantly, I loved the Final Four, because no one saw it coming.
Watching the Huskies knock off the No. 1 Florida Gators was both shocking in the fact that the Gators fell by 10 and in the fact that I never thought UCONN would have a shot at smelling the Elite Eight, much less the finals.
Wisconsin and Kentucky played a classic match that saw the Wildcats edge the Badgers by one.
And again, who could have predicted that the Wildcats and Huskies would actually meet in the finals?
In fact, Monday night’s game was the first time a seven and eight seed met in the title game, and it was the highest combined seeding of any championship game in NCAA tournament history.
And that’s what made it great.
A Kentucky fan named Tyler Austin Black gained Internet fame when he got a right calf tattoo done before the tournament that read: 2014 National Champions, with the Kentucky logo beneath. Black said after the championship game that he is keeping the tattoo, despite the unfavorable result for his favorite squad.
“It’s a way to remember this team, and it’s a part of my life story,” Black said in an interview with ESPN.com
The fate of Black’s favorite team was sealed by second-year UCONN head coach Kevin Ollie, who can now add a national title to his Husky resume.
Ollie, a former player for the Huskies, didn’t need a tattoo before the tournament started. He just led a seven seed to an improbable championship run.
And what a ride it was.
Burn the brackets, turn your focus to congratulating the Huskies and reflect on what was a very entertaining tournament.
You might not be any wealthier, but remember, there’s always next year for that perfect bracket.
Column: Cory Spiers, Sports Editor