The NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16 is hereupon us, and March Madness has certainly lived up to its nickname. Nobody said winning USA TODAY’s NCAA Men’s Tournament Survivor Pool contest would be easy. In fact, out of 8,109 entries, only 309 remain alive heading into the 3rd round.
There are 16 teams remaining, and blue bloods Duke, Kansas, Kentucky and North Carolina are nowhere to be found in the Sweet 16 for the 2nd time in 3 years. In fact, you have to go back to 2014 to find a recent national champion still remaining — the UConn Huskies.
As an employee, I’m not eligible to win this NCAA Tournament Survivor Pool contest. I’ve been in the “Loser’s Lounge” for a while now, but for those of you who have a shot at the $5K first prize — I hope I can help. But I get it if you want to go it alone as I was bumped on the first day thanks to 15-seed Princeton’s upset of Arizona. Plus, I had 2 losing picks in the 2nd round with Furman (vs. San Diego State) and Auburn (vs. Houston).
Here’s my strategy of how to advance out the Sweet 16, and eventually win the Men’s Basketball Tournament Survivor Pool.