March Madness Revenge Tour: My Story Of Back-to-Back Bracket Predictions Gone Wrong

This is it. A new year, a fresh slate, and more importantly: a chance at redemption. In less than 24 hours, the first round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament begins. 16 games Thursday, 16 games Friday. We have no idea what will happen, but there will be chaos, one way or another.

Although nobody knows how the next few days will play out, we have all been spending the last few days filling out our brackets, doing our best to figure out which teams will advance, and who will go home. And as a college basketball guy myself, I take a lot of pride in being right more than I am wrong in this business. But unfortunately, that has not been the case in March Madness. In fact, I have been HISTORICALLY wrong over the last two years when it comes to The Big Dance.

Let's rewind back to a couple of years ago - the 2022 tournament. It was the first non-bubble tournament in three years, and we were all so excited to see the best sporting event in the world get back to its natural environment. Enter the Jake Marsh 2022 bracket...

I felt confident about taking Coach Calipari and the Kentucky Wildcats. In the first round, UK matched up with Saint Peter's, so I thought, "Who the heck are they?" 

Wellllllll....

Gutted. Busted. Dead. 

That's how I felt after day one of the 2022 NCAA Tournament. But time passed by, and I had another chance in 2023. To the pen and paper we go…

The Arizona Wildcats. Absolutely loved the pick. They were balanced. They were determined. They were going to win it all. Princeton in the Round of 64? Easy enough! Right???

You just can't make this up. You simply can't. TWO YEARS IN A ROW LOSING MY CHAMPION ON DAY ONE IN HISTORIC FASHION?!?! HOW?!?!

Well, I've had another year to think about it, and with that, here is my 2024 NCAA Tournament bracket…

I would like to be the first to congratulate the Wagner Seahawks on beating the North Carolina Tar Heels on Thursday. Since I, Jake Marsh, have UNC winning it all, the trend of "Champ Eliminated On Day One" must continue. NEC! NEC! NEC!

In all seriousness, I may throw a party if UNC wins on Thursday. The thought of having your champ still alive AFTER opening day?! I have no idea what that feels like!

On today's Pardon My Take, Mark Titus joined the show to talk about our picks. And although his may not have been perfect, they are not as bad as mine…

So, the bracket material is above. If the trend continues, Wagner will beat North Carolina, and my bracket will be toast by  tonight. 

Let's Dance.