What the March Madness professionals got right and mainly incorrect

7:30 AM ET Jeremy WillisESPN.com Maybe our 2023 March Insanity brackets never stood a chance.Considering all that took place in the

first couple of hours of the NCAA competition, possibly it should not be a surprise

that the UConn Huskies, Miami Hurricanes, Florida Atlantic Owls and San Diego State Aztecs are heading to Houston for the Final Four.Of the more than 20 million brackets submitted in ESPN’s Tournament Challenge, 0.3% of them had FAU reaching the Last Four. Each 16-seed was picked to reach the Sweet 16 twice as frequently as FAU was to make the Elite Eight.Yet somehow, there were 37 perfect Final Four picks.HOW?! pic.twitter.com/m34fs8YDkz!.?.!— ESPN( @espn)March 27, 2023 ESPN’s college basketball writers, commentators and experts, who made their picks shortly after the tournament field was announced, were definitely not best.

How bad was it? Of the 42 experts, 29

didn’t get a single Last Four pick right

. However, those who rode with UConn still have hope.Here’s what the professionals got right and what they missed: Purdue, Arizona: WYD?The initially two days of the NCAA tournament are often the most enjoyable. In 2023, they were also among the most destructive to choices and brackets alike.Six professionals lost their national championship pick in the first weekend.

3 chose the Kansas Jayhawks, 2 chose the Duke Blue Devils and one chose the Purdue Boilermakers. While it had the fewest title picks, Purdue had the most stunning loss of the competition, losing as a No. 1 seed to the No. 16-seeded Fairleigh Dickinson Knights.It was just the 2nd time a No. 16 has defeated a No. 1 seed. For a brief moment, we liked FDU, the small school in Madison, New Jersey. However, it wasn’t the only Garden State team to pull off a big upset. The Garden State was well-represented in the NCAA tournament. Princeton University The No. 15 seed Princeton Tigers knocked off the No. 2 seed Arizona Wildcats. Seven experts had Zona in the Last 4. They were the second-most popular pick

from the South Region, behind the No. 1 seed Alabama Crimson Tide. In Tournament Challenge, these losses equated to 2.56 million brackets getting their title winner wrong.Time to leave In the East Region, 37 of 42 professionals chose Duke, a No. 5 seed, or the No. 2 seed Marquette Golden Eagles to win that area. Neither advanced past the round of 32– Marquette lost to the No. 7 seed Michigan State Spartans and Duke lost to the No. 4 seed Tennessee Volunteers.Same energy @Vol_Hoops pic.twitter.com/2XUylbHqeC!.?.!— SEC Network(@SECNetwork )March 19, 2023 And easily, 18 specialists lost multiple Last Four picks in the first weekend, and there were no perfect brackets left.BRACKETS BUSTED pic.twitter.com/UQjosDoEpy!.?.!— ESPN(@espn )March 18, 2023 A chalk balk A pair of No. 1 seeds, the Alabama Crimson Tide and Houston Cougars, looked like they may save the competition for the experts. Those groups were clear No. 1sts entering into the tournament and had actually been relatively dominant all season long. Alabama (11) and Houston (8)were the most popular national champ choices by the experts. Texas was likewise selected eight times.Top stories of the week from Get unique access to more than 3,000 premium articles a year from leading writers. – Which frosh QBs will play in 2023?” – Invite to the MLB Pitch Clock Age”- CBB coaches pick the Final 4 “More ESPN+ content”Ah, but there was yet still more mayhem, with unlikely Last 4 teams to come into the picture. If the specialists can indicate any groups definitely wrecking them, it’s the Miami Hurricanes and San Diego State Aztecs. The Canes secured the Cougars and Longhorns, thus causing 16 different experts to lose a Final Four team/title winner. The Aztecs got the Tide and, for excellent step, the Creighton Bluejays, who were picked for the Final 4 by one expert.Tournament Difficulty brackets didn’t fare any much better. Alabama was chosen to
win it all in 19% of ESPN’s brackets and was in the Last Four on 10,550,182 brackets.Save us, UConn is wanting to win its fourth national title championship. Carmen Mandato/Getty Images Play-by-play commentator Doug Sherman selected Miami and UConn to reach the Final Four. He is the just professional to get two teams right. For 11 other specialists, the Huskies were the only team they selected right. Four specialists, including Sherman, selected UConn to reduce the webs in Houston. There are some numbers and history to suggest that this pick might work:6 -0: UConn has never lost a Final 4 game in the Lone Star State. The Huskies have actually won three (2004, 2011, 2014 )of their 4 national championships in Texas.23: With a 9-seed

, two 5-seedsand one 4-seed playing in Houston, the combined seed total is 23. That is the second-highest seed total ever in a Last Four. The greatest was 26 in 2011– likewise a Last 4 in Houston and one where UConn won it all.0: This is the very first Last 4 because 2011 in which a No. 1 seed didn’t play. Once again, UConn existed and won the whole thing. Absolutely no is likewise the number of Last Four appearances for FAU, Miami and SDSU.ESPN Fantasy Sports researcher Kyle Soppe contributed to this story.