Beware the Ides of March. A simple warning that very few heed.
Every year, sports fans around the country fill out brackets with the hopes of coming away with large sums of money, gift cards and office supremacy.
This year, approximately $9 billion was spent betting on the NCAA Tournament, according to the American Gambling Association (AGA). That number is more than twice as much as the AGA estimated $3.9 billion that was wagered on the 2017 Super Bowl.
With so many wagers on the NCAA Tournament, there comes an overwhelming amount of grief and sadness when the games do not fall in a better’s favor.
Who would have predicted Duke University would fall to No. 7 seed South Carolina University in the NCAA Second Round, or that Villanova University would fall flat on its face after a tough draw in No. 8 seed Wisconsin University?
According to ESPN, of the more than 10 million brackets created in its annual Tournament Challenge, only 18 brackets picked the Sweet 16 correctly in its entirety.
That is why this year, The Slate is building off last year’s Bracket Challenge with a new look competition. The Slate is offering Shippensburg University students the opportunity to give up on their failed brackets, by entering in a new bracket contest, starting with the Sweet 16.
The Slate will offer prizes for the Top 3 finishers in the bracket poll, with the top prize being a $30 Sheetz gift card. The second and third place finishers will receive a $20 and $10 Sheetz gift card, respectively.
Brackets can be found online at theslateonline.com and outside The Slate office.
Brackets must be submitted by Wednesday at 6 p.m. The Slate office is located in the Ceddia Union Building in room 250.
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