Selection Sunday arrived and the men's NCAA Tournament bracket is set, which means it's time for the yearly March Madness tradition to begin: bracket predictions. Every year, pundits put their expertise to the test, knowledgeable fans put forth their best shot at a perfect bracket and even presidents throw their hats in the ring.
ESPN didn't wait long to put their analysts to the test, as the likes of Jay Williams, Seth Greenberg and Jay Bilas all made predictions for the Elite Eight and Final Four. And Williams, whose chalky picks consisted of only No. 1 and 2 seeds, was roasted by fans for his not-so-bold bracket.
Jay Williams’ bracket features a BOLD Elite 8 👀 pic.twitter.com/fHr4XjSGFS
— Kicks (@kicks) March 17, 2025
Jay Williams has all 1 and 2 seeds in the Elite 8 and all 1 seeds in the Final Four lol.
— Andrew Cumbow (@ACumbow) March 16, 2025
Jay Williams hot takes only pic.twitter.com/hE8AJA1xBF
— Big Cat (@BarstoolBigCat) March 17, 2025
Jay Williams pic.twitter.com/oDXDCvBfea
— JaguarGator9 (@JaguarGator9NFL) March 17, 2025
In a sense, Williams looks smart for picking the best teams on paper. But the best teams "on paper" haven't always fared well in the tournament—and, particularly in recent years, No. 1 and 2 seeds haven't been guaranteed anything as March Madness has become more and more unpredictable.
It's possible that Williams ends up looking very smart as the tourney plays out. Or he could look foolish for not trusting more underdog teams. But at the very least, fans expected some more exciting, informed upset picks out of one of ESPN's lead college basketball analysts.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as ESPN's Jay Williams Was Roasted Over His Unbelievably Chalky Bracket.
