March Madness Fans React to Jay Bilas' Not-So-Bold Bracket Predictions

Bilas really went out on a limb here ... not. | Matt Stone/Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

March is the time of year to be bold.

With the NCAA men's basketball tournament upon us, there are plenty of buzzer-beaters, unlikely winners, and Cinderella runs on the horizon that are destined to bust brackets. To combat this, fans and media alike try their damndest to pick upsets and stay ahead in their pools.

ESPN's Jay Bilas, however, doesn't seem to be taking that angle. The college basketball analyst released his official bracket on X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday night, and revealed that he's picking all four one-seeds to advance to the Final Four:

My Final Four.

Fill out your bracket here: https://t.co/x9uysxNzZ2 pic.twitter.com/AjaDt3lDfW
— Jay Bilas (@JayBilas) March 19, 2025

Naturally, college basketball fans weren't too pleased with Bilas' selections, and reacted justly on social media. Here are some of the best responses to his chalky bracket:

so brave https://t.co/Jkv0szVdVQ
— Ross Uglem (@RossUglem) March 19, 2025

https://t.co/xTIaRNCRgJ pic.twitter.com/ZjGdpj3wxb
— Friday Beers (@Friday_Beers) March 19, 2025

Jay really went out on a limb here. Kudos to him. https://t.co/H4M0YIs93O
— Tony Patelis (@TonyPatelis) March 19, 2025

Wow very edgy, very bold. I wish I had the analytical skills to pick the *checks notes* top four teams https://t.co/LIBNDk96z6
— Dick Beekman (@dick_beekman) March 19, 2025

Some real hot takes here https://t.co/vb8S2vyMwa
— Ryan Bot (@RyanBot) March 19, 2025

Showcasing ESPN’s autofill feature https://t.co/4HRVpCxF02
— Sean Green (@seantgreen) March 19, 2025

https://t.co/3NQ6mtSare pic.twitter.com/XnSLvM1A8n
— Will Fowler (@WillFowler5) March 19, 2025

I LOVE when national media guys go all chalk with brackets. His bracket would be one of the chalkiest NCAA Tournaments EVER:
- Round 2 Seed Total: 162
•• Would be lowest since 2007 (157)
•• 3rd lowest since 2000
- Sweet 16 Seed Total: 44
•• Would be lowest since 2000 by 5 https://t.co/4eGQRhJQDz
— Jeff D. Lowe (@JeffDLowe) March 19, 2025

Genuine question: why do Bilas and other talking heads pick all 4 one seeds to be in the final four every single season? https://t.co/98iPrtXiOU
— James Giglio (@JamesGiglio16) March 19, 2025

To Bilas' credit, while upsets are often littered throughout the first several rounds of the tournament, 18 of the past 25 champions have been a No. 1 seed.

Maybe he's onto something here...