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Illinois Basketball: Writing Illini bracket challenge update after round one

By Rees Woodcock

Mar 9, 2017; Washington, DC, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini cheerleaders perform on the court during a stoppage in play against the Michigan Wolverines in the second half during the Big Ten Conference Tournament at Verizon Center. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 9, 2017; Washington, DC, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini cheerleaders perform on the court during a stoppage in play against the Michigan Wolverines in the second half during the Big Ten Conference Tournament at Verizon Center. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports /
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Round one is in the books for the 2017 NCAA tournament and the leaderboard for the Writing Illini bracket challenge had a shake-up.

There is now a two-way tie for first in the challenge between Sully5 and hireCoachK. They are each sitting with 280 points with only four missed games in the entire first round.

Sully5 had a tough blow with No. 11 USC taking down No. 6 SMU yesterday. This not only gave him another loss but it also knocked out a Sweet 16 team as well. Besides for that small blunder, he is sitting well in the challenge.

HireCoachK had a similar bracket to Sully5 with his only blunder a Sweet 16 loss with SMU. He also decided to go a little tricky this year with No. 13 ETSU beating No. 4 Florida, which didn’t happen. But, I do like the bold pick of Michigan in the Elite 8. That could really pay off.

With every challenge, there is a person who will finish last. Right now, that person is tmarcou11 15. They only have 190 points and it will be awfully difficult to catch-up. This bracket was extremely bold, though. They had Northern Kentucky in the Sweet 16 as well as Maryland and Marquette. I wouldn’t count them out yet, though, because they still have Virginia winning it all which is rare.

The Writing Illini crew are still lurking in the pack. The leader of us four is John with 270 points. He sits in a five-way tie for 3rd place right now. Having SMU in the Elite 8 might hurt him down the road, though.

I moved into 15th place with 250 points but after last nights UCLA game, I am afraid they will lose to any team who can score the ball. Their defense is as strong as 99-cent toilet paper.

The other two, Eric and Zach, are both tied for 21st with 240 points. They are both not doing too bad. Eric only has one Sweet 16 team out because of SMU, but he also has Notre Dame in the Final Four which will help. Zach is a little more injured because he had SMU going to the Elite 8, but if Wichita State can beat Kentucky he will be right back in this thing.

Next: Coaching search update for the Illini men

This challenge isn’t even close to being over. We will have a better understanding of who is alive and who is out after this weekend, though. Enjoy the games and keep an eye on Twitter for the next head coach of the Illini.

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