MB 2012 – Playoff Recap

Due to the flawed structure of MB 2012, the points for the playoffs began accumulating before the matchups were set. Additionally, points for future rounds were piling up even though the matchups for those rounds could not yet be determined. The flaws in the structure have (hopefully) been rectified for MB 2013. However, despite those flaws the first MegaBracket playoffs did provide some drama, mostly confined to the first round.

With the 8 members of MB seeded according to regular season finish, the first round matchups looked like this:

#1 seed Bristol vs. #8 seed Bred

#2 seed Jimmy vs. #7 seed JP

#3 seed Greg vs. #6 seed Chris

#4 seed Ryan vs. #5 seed Doug

With the #7 and #8 seeds up for grabs at the end of the regular season, top seeds Bristol and Jimmy were each rooting for a match-up with JP and not Bred. Bred’s residence at the bottom of the standings was due to many un-submitted sets of picks and the leaders’ reticence for facing him in the first round would turn out to be warranted. While Jimmy coasted to a first round victory over JP and Ryan pulled away late for a solid victory over Doug, the #2 and #3 seeds were in trouble from the get-go.

A resounding victory by Bred in the Kentucky Derby (and on Bristol’s wedding day, no less) turned that match-up in favor of the last seed while Chris jumped out to an early lead over Greg in the 3-6 contest and looked to hang on. Bred scored crucial victories in the WCLA D-II championship (a one-goal win by North Carolina over Towson) and a Women’s Water Polo semifinal (USC downed cross-town rival UCLA) to put Bristol on the brink of elimination. Greg hung around in the other tightly contested quarterfinal and both matches would come down to the final two events, Men’s and Women’s D-II Tennis. Both higher seeds held feint hopes until a Grand Canyon loss to Augusta State in the men’s quarterfinals doomed Bristol to a heart-breaking 6-point loss, and a Barry defeat at the hands of Armstrong Atlantic in the women’s semifinals sent Greg to the consolation bracket after a 29-point defeat. The first ever MegaBracket Semifinals would go on without the #1 and #3 seeds.

Second Round Matchups

Winners Bracket:

#4 Ryan vs. #8 Bred

#2 Jimmy vs. #6 Chris

Consolation Bracket:

#1 Bristol vs. #5 Doug

#3 Greg vs. #7 JP

Neither Bred nor Chris could conjure up the same first round magic and the semifinals played out as a snooze-fest compared to the drama of the first round. Ryan and Jimmy took early commanding leads and never looked back, setting up a date with destiny between the #2 and #4 seeds. Meanwhile, in the consolation bracket, the first round upset victims took out their fat aggression on Doug and JP as Bristol and Greg notched convincing victories. The longtime NBA Live rivals would meet in the playoffs, but would battle for a place four spots lower than each had hoped.

Final Round Matchups

Championship:

#2 Jimmy vs. #4 Ryan

3rd Place:

#6 Chris vs. #8 Bred

5th Place:

#1 Bristol vs. #3 Greg

7th Place

#5 Doug vs. #7 JP

The final round events are still going on, but each match has been clinched as the schedule winds down. Doug has run away with the 7th place match while Bristol clinched the 5th place win over the previous weekend. Chris has waltzed to a 3rd place postseason finish as Bred has chosen to rest up in anticipation of MB 2013. Jimmy raced out to an early lead in the championship match and fought off a couple of challenges from a game Ryan. The second season of MegaBracket is not quite complete but we know the man that will wear the crown until next season.

MB 2012 Playoff Placing

1. Jimmy
2. Ryan
3. Chris
4. Bred
5. Bristol
6. Greg
7. Doug
8. JP

Congratulations to Jimmy, the MegaBracket 2012 Champion!