2019-Virginia 

Looking back, the 2019 bracket doesn't look too crazy on paper. But at the time, it seemed like it was pretty wild. Virginia was back in the tourney as a 1 seed, trying their best to make up for their EMBARRASSING first round exit in 2018. 

 

Both the #5 seed Auburn Tigers and #3 Texas Tech Red Raiders set their own records in 2019, each reaching the Final Four for the first time in program history. On the other hand, Michigan State returned to the Final Four after a four year absence. Virginia completed the quartet, finally meeting expectations as a #1 seed and actually making it far in the tournament. 

 

The Cavaliers inched by Auburn to advance to the National Championship. The Final Four rookies from Lubbock, TX, took their horse down that old town road (remember that song? This was when that happened) all the way to the National Championship.

 

Both the Red Raiders and Cavaliers had something to prove in the final, and they proved that they deserved to be there. Not only was this a surprising matchup for the crown, the game needed overtime to decide the champ. 

 

Virginia eventually came out on top, in a perfect redemption comeback plot after being the joke of the College Basketball world only one year earlier. 

 

Per Fader Bracket Challenge Advanced Analytics: Alexa Lawlor’s winning bracket in 2019 became the highest scoring bracket in the history of the FBC.