Greg Nigl, a 40-year-old neuropsychologist from Columbus, Ohio, is the man behind the “Center Road” bracket. “Center Road” is the lone perfect bracket for the 2019 NCAA Tournament and the best bracket we have ever seen through 48 games. Nigl perfectly predicted the Sweet 16 which marks a first in March Madness history.
NCAA.com tracked down Nigl to discuss the thought behind his picks and he spilled the beans on how he achieved the impressive feat. Spoiler alert: the perfect bracket almost never came to be.
“I did four. And I almost didn’t fill that one out, because I was actually sick on Thursday, and I filled it out Thursday morning, right before the deadline, and I almost didn’t do it,” Nigl said. “I was lying in bed, I was sick, and I called into work. I almost went back to bed and didn’t fill it out, but I did it anyway because I felt bad because it was my friend’s [group].”
Nigl also booked an appearance on Good Morning America.
The odds of having a perfect bracket into the Sweet 16? A stunning 1 in 281,474,976,710,656. Yes, that is 1 in 281.4 TRILLION.
You can check out the Elite Eight predictions in Nigl’s bracket and the remaining March Madness schedule below.
Greg Nigl Elite Eight Predictions
NCAA.com| DATE/TIME (ET) | GAME | PICK |
|---|---|---|
| 3/28 at 7:09 PM | (1) Gonzaga vs. (4) Florida State | Gonzaga |
| 3/28 at 7:29 PM | (2) Tennessee vs. (3) Purdue | Tennessee |
| 3/28 at 9:39 PM | (2) Michigan vs. (3) Texas Tech | Michigan |
| 3/28 at 9:57 PM | (1) Virginia vs. (12) Oregon | Virginia |
| 3/29 at 7:09 PM | (2) Michigan State vs. (3) LSU | Michigan State |
| 3/29 at 7:29 PM | (1) UNC vs. (5) Auburn | UNC |
| 3/29 at 9:39 PM | (1) Duke vs. (4) Virginia Tech | Duke |
| 3/29 at 9:57 PM | (2) Kentucky vs. (3) Houston | Kentucky |
We’ll have to see if the unprecedented streak can continue when teams return to the court on Thursday, March 28.
2019 NCAA Tournament Schedule
| GAME | TIME (ET) | TV | SITE | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sweet 16, Thursday, March 28 | ||||
| Florida State vs. Gonzaga | 7:09 pm | CBS | Anaheim, CA | |
| Purdue vs. Tennessee | 7:29 pm | TBS | Louisville, KY | |
| Texas Tech vs. Michigan | 9:39 pm | CBS | Anaheim, CA | |
| Oregon vs. Virginia | 9:57 pm | TBS | Louisville, KY | |
| Sweet 16, Friday, March 29 | ||||
| LSU vs. Michigan State | 7:09 pm | CBS | Washington, D.C. | |
| Auburn vs. North Carolina | 7:29 pm | TBS | Kansas City, MO | |
| Virginia Tech vs. Duke | 9:39 pm | CBS | Washington, D.C. | |
| Houston vs. Kentucky | 9:57 pm | TBS | Kansas City, MO | |
| Saturday, March 30 | ||||
| West Regional Final | 6:00 pm or 8:30 pm | TBS | Anaheim, CA | |
| South Regional Final | 6:00 pm or 8:30 pm | TBS | Louisville, KY | |
| Sunday, March 31 | ||||
| East Regional Final | 2:00 pm or 4:55 pm | CBS | Washington, D.C. | |
| Midwest Regional Final | 2:00 pm or 4:55 pm | CBS | Kansas City, MO | |
| Saturday, April 6 | ||||
| Final Four | 6:00 pm | CBS | Minneapolis, MN | |
| Final Four | 8:30 pm | CBS | Minneapolis, MN | |
| Monday, April 8 | ||||
| National Championship | 9:00 pm | CBS | Minneapolis, MN |