Congratulations to the top finishers of the 2026 Basketball Manitoba March Madness Bracket Challenge!
In the Men’s Pool, 636 brackets were entered, with Adam Wedlake finishing 1st overall with 318 points. As a Basketball Manitoba employee, he is not eligible to receive a prize, so the cash prizes shift to the next eligible finishers.
There was also a tie at 314 points between Eliza McKay and Luke Hiebert. That tie was broken by the CBS system using the championship game tiebreaker formula based on the closest predicted combined final score, resulting in Eliza finishing 3rd and Luke 4th. (The combined championship final score was 132, with Eliza guessing 147 and Luke 164, giving the tie break to Eliza)
Men’s Pool final prize winners:
🥇 Risto Zimbakov — 317 points — $400
🥈 Eliza McKay — 314 points — $200
🥉 Luke Hiebert — 314 points — $100
In the Women’s Pool, 264 brackets were entered, and the top three finishers were:
🥇 Jen How — 324 points — $400
🥈 Sunny Kaila — 321 points — $200
🥉 Bruce Maher — 312 points — $100
A big thank you to everyone who took part in this year’s challenge. We will contact all prize winners directly later this week to arrange prize payouts. Thanks again to all 900 participants who joined in the fun this year. We’ll do it again next March!
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CHAMPIONSHIP GAME SCENARIOS
Women's Pool - UCLA vs South Carolina - Sunday at 2:30 pm Central Time (TSN / ABC TV)
Final Standings if UCLA Wins
- 1st Place - Jen How - 324 points - $400.00 cash prize
- 2nd Place - Sunny Kaila - 321 points - $200.00 cash prize
- 3rd Place - Bruce Maher - 312 points - $100.00 cash prize
Final Standings if South Carolina Wins
- 1st Place - Joey Buenaventura - 322 points - $400.00 cash prize
- 2nd Place - Stephanie Somerville - 313 points - $200.00 cash prize
- 3rd/4th Place - Jody Jury - 305 points - $100.00 cash prize *
- 3rd/4th Place - Theo Licsi - 305 points - $100.00 cash prize *
- * The CBS system will automatically determine the final placing based on the championship final game score and the person guessing closest to the combined score. The person finishing 4th will not receive one of the prizes.
Men's Pool - Michigan vs UConn - Monday at 7:50 pm Central Time (TSN / TNT TV)
Final Standings if Michigan Wins
- 1st Place - Adam Wedlake - 318 points **
- 2nd Place - Risto Zimbakov - 317 points - $400.00 cash prize
- 3rd/4th Place - Eliza Mckay - 314 points - $200.00/$100.00 cash prize *
- 3rd/4th Place - Luke Hiebert - 314 points - $200.00/$100.00 cash prize *
- * The CBS system will automatically determine the final placing based on the championship final game score and the person guessing closest to the combined score.
- ** As Adam is an employee of Basketball Manitoba, he is not eligible to win any prizes. If this scenario were to play out, the 2nd-place person will receive $400; the 3rd-place person will receive $200; and the 4th-place person will receive $100.
Final Standings if UConn Wins
- 1st Place - Risto Zimbakov - 381 points - $400.00 cash prize
- 2nd Place - Jodie Layne - 362 points - $200.00 cash prize
- 3rd Place - Allison Laferty - 357 points - $100.00 cash prize
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Welcome to the 636 people who submitted their picks to the Basketball Manitoba NCAA March Madness Men's Pool and the current 264 people who submitted their picks to the Basketball Manitoba NCAA March Madness Women's Pool!
We invited ALL basketball fans to submit their picks into our pool for a chance to win some great prizes. The deadline to enter the men's pool was Thursday, March 19, at 10:00 am, and the women's pool closes on Friday, March 20, at 10:00 am, Manitoba time. See more on how to enter below. There is NO cost to enter either pool.
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Welcome to the 19th annual Basketball Manitoba NCAA March Madness Bracket Challenge! For the fifth year, we are excited to offer a women's pool option alongside the men's bracket, with the same cash prizes up for grabs. There is no cost to register for our pools, and they are open to any Manitoba resident to participate for a chance to win great prizes. The deadline to enter the respective pools is listed below.
