While millions of hoops fans across the nation groaned as Butler advanced to the NCAA championship game, Ballston Spa resident Matt Walker saw his unlikely tournament bracket vindicated.
The 28-year-old was the winner of this year’s ESPN bracket contest, which will net him $10,000, with his bracket that correctly picked Duke’s win over Butler and the composition of the Final Four and seven of the Elite Eight teams.
I just went by game by game and match up by match up. A lot of it was just in the spur of the moment, Walker said in a phone interview. `When it got to the championship game and I saw I had Duke and Butler I was a little surprised by my progression.`
Walker’s picks paid off though, in what he called a lucky year. He said he’d aim to save most of the winnings.
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