The latest record in completed brackets in ESPN Men’s Tournament Challenge seems to make the term March Madness self-explanatory. Indeed, the 22.6 million bets placed on the games scheduled for the 2024 edition of the popular NCAA basketball tournament on 22 March exceeds the last year’s record by 13 percent to set the new all-time-high figure and keep the boiling atmosphere around the championship as teams win to advance or lose to go home.

Record Hit Just before the Beginning of the First Game:

According to ESPN press release, the record number of bets was hit earlier today. The company’s upgraded and updated ESPN Tournament Challenge reportedly registered more than 27,555 brackets per minute to see the record figure just before the start of the first tournament game.  The registration process also identified UConn as the most popular pick to win the men’s final, while 24.7% of total brackets selected the last year’s champion Huskies as a favorite.

ESPN made sure to meet the most selective requirement of basketball fans. Therefore the ESPN Tournament Challenge includes the Perfect Bracket Tracker feature designed for all fans and players using statistics and data rather than relying on shear luck while completing brackets and predicting a series of rounds and winners. Still, the feature offers lots of fun while bringing a real-time tool to track the number of perfect brackets of selected teams and a various options that impact such combinations.

ESPN Women’s Tournament Challenge Calling for Last Bets:

Men’s tournament landing off with a blasting last-minute record seems to announce tons of fun over the next two weeks. ESPN Men’s Tournament Challenge closed today, while the ESPN Women’s Tournament Challenge will continue to accept brackets until the beginning of the first women’s game set for 23 March in the Albany 1 Region at 11.30 a.m.ET.  A bracket will open for Michigan State and North Carolina to kick off the tournament and close the wagering process for fans to concentrate on their favorites’ progress in the championship.

Memorable Experience:

For those that completed any of the record 22.6 million brackets,  ESPN, as the exclusive home to NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championship, has prepared handy tools to follow their bets throughout the tournament and track results and data while looking to make the 2024 March Madness a memorable experience.