Jay Williams Is Once Again Being Roasted For Chalky Bracket, Internet Forgets One Key Detail
It's damned if you do, damned if you don't for Williams.
The NCAA Tournament is nearly upon us, and that means plenty of people have been filling out brackets trying to predict who is going to take home the title next month in Indianapolis.
While it's usually an unwritten rule that you can't get too "chalky" with your picks and ride exclusively with the favorites, one man is bucking that trend yet again.
Many on social media took ESPN analyst and former basketball player Jay Williams to task last March for his bracket predictions, which featured a ton of top seeds making deep runs in the tournament, and an Elite 8 consisting entirely of one and two seeds.
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Well, Williams is at it again, and that means the internet is roasting him for the second year in a row for the mortal sin of sticking with all favorites.
READ: OutKick's 2026 NCAA Tournament Breakdown: East And West Regions
It's easy to point and laugh at someone for not sticking their neck out, especially when it comes to March Madness, a time when picking upsets and higher seeds is practically tradition for any prognosticator worth their salt.
But here's the thing, the internet can roast Williams all they want. It doesn't change the fact that Williams was nearly perfect in his Elite 8 predictions, going seven for eight and only missing out thanks to a St. John's upset at the hands of Arkansas in the round of 32, a fact a few keen observers in the comments sections were all too quick to point out.
READ: OutKick's 2026 NCAA Tournament Breakdown: South And Midwest Regions
That's the worst part about being in Williams' position. It's damned if you do and damned if you don't.
If Williams had picked a couple 6 seeds to make a Final Four run or a 15 seed to beat a 2 in the first round and it didn't happen, people would've mocked him for "not knowing ball," as the kids say.
Jay Williams' job is to make good picks and be right, and trying to run it back with the same strategy that worked last year seems like the safe play to me.
Plus, he's got Florida going pretty far this year, so I'll take it.