Shannon Sharpe often draws criticism from fans when he discusses sports other than football, and that was the case once again when the former NFL star unveiled his Final Four predictions.
During Monday’s edition of “First Take” on ESPN, Sharpe shared his Final Four picks for both the men’s and women’s NCAA Tournament. Simply put, the Hall of Fame tight end is not expecting any big upsets in the later rounds of either tournament. Sharpe chose every No. 1 seed to reach the Final Four.
This is why ESPN pays Shannon Sharpe the big bucks. ✍️ pic.twitter.com/kNYdysJ8fs
— College Sports Only (@CollegeSportsO) March 18, 2024
Naturally, everyone ragged on Sharpe for making the obvious picks.
— Brandon Van Zee (@BrandonVanZee) March 18, 2024
Shannon Sharpe is getting wild with his Final Four picks 😂 pic.twitter.com/BloYr5dxwL
— SuperBook Sports (@SuperBookSports) March 18, 2024
— Benson (@BensonSmooth24) March 18, 2024
Sharpe could probably make the argument that choosing all No. 1 seeds to reach the Final Four is thinking outside the box. That has only happened one time in the history of the 64-team NCAA Tournament. Maybe he could also point to the fact that No. 2 seed Arizona has better gambling odds (+1200) to win the national championship than North Carolina (+1400).
We tend to doubt Sharpe was thinking of any of that, however. He was probably just playing it safe, but even that can’t save you from the internet trolls sometimes.
