"Chalky and lame," "I respect this": College hoops fans have wild reaction to legendary rock group Nickelback's March Madness bracket  

Legendary Canadian rock band Nickelback has weighed in on March Madness, and their bracket predictions have got college basketball fans talking. The group, consisting of Chad Kroeger, Daniel Adair, Mike Kroeger and Ryan Peake has made a bold prediction for the national championship winner.

The official NCAA March Madness X account shared the band's bracket selection in a visually designed post, captioned:

"Nickelback's bracket! Florida wins it all. Grand Canyon > Maryland #MarchMadness."

The post triggered mixed reactions from fans, with some showing support and others expressing skepticism.

"I respect this," one fan wrote.

"Just like their music. Chalky and lame," another fan commented.

"Nickelback: Making lame picks since 2001," a critic remarked.

"Same but not Florida," another fan added, referring to the band’s choice of Florida as the national champions.

"Did they fill it out together?" one fan inquired.

"At what point is too much, guys?" another questioned.

The Florida Gators have not secured an NCAA national championship since their back-to-back triumphs in 2005-06 and 2006-07 under coach Billy Donovan.

The program made history by becoming the first team to claim consecutive national titles since Duke achieved the feat in 1991-92. With these two championships, Florida is tied for ninth place among Division I schools for total national titles.

Prior to these victories, the Gators had only reached the final once, finishing as runners-up in 2000. However, since their last championship in 2007, Florida has struggled to replicate that success, reaching the Final Four just once, in 2014.

After missing out on March Madness in 2022 and 2023, the Gators have now secured back-to-back appearances in 2024 and 2025. This year, they claimed the SEC Tournament Championship, defeating Tennessee 86–77 in the final.

Florida secures final No. 1 Seed in March Madness

Syndication: The Tennessean - Source: Imagn

A strong late-season run, resulting in an SEC Tournament title, enabled the Gators to clinch the final No. 1 seed for March Madness. This marks only the third time in the program’s history that Florida has earned a No. 1 seed.

Notably, on both previous occasions, in 2007 and 2014, the team reached at least the Final Four, with the 2007 squad ultimately winning the national championship.

Florida will commence its NCAA Tournament campaign against Norfolk State in Raleigh, North Carolina, on Friday night. The victor of that encounter will then face the winner of the UConn vs Oklahoma matchup on Sunday.