In line for a crown? Lehi dentist leads ESPN NCAA men's basketball bracket challenge

LEHI – The NCAA Tournament is down to the Final Four, and although no Utah teams remain, a Utah dentist is still in it.

Out of 14.7 million brackets, Chris Jacobsen was in a two-way tie for first place in ESPN's Tournament Challenge.

No matter how nice the place looks or how friendly Jacobsen is with his patients, no one really likes going to the dentist.

"It's hard sometimes because you're not the most popular person," said Jacobsen with a laugh.

He enjoys his job though, especially when he knows he's helping people in his Lehi office.

"I love people and getting to meet new people every day," he said. "Every little filling feels like an art project, strangely enough."

However, it's his latest project that's truly a work of art.

"I never suspected it," said Jacobsen with another laugh. "Like, I wasn't even really checking how well I was doing until the second round, I guess."

Like many of us, Jacobsen filled out an NCAA Tournament bracket on ESPN.

It was after that second round he noticed he was in 400th place out of the millions who entered.

"I texted my brother. I'm like, that's pretty good. I'm 400th, like, that's pretty awesome," said Jacobsen.

He hasn't lost a game since.

His picks were perfect through the Sweet 16 and Elite 8 when UCLA pulled off an upset against Michigan.

"They barely won. It was right at the end of the game," he said. "I'm waiting for my bracket to update. When it reloads, it says I'm number one. And I'm like, I'm number one. I was shocked. Never expected that."

Out of over 14.5 million brackets, ChrizzlyBear10 on ESPN was in a two-way tie for first place.

Yes, ChrizzlyBear.

"Yeah, it's super embarrassing. I'm blushing right now," said Jacobsen with another laugh. "The worst part about it is I gave myself that nickname."

What's not embarrassing is being in first place with his Final Four picks still intact.

Jacobsen said he likes college basketball, he didn't really watch any games this season or even research his picks.

"Random, yeah. It was pretty random," he said of his picks.

Further proof that, unlike flossing, researching brackets isn't really that important.

"I filled out another bracket that's 10-millionth," he said with a chuckle.

If he finishes in first, Jacobsen said he will be entered into a drawing with thousands of other top finishers for a trip to Hawaii and some Amazon gift cards.

The first-place winner does not automatically win the grand prize.

For the championship? Jacobsen has Baylor winning it all over Gonzaga. The other bracket tied for first place has UCLA defeating Houston in the title game.

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