Skip to main content

Alexa correctly predicted that Villanova would be the March Madness winner

Alexa correctly predicted that Villanova would win March Madness

Image used with permission by copyright holder

March is over, and so too is the madness. The basketball tournament of the year has come to an end, and as we crown Villanova the champions of 2018, we also bow to the perennially useful Alexa, who successfully predicted the Wildcats’ victory. While she may have had a bit of trouble in the last few weeks responding to your queries and controlling her laughter, it seems that all these issues are now in the past, and she has redeemed herself with some pretty impressive clairvoyance.

March Madness, the collegiate basketball tournament, kicked off on Thursday, March 15, and came to its dramatic finale on April 2. In total, 67 games were played, and at the end, Villanova came out on top. This was something that Alexa said would happen from the very beginning of the tournament — had you asked her a couple weeks ago who she thought would emerge victorious, she would have told you that Villanova’s powerful offense would help the team bring the trophy home. Folks only had to ask Alexa, “Who will win March Madness?” to hear her prediction.

Recommended Videos

Unfortunately, Alexa wasn’t able to help anyone with creating their brackets. Although she was able to correctly predict who would win the overall tournament, she wasn’t able to (or was unwilling to) tell us who would win each individual game. However, another smart assistant did offer that functionality — Microsoft Cortana.

Cortana pulled her data from the Bing web browser, and actually did offer a prediction on each and every game to be played. Alas, Cortana and Alexa didn’t see eye to eye on their final predictions — the Microsoft smart assistant opted for the University of Virginia. Of course, that prediction turned out to be decidedly incorrect, as the team was knocked out in the first round, ending a 135-game undefeated run by top seeds in an opening game.

Other smart assistants, however, never even got in on the action. We asked Google Home who would win March Madness, but it said it couldn’t help with that yet. And now it’s too late (though there’s always next year).

So congratulations, Alexa and Villanova — this really does seem to be your year.

Updated on April 3: Alexa correctly predicted Villanova’s March Madness victory. 

Lulu Chang
Fascinated by the effects of technology on human interaction, Lulu believes that if her parents can use your new app…
Tineco carpet cleaner at lowest-ever price for Prime Day — here’s how to save more
A man using the Tineco Carpet One Cruiser Smart Carpet Cleaner.

Not all vacuum deals will be able to provide in-depth cleaning for your carpet. You're going to need something more specialized, and we highly recommend the Tineco Carpet One Cruiser. From its original price of $699, it's available from Amazon's Prime Day for its lowest-ever price of $489, but you can get an additional 5% off with the checkout code TIN25PDPR. That means you'll only have to pay $465 for this smart carpet cleaner, for total savings of $234, but you'll need to act fast as we're not sure if the stocks that are up for sale will last until the final minutes of the shopping holiday.

BUY NOW

Read more
Tineco vacuum nearly $300 off for Prime Day — use this code for extra savings
The Tineco Floor One Stretch S6 cordless vacuum cleaner cleaning a spill.

In one of the most attractive vacuum deals that you can shop for Prime Day, Amazon has slashed the Tineco Floor One Stretch S6 to its lowest-ever price of $319 from its sticker price of $599. However, we've got a code for you to be able to get the cordless wet-dry vacuum cleaner with an extra 5% off — just enter TIN25PDPR during the checkout process so that you'll only have to pay $303, for total savings of $296. That's an excellent offer that you wouldn't want to miss, and you better hurry if you want to take advantage of it as it may not remain available until the end of the shopping holiday.

$303 at Amazon

Read more
Tineco’s docking vacuum has a special Prime Day price, but you can get it cheaper
A Tineco Pure One next to its charging base.

Vacuums feel like they're getting more and more expensive, and not just robot vacuum and mop combos, but ordinary hand vacs. You can go to Walmart and see bagged, corded vacuums that cost hundreds of dollars. It doesn't have to be that way. Tineco's Pure One vacuum brings power and convenience for the same price that other vacuums have, but with new features instead of going backwards into the world of cords and bags. Usually $459, it is down to $319 for Prime Day (that's a savings of $140 already) and we're happy to report you can get an extra 5% off with the code TIN25PDPR on Amazon. Tap the button below to see the vacuum yourself and snag this great deal, or keep reading for what makes this vacuum truly unique.

BUY NOW

Read more