Allstate, Dick Vitale Help Fans With College Basketball Bracket Building Ahead of NCAA Tournament Through Allstate Bracket Predictor Tool

NORTHBROOK, Ill., March 13 -- Allstate, a publicly held personal lines property and casualty insurance company, issued the following news release:

The NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship is one of the most unpredictable sporting events, bringing a heightened sense of excitement for college basketball fans vying to fill out a perfect NCAA bracket. Last year, out of the 40 million people who filled out a tournament bracket, not a single one was perfect. The tournament's upsets and buzzer beating wins are the definition of mayhem on the basketball court. That's why Allstate Insurance Company is teaming up with Dick Vitale, ESPN college basketball analyst, to help fans navigate the tournament's uncertainties by giving them access to the Allstate Bracket Predictor.

Following Selection Sunday, proficient and novice fans alike can visit AllstateBracket.com for help in building out their brackets. The Allstate Bracket Predictor utilizes advanced predictive analytics from STATS, allowing users to select any two teams in the tournament and analyze the probability of a victory in a head-to-head matchup. The tool also designates specific 'Mayhem Alert' matchups, which are games that may be closely contested or where the lower-seeded team has a significant chance of pulling off an upset.

Statically speaking, people have a better chance of becoming an astronaut or dating a millionaire than picking the perfect bracket. By crunching all the numbers, the Allstate Bracket Predictor puts the expert power in the hands of even the most novice basketball fans.

"The excitement of the NCAA tournament has shown us that anything can happen, making it nearly impossible for even the most respected and knowledgeable basketball analyst to predict the outcome of the games," said Pam Hollander, vice president of marketing for Allstate Insurance Company, an official corporate partner of the NCAA. "It's March and it can be mayhem, so Allstate is giving fans the upper hand by offering the Allstate Bracket Predictor to provide the best expert advice when it comes to picking their brackets."

Vitale has had his bracket-predicting skills put to the test over the years as part of Allstate's March Mayhem Challenge. After besting some of the world's most notorious animal prognosticators, including Punxsutawney Phil, the broadcasting legend was handed his first defeat last year against former U.S. astronaut and second man to walk on the moon, Buzz Aldrin. Despite the setback in his winning streak, Vitale is still the best in the business when it comes to bracketology, and hopes that fans will use the tool to eliminate some of the unpredictability involved in selecting their brackets.

"March Mayhem is back baby, and it's going to be unbelievable! The beauty of tournament time is that anyone can fill out a bracket and get in on the action, no matter how big of a fan you are or what team you're cheering for," Vitale said. "Since not everyone can have my experience and knowledge when it comes to predicting tough match-ups, I'm glad my friends at Allstate are helping out fans with expert analysis on those hard-to-predict games with the Allstate Bracket Predictor."

This year's Allstate Bracket Predictor will continue to serve as a resource even after the first round tips off by providing team updates as games take place, and fans are encouraged to check back in to track their bracket.

Allstate is also giving fans the chance to personally experience The Big Dance(TM) by signing up for Allstate's Tourney Challenge Sweepstakes for a chance to win $50,000 and a trip for two to the 2017 NCAA Men's Final Four(TM) in Phoenix. To sign up, visit ESPN.com/bracket, complete a bracket and opt-in to enter the ESPN Tournament Challenge. The entry period will close five minutes prior to the first round tournament games played on March 16.

Throughout the NCAA tournament, Allstate's March Mayhem campaign will use its unpredictable "Mayhem" character on Twitter and Facebook, where he'll delight in the millions of brackets broken by unexpected wins. The campaign will also feature real-time Tweets that coincide with the tournament games, as well as new TV and online videos to create an engaging, unified experience. This year, fans can also send unconventional cheers - or "jeers" - at MayhemSmackTalk.com as their friends' brackets bust. Follow along with @Mayhem on Facebook and Twitter to keep up with all of the #MarchMayhem.

The Allstate Corporation (NYSE: ALL) is the nation's largest publicly held personal lines insurer, protecting approximately 16 million households from life's uncertainties through auto, home, life and other insurance offered through its Allstate, Esurance, Encompass and Answer Financial brand names. Now celebrating its 85th anniversary as an insurer, Allstate is widely known through the slogan "You're In Good Hands With Allstate(TM)." Allstate agencies are in virtually every local community in America. In 2015, The Allstate Foundation, Allstate, its employees and agency owners gave $36 million to support local communities.

NCAA, Final Four, The Big Dance and Selection Sunday are trademarks of the National Collegiate Athletic Association.

March Mayhem is a trademark of Allstate and the National Collegiate Athletic Association.

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