We delayed the release of our 2010 Evening Sun March Madness Contest for one reason: To re-check and triple check all 82 of our entries. After thorough scoring and re-scoring, Guilford’s Gino Granata came away with the $75 first-place prize.

Our contest included 63 games – we excluded the play-in game that was contested by Winthrop and Arkansas-Pine Bluff before our Thursday entry deadline. Granata and Mt. Upton’s Craig Ross each tied for first with 40-23 marks, the lowest winning total since the contest’s inception. In the tiebreaker, Granata forecasted 131 points to Ross’ 143. The actual total was 120 (61-59) giving Granata the edge.

Granata, too, was one of only four to correctly select Duke as the national champion. Additionally, Ross was the only prognosticator to place Butler in the finals, and Ross was also the lone entry to have at least three of the four Final Four teams named correctly. Ross was on the money in selecting Butler, Duke, and West Virginia as regional champions.