I think I know the answer to the headline question for 80 percent of you.

In 2024 when gambling is legal in most states and it was guesstimated $2.72 billion (according to American Gambling Association) would be won or lost during March Madness and the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, it’s almost a winning bet to think you’re looking at is as someone with jellybeans (Happy Easter) on the table.

I mean, I am, too.

I filled out three different brackets and sent them to six different pools. Plus, I occupied two squares with home and away numbers for potential to bring in more jellybeans than I spent. Although some tastiness will be back in my bank account, not as much as one would like.

However, at the same time, I’ve been watching it as a hoops fan since I have UConn and Purdue in the Final Four (along with North Carolina State and Alabama, in the Final Four, not my bracket) in two of my NCAA offerings and am not too worried about adding more beans of jelly (hopefully by this time you understand my Dan Patrick reference and jellybeans means dollar, dollar bills, y’all).

Illinois making the Elite Eight was great.

Kentucky ousted in the first round and Kansas in the second was great. It’s cool to not have the bluebloods dominating March the last few tournaments.

North Carolina made it to the Sweet 16, but, contrary to my bluebloods comment, they were my proposed winner in my third bracket. Busted.

Purdue is in the Final Four for the first time since 1980, which I think is pretty cool because I was negative-five years old, and the Boilermakers are a Big Ten Conference team. Having a Big Ten team this far makes the rest of the conference look better.

Alabama as a four seed is more of a surprising name on one of the last six lines on your sheet of paper than NC State. The No. 11 Wolfpack have a slew of experienced players and they won the ACC Tournament which almost guarantees them a Sweet 16 bid without playing a single NCAA Tournament game.

This year’s Madness has also been different because there truly wasn’t a squad with a glass slipper. The only time announcers and the media could use the word “Cinderella” was when saying there wasn’t one or trying to decide if NC State was surrounded by fairy godmothers.

Quickly decided, consensus, there isn’t a Disney plot formulated to this year’s NCAA Tournament, which has been fun.

We’re finding out who is the best of the best.

No team having a bad day.

No excuses being made.

No blaming the referees for routine bad calls.

The better teams have been winning the tournament games regardless of the seed numbers.

As a fan, and a gambler with two brackets still alive to win pools, this has been a fun and excited NCAA Tournament for the men.

I did see Shaquille O’Neal said the women’s tournament is better basketball and more exciting. I’ve watched the women’s games as well. I don’t think one is better than the other, but there has been interesting, compelling college basketball games Thursday-Monday for the last two weeks on both stages.

If you ask me, there isn’t any better way to look at a bracket, good basketball everywhere.

Now for the other way to look at the bracket, mullah, let’s have Purdue win the men’s side in a courageous last second shot over UConn, while Iowa bests LSU tonight (press time) and then slug it out with South Carolina after the Gamecocks beat NC State.

Mad props to NC State for being in the Final Four in both the men’s and women’s brackets, but it’s now time to lose.

Happy hoops fans.

Happy Jellybeans.

Happy March Madness.