College Basketball Analyst Dick Vitale to Face Groundhog Day Legend Punxsutawney Phil™ in Allstate's March Mayhem™ Challenge

NORTHBROOK, Ill., March 16, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Dick Vitale, ESPN college basketball analyst and one of the sport's most recognizable icons, is putting his NCAA® bracket picking skills to the ultimate test going head-to-head with Punxsutawney Phil™, the famous winter vs. spring-predicting groundhog, in this year's Allstate March Mayhem™ Challenge. 

Taking on well-known bracket pick 'em champions from the animal kingdom is nothing new for Vitale. During previous Allstate March Mayhem™ Challenge events, he narrowly edged out a victory against the Georgia Aquarium's sports-predicting dolphins and defeated Joel, the Fort Worth Herd's 1,795-pound longhorn. But this year, Allstate Insurance Company, an official corporate partner of the NCAA, is pitting Vitale up against his toughest competitor to-date, Punxsutawney Phil™, who boasts an impressive record of 129-0 in his history of correctly predicting an early spring or extended winter.

"I've put my basketball knowledge to the test against a pair of dolphins and a Texas longhorn, and was able to beat them all," said Vitale. "Now it's time to up the ante and take on one of the world's most notorious animal prognosticators. Phil may have one hundred-plus years of correctly picking winter vs. spring under his belt, but there's no way he's going to beat me at my own game."

Phil will leave Pennsylvania for the first time in more than a decade to take on Vitale in a bracket picking contest of epic proportions on March 17 at the NCAA Hall of Champions in Indianapolis, host city of the 2015 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship.

"After much consideration and research, Punxsutawney Phil will indeed emerge from his burrow to go head-to-head against Dickie V in the Allstate March Mayhem Challenge," said Bill Deeley, Punxsutawney Groundhog Club Inner Circle president. "Make no mistake; this year's brutal winter was proof yet again of Phil's infallible record of predicting the weather, 129-0. And while college basketball is not the type of predicting Phil is accustom to, The Groundhog Club is confident he will bring home a win and defeat the legendary broadcaster."

No matter which expert reigns supreme this March, in the spirit of good sportsmanship, Allstate Insurance Company will make a monetary donation to Gobbler's Knob to go towards the celebration of Groundhog Day and to the V Foundation for cancer research on behalf of each competitor.

"This time of year is all about March Mayhem. You never know what is going to happen on the court, which is why this year we're pitting two of the best predictors in the world against one another as part of the Allstate March Mayhem Challenge," said Pam Hollander, vice president of marketing for Allstate Insurance Company. "From buzzer beaters to improbable upsets, Mayhem is everywhere, making it nearly impossible for even the most respected and knowledgeable basketball analysts – and prognosticating groundhogs – to predict the on-the-court action." 

This year, fans can also get in on the action and experience the mayhem first-hand by signing up for Allstate's Tourney Challenge Sweepstakes for a chance to win $50,000 and a trip to the 2015 NCAA Men's Final Four® in Indianapolis. To sign up, visit ESPN.com and search "Allstate," then play the ESPN Tournament Challenge.

Knowing that not everyone can be a prognosticator like Vitale and Phil, this year Allstate Insurance Company is providing fans with a predictive statistical analysis tool to help the bracket-building process for their personal enjoyment. Following Selection Sunday on March 16, fans can check out the Mayhem Bracket Predictor tool at allstatemarchmayhem.stats.com, which allows users to pair any two teams in the Tournament and instantly receive the win probability for each school. Individual team stats and historical Tournament data are also available to help fans make difficult picks.

In addition to providing the win probability of individual matchups, this year's Mayhem Bracket Predictor allows fans to come back to the site throughout the Tournament to see if their bracket is busted through the Tournament Predictor feature. The Tournament Predictor will provide updates based on statistical data on the likelihood of each team winning the entire NCAA Tournament as games take place.

For more information on the Mayhem Bracket Predictor tool, visit allstatemarchmayhem.stats.com.

About Allstate® 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. Allstate is widely known through the slogan "You're In Good Hands With Allstate®." The Allstate brand's network of small businesses offers auto, home, life and retirement products and services to customers in the United States and Canada. In 2014, The Allstate Foundation, Allstate, its employees and agency owners gave $34 million to support local communities. Allstate employees and agency owners donated 200,000 hours of service across the country.

NCAA, March Madness and March Mayhem are trademarks of the National Collegiate Athletic Association.

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