Latest news with #WillRiley
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Warren Buffett can finally give away his $1 million March Madness prize after winner bested mathematical odds of 1 in 134 million
The 94-year-old chairman of Berkshire Hathaway can smile—at long last, after a decade of trying, he can award a winner for his March Madness giveaway. An employee from Berkshire Hathaway's pilot training company FlightSafety International had a near flawless record guessing NCAA men's college basketball games, with the defeat of Xavier at the hands of Illinois being the sole mistake. For 10 years, Buffett had tried to award a winner, relaxing the rules until he finally could declare one. Closing the game out by sinking eight of his last nine shots from the field, six-foot-nine Canadian wing Will Riley led the Fighting Illini to a comfortable victory over Xavier University in the first round of the NCAA Championship. In theory, at least it shouldn't have come as a surprise for the sixth-seeded Illinois. And yet it was the only one out of 32 games that an employee of Berkshire Hathaway guessed wrong when predicting the outcome of the initial slate of do-or-die games that eventually crown the best U.S. college men's team to grace the basketball court. Advertisement No matter—the unnamed individual working at FlightSafety International, a pilot training company acquired by Berkshire Hathaway, will now walk away a million dollars richer. At least before taxes. He or she won Warren Buffett's March Madness giveaway, beating out 11 runners-up who astonishingly were almost but not quite as prescient. They, too, had gotten 31 games right, only their string didn't last as long as the first 29. It didn't stop there either, as the FlightSafety worker later put the icing on the cake with a continued demonstration of their oracular abilities in the field of college football. 'The winner's credentials were further burnished on Saturday and Sunday by the prediction of 13 straight winners and bringing the winner's overall record for the first 45 games to 44 winners and one loss,' Berkshire Hathaway said in a statement on Monday, singling out the Xavier defeat as the only game to besmirch this otherwise flawless record. Advertisement The other 11 runners-up will receive a further $100,000 each. 'I want to give away a million dollars to somebody while I'm still around' Eleven years ago, Berkshire Hathaway started its March Madness bracket challenge, granting $1 billion to whoever predicted all 67 games correctly. Since then, Buffett has tweaked the rules in the hopes of eventually landing a winner. This year, he made it easier still—easier in the loosest sense of the word, at least. To win, any employee of a Berkshire Hathaway company had to pick the winners of at least 30 of the first 32 games from the first round of tournament action. Advertisement 'I'm getting older,' the 94-years-young Buffett told the Wall Street Journal. 'I want to give away a million dollars to somebody while I'm still around as chairman.' It's no surprise there hasn't been a winner. A layman without any deep understanding of the competition or its teams would not stand even the remotest of chances predicting as many correctly as the anonymous victor. Mathematically speaking, the odds of correctly guessing a coin flip 31 times out of 32 are roughly 1 in 134 million. This story was originally featured on
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Will Riley declares for NBA Draft
After 35 games in an Illini uniform, it appears Will Riley's Illinois career has come to a close. The 2024-25 Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year has declared for the 2025 NBA Draft, according to Draft Express on Monday. Advertisement Riley averaged 12.6 PPG, 4.1 RPG, and 2.2 APG in his freshman season. He tallied six 20 point games on the year, including a 31 point outing in his Illini debut. The Ontario native committed to Illinois on June 23, 2024 and announced his intention to reclassify to the class of 2024. He immediately became the highest-rated recruit Illinois had ever landed in the online recruiting era. The 6'8 19-year-old currently projects to be a late first round draft pick in the upcoming June draft. His decision comes just hours after that of Kasparas Jakucionis.
CBS News
15-04-2025
- Sport
- CBS News
Illinois' Jakucionis, Riley have declared for NBA Draft
As expected, the dynamic freshman duo of Kasparas Jakucionis and Will Riley are one-and-done with the Fighting Illini. Both have officially declared for the NBA Draft. Jakucionis, the Lithuanian import who averaged 15 points and nearly five assists in his lone season in Champaign, is projected as a top-10 NBA Draft lottery pick. Riley, a five-star recruit from Canada, was the Big Ten sixth man of the year. He vaulted himself in into the first round of the draft with a dominant NCAA Tournament against Xavier. The Illini were eliminated from the NCAA Tourney by Kentucky in the second round this year.
USA Today
14-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Illinois freshman Will Riley announces 2025 NBA draft decision
Illinois freshman Will Riley announces 2025 NBA draft decision Illinois freshman Will Riley announced Monday on Instagram that he has decided to declare for the 2025 NBA draft after one season with the Fighting Illini. Riley was the Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year after averaging 12.6 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.2 assists on 43.2% shooting from the field in 35 appearances. He logged nine starts, finishing third on the team in scoring after registering six 20-point performances. The 6-foot-8 forward helped Illinois reach the NCAA Tournament for the fifth straight year this past season as the sixth seed. He set a freshman program record with 22 points and four assists on March 21 in a win over Xavier in the first round. Riley is projected to be a mid-to-late first-round pick this year, given his size, scoring potential and ability as a passer. He was also able to create separation for himself, with his array of dribble moves, jab steps and step-backs on the perimeter. The Canadian also proved a capable floor spacer, despite shooting 32.6% on 4.1 attempts per game from beyond the arc. It will likely be a point of emphasis for him throughout the predraft process to become more consistent before next season. Riley will be able to improve his draft positioning in team workouts and the combine on May 11-18 in Chicago, Illinois. He joined teammate Kasparas Jakučionis in announcing his draft decision on Monday. The 2025 NBA draft will occur June 25-26 in New York City.
Yahoo
14-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Illinois basketball freshman Will Riley will enter 2025 NBA Draft
Illinois freshman Will Riley has declared for the NBA draft. The Big Ten Conference Sixth Man of the Year told ESPN on Monday that he'll enter the 2025 NBA draft, forgoing his final three years of eligibility. Riley joins Fighting Illini teammate Kasparas Jakucionis, who declared for the draft earlier Monday. Advertisement What's next for Illinois basketball? Transfer portal, NBA, recruiting and more "I learned a lot through the season," Riley told ESPN. "I faced a lot of adversity, which helped me. When I was younger, I had no idea what it was like on the American basketball scene. That transition from Canada was good for me. The biggest difference was the physicality. "I put on 22 pounds before the start of the season. NBA teams saw my potential as a ball-handler and creator, my IQ, and my ability to make reads. These are things you can't teach. I got adjusted midway through the season and started to blossom." Riley, a 6-foot-8 wing, averaged 12.6 assists, 4.1 rebounds and 2.2 assists as he appeared in all 35 games, starting nine games. He averaged 25.7 minutes a game and shot 43.2 percent from the field. Advertisement This is the sixth Illinois player from the 2024-25 roster to leave with Jakucionis going to the draft, while Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn, Tre White, Morez Johnson Jr. and Carey Booth all entered the transfer portal. Latest portal news, updates: Illinois basketball transfer tracker 2025 This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Illinois basketball: Freshman Will Riley declares for NBA Draft 2025
