Regional Brackets | East and West Brackets | Midwest and South Brackets




Talk about the tournament matchups and consulting firm prestige on the Consulting March Madness Message Board.




The March Madness Prestige Tournament will be a dogfight in the consulting division, as every firm tries to overthrow the perennial favorite - the Muhammad Ali of prestige - McKinsey. Strong, reputable firms such as Bain & Company, Accenture, and BCG each have the ability to take first honors; their cache is very high among top undergraduates and MBA candidates who compete for their limited job openings. Also look for Booz-Allen & Hamilton to make a run for the gold, and Monitor may give McKinsey a scare or two as well.

East
Competition in the East will be nothing short of fierce. Five firms have a legitimate shot at winning the entire division. Bain & Company is the favorite given its strong cache in strategy circles, but Monitor could take the division given its affiliation with Harvard Business Professor and strategy guru, Michael Porter. Deloitte Consulting is certainly a force to contend with in the East, and don't count out Arthur Andersen or A.T. Kearney, two firms with massive brand awareness and great service offerings.

West
Look for top seed BCG to face a tough battle to the top of the West division. Firms like Booz-Allen & Hamilton and Marakon are strong and prestigious contenders. CSC probably won't put up a serious fight despite its size, and Razorfish could get manhandled early, given its spate of missed earnings expectations.

Midwest
A bracket defined by the size and strength of its competitors, the Midwest will see heavyweights such as PwC, Accenture, CGEY, and EDS go toe-to-toe. MarchFIRST may get knocked out early given its latest woes, and Grant Thornton will have trouble matching the brand recognition of anyone in the division. Hewitt does have promise, but it's definitely an uphill battle considering that it's a niche player. Which leaves the big question - who can take on Accenture? Perhaps no one, but PwC and CGEY won't go down easy, if at all.

South
The East can be summed up with one word - McKinsey. KPMG's chances are respectable - think IPO and impressive track record - and A.D. Little may get the nostalgia vote as the oldest consulting firm in the world. But firms like Sapient and L.E.K are in for a fight, and they probably won't stay on their feet for very long.

Regional Brackets | East and West Brackets | Midwest and South Brackets