The Final Four in the men's college basketball tournament is set, with Connecticut playing Illinois and Michigan squaring off against Arizona, with the winners advancing to the championship game.
But the real competition isn't on the makeshift hardcourt installed at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis — it's in shopping aisles and on ecommerce apps.
To prepare for the last three games of the season, Attain compared shopping data from consumers in each of the four states represented in the Final Four and the results show stark, fascinating differences in the buying habits of each school's fanbase.
There's bound to be some trash talk online in the week leading up to the game, with students from the four schools bragging about whose team is better (obviously) and which school excels at the most storied of college pastimes: partying.
By that metric, the University of Arizona is the runaway winner, but we could have guessed based on reputation alone. Consumers in Arizona purchase beer, wine and liquor 77 percent more than the national average (a 177 score on a 100-point index) — the highest single index score in the entire dataset.
Connecticut isn't far behind in the drinks department, with a 144 index on beer, wine and liquor, and Husky fans lead the Final Four in one other travel-forward category: flights. Connecticut scores a 149 on airline purchases, suggesting UConn fans are the most likely of the bunch to be flying into Indianapolis for championship weekend. Connecticut also leads the pack on ride shares and taxis, scoring 133 compared to Illinois' 122.
Illinois and Arizona are neck and neck for restaurant purchases, with both states scoring 103. Illinois edges out Arizona for fast food, however, scoring 104 to Arizona's 102.
Michigan's fanbase spends on booze below the national average (an 83-point index score). But what they lack in drinking, they more than make up for in inhaling — Michiganders buy tobacco and vape products at more than twice the national average (207 index score), the highest category index in the entire dataset. At the other end of the spectrum, Arizona barely registers on tobacco and vape, with a rock-bottom index of 13.
The Attain analysis also identified the most popular restaurant in each state in terms of total transactions, and who would have known that Wolverines enjoy smoothies so much.
The most popular non-fast food restaurant in Michigan over the past year is Tropical Smoothie Cafe, a shop that sells acai bowls, blended concoctions and wraps.
True to its southwestern roots, the most popular restaurant in Arizona is Filibertos Mexican, a regional chain serving fast-casual burritos, tacos and enchiladas.
In Connecticut, the most popular restaurant is Chili's, a selection that would make Michael Scott proud.
Those hearty midwesterners in Illinois love their flapjacks — the most popular restaurant in the state is IHOP.
Despite their culinary differences, each state has the same favorite fast food restaurant: McDonald's. Mickie D's was the most purchased fast food joint over the past year in Arizona, Connecticut, Illinois and Michigan.
Three out of the four states (Arizona, Illinois, Michigan) also had the same second-most popular fast food restaurant: Taco Bell.
Connecticut was the outlier, with Wendy's at No. 2 in the state, Burger King taking the bronze medal and Taco Bell coming in a distant fourth.
The residents of the Final Four states also all regularly shop at Walmart. Great Value, Walmart's private label, is the most popular brand overall in all four of the states.
Kroger is the second most popular brand in Arizona and Michigan, and third in Illinois. (There are no Kroger stores in Connecticut, so it didn't rank there.)
If any business can be said to have won the March Madness tournament, it's the food delivery apps. DoorDash and UberEats were in the top five for restaurant purchases for the first week of the tournament for each of the Final Four states.
DoorDash and UberEats were Nos. 1 and 2 in terms of most transactions in Arizona and Connecticut; third and fourth, respectively, in Illinois (behind Chili's and Buffalo Wild Wings); and third and fifth, respectively, in Michigan (Applebee's was No. 1, Jersey Mike's was second and Buffalo Wild Wings was fourth).
As the tournament winds down, let's take a moment to recognize the true heroes of March Madness: the delivery drivers who made sure everyone got their wings in time for tipoff.
