The NCAA Tournament is down to just four teams in each of four regions—a group of national title contenders long-called the Sweet 16. And that got us thinking…with Easter this weekend, and millions of Americans gorging on baskets full of sugary and chocolaty and gooey and sticky and yummy candy, isn’t this a good time for a real Sweet 16?

Here, then, is that real Sweet 16. The ultimate Easter candy bracket, with four regions, broken down with the top four sweet, delicious seeds.

As you’ll see, some traditional candies haven’t been included—consider them first and second-round fodder—as we focus as much as we can on Easter-specific confections. Starburst and Skittles are sweet treats, yes, and a fine inclusion into any Easter basket, but they aren’t exactly “Easter” candies, so much as just candy you can have on Easter.

Also, remember this is for fun, and tastes differ, so if you don’t like gooey chocolate eggs or you can’t stand the smell of peanut butter or something insane like that, you will probably disagree with this list. And you will be wrong.

The seedings are based on social media feedback—the more votes the better the seed—but the tournament is played out based on years of research—sweet, delicious research—and common sense. With that, hoppy Easter, as the kids say, and enjoy the real Sweet 16.

 

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The first region features the overall No. 1 seed based on feedback in the Reese’s Peanut Butter Egg. Different from a traditional peanut butter cup, the egg has no rigged sides, making the consistency much smoother and, to some, more delicious.

The top seed faces the No. 4 seed in this region…lollipops. Yes, it’s a bit of a cop out—or dare-I-say “pop” out—but there are so many kinds of bunny and chick shaped pops around Easter it was silly to think of a tournament without them. And still, they’re the lowest seed remaining, with no shot at advancing to the next round of candy treats.

The No. 2 seed in the region may have felt slighted by its ranking, and being placed in a part of the bracket with the top seed, but pastel M&Ms are a wonderful staple of any Easter basket. That said, they are just M&Ms in bright, springy colors. If we were doing a bracket of the best candy, they’re probably a No. 1 seed. Alas, it’s Easter, and they dropped to a 2. (Note: the picture is plain, but peanut are always better.)

No matter what kind of M&M we have, they easily handle marshmallow eggs which, let’s be honest, were lucky to get to the second weekend and are dangerously over-seeded.

The “Let’s Eat Eight” Winner:

This is a slobbernocker, in that you’ll be slobbering all over just thinking about eating these delicious treats all day. Consider this a triple overtime classic, where Reese’s hits a half-court buzzer beater to win.

Reese’s Peanut Butter Eggs advance to the Final Four!

 

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The second region is surely the weakest, at least in terms of No. 1 seeds. Still, jellybeans are vital to a good Easter experience. What would you put in those plastic Easter eggs without them? And good jellybeans—your Jelly Belly, Starburst, Jolly Rancher, Gimbal’s—are delicious any time of year. And yet, they’re a treat best eaten in bulk, with combining flavors, so a 1-seed, but the weakest per the voting.

Jellybeans do earn a relatively easy win over Robin Eggs, the malted milk balls shaped and speckled to look like real bird eggs. Sprinkle a few in your basket and eat them when everything else is gone.

The No. 2 seed in this region is strong…the chocolate bunny. There are a two main varieties of chocolate bunny we can put here. There’s the solid milk chocolate variety which is just chocolate poured into a bunny-shaped mold and there’s the hollow bunny, which his about one-tenth the amount of chocolate, but somehow more festive. Look at his little eyes, often made of candy or white chocolate. How cute is he. You just want to eat his damn ears off.

The No. 3 seed is Sweetart Chicks, Ducks & Bunnies, which are not only festive, but active…on social media, that is.

About Dan Levy

Dan Levy has written a lot of words in a lot of places, most recently as the National Lead Writer for Bleacher Report. He was host of The Morning B/Reakaway on Sirius XM's Bleacher Report Radio for the past year, and previously worked at Sporting News and Rutgers University, with a concentration on sports, media and public relations.