I'm a little late on this, but Mental Floss held a Tournament of Genius in the spirit of March Madness.

Some of the contestants in the round of 64 (and a few in the round of 32) were laughable - Matt Groening over Pablo Picasso? - but the Sweet Sixteen is uncompromising (seedings in parentheses).

DIVISION #1:

Albert Einstein (1)

vs. Jonas Salk (12)

Pythagoras (6)

vs. Plato (2)

DIVISION # 2:

Thomas Jefferson (1) vs. Marie Curie (5)

Michaelangelo (3) vs. Benjamin Franklin (2)

DIVISION #3:

Sir Isaac Newton (1) vs. Ludwig von Beethoven (4)

Louis Pasteur (3) vs. William Shakespeare (2)

DIVISION #4:

Leonardo da Vinci (1) vs. Galileo Galilei (4)

Rene Descartes (3) vs. Nicola Tesla (7)

Check out the full bracket, round-by-round match-ups, and the final match.