Every year around this time, we start to hear all the buzz about March Madness, brackets, and the next underdog to make it big, but really, what is this unofficial American holiday? How do we girlies outside the basketball world join in the hype and create a bracket we can get excited about? Don’t worry; I’ve got you with a breakdown of the important things to know going into March Madness, and no, you don’t have to be a basketball expert to join in.
What is it?
March Madness is a tournament made up of 68 NCAA D1 Men’s basketball teams. There are two ways for a team to be selected: automatic bids or at-large bids. An automatic bid is received by the 31 teams that win their conference tournaments. The other 37 bids are selected through at-large bids by the selection committee. This selection is based on which teams the committee thinks have the stats to warrant an invitation. From there the teams are paired off in single elimination play for 7 rounds. This simply means once a team loses, they are no longer in the tournament, but if they win, they go on to the next round. The team that wins the final game is the national champion.
Creating a Bracket
Every year on selection Sunday, the full bracket is available to the public. People all across the country make brackets, which are predictions for how the games will go and who will ultimately win. The easiest way for you to create your own is downloading the NCAA March Madness app and following its prompts. When you take your first look at the bracket, the picks will seem like a no brainer; obviously you want to choose the team ranked higher to win, right? Not necessarily, because March Madness is famous for its iconic bracket upsets that leave seasoned basketball viewers shocked to their core. Many of us girlies find these moments adorable for their Cinderella story feel and enticingly dramatic because the big schools have had their turn, but don’t seem to like to share. Often those who know nothing about the team’s roster, record, players, strengths, or weaknesses end up doing better because, for whatever reason that is beyond me, stats fail and luck seems to win. Instead I recommend you choose your bracket winners for one, or a combination, of the following ideas and then sprinkle in a random logic choice:
- Mascot & colors
- Where you want to travel
- Energy & vibes
- Potential you feel the team has ( don’t ask how you’ll know, you just will)
- Players you think are cute
- Close your eyes & point
This ensures you don’t overthink your picks, have a great time choosing them, and have plenty of underdog upsets in your lineup to rile up those in your life who believe they finally have this year down to a science. I will say that I do usually ensure a top seed makes it through my bracket because not all the games can be upsets, right? (This could be the year; what do I know?)
Now What?
You’ve done the hard part, now gather your friends and cheer for your teams. As the results roll in, don’t be afraid to sit back and enjoy the results. Don’t be discouraged if some are wrong, that’s part of the game. Make sure to celebrate your correct choices, bonus points when it’s an upset because then you can play the “I just knew they had it in them” game. This is always guaranteed to leave our basketball watching counterparts baffled and asking for our secrets. Then you can have the joy of saying “They just have winner energy,” or “Of course they won, blue is superior to orange!”
That’s all there is to it! See, it’s not so bad. Each year you try, you will find yourself a little more sure of what chaotic selection process fits you best. If you’re feeling bold, you may even find yourself making multiple brackets and placing bets, and before you know it, you are going to be part of the expert crowd, believing this year they’ve finally figured out the formula for a perfect bracket.