This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Rochester chapter.
So everyone has heard of what is known as March Madness, the NCAA Division
I Men’s Basketball Tournament. It is a 3-week long basketball excursion that certainly
lives up to the name “madness”. Sixty-eight of the top Division I programs compete for
the ultimate prize in basketball – the national championship. It can be both heaven and
hell for basketball lovers, watching their favorite teams or cheering on this years
“Cinderella” team. However, they are not the only ones competing!
March Madness can be a competition between friends, family, coworkers,
classmates – anyone who fills out a tournament bracket. People fill out brackets with
whichever team they think will win each matchup. It’s ultimately “fantasy” college
basketball – your ideal road to the national championships. The bracket is often entered
into a pool with other people’s brackets, and the one that earns the most points wins
(money, bragging rights, etc.) Each correct pick per round earns a certain number of
points, usually increasing in the number of points per round. There are many different
variations on a theme, but this is the most simple.
So you want to fill out a bracket? There are many printable versions online that
you can easily access on NCAA.com, and then grab a group of friends to make it
interesting. There is also the option of joining the ESPN Tournament Challenge to play
against the entire nation. All you have to do is create an ESPN account, and fill out a
bracket before Thursday at 12pm. Then sit back, relax, and pull for your favorite teams
to win! There is also the option of playing against friends within the ESPN site, and
there is even a grand prize of a $10,000 Best Buy Gift Card for the bracket with the most
points. Fill out as many brackets as you want! Just go to http://games.espn.go.com/
tournament-challenge-bracket/en/ to get started. Good luck, and let the madness begin!