March Madness, the NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Tournament, is finally upon us. Personally, I used to feel indifferent about the tournament and wasn’t tuned-in to the frenzy that preoccupied all my boyfriend’s free time. That was, until I started noticing how much fun I had with it once I got in-the-know.
From predictive bracket-ology to 68 unfamiliar teams, participating seemed overwhelming. Yet, with the excitement of unexpected upsets and so much buzz, I wanted to give it my best shot (pun intended). For those of you who are still sitting on the sidelines, I’ve gathered some necessary context and tips for making brackets… hopefully giving you bit more skin in the game!
What is March Madness?
First off, the anticipated annual college basketball event takes place in March and April. In the one-and-done, single-elimination format, teams aim for the ultimate title of national champion. They play one game at a time, advance if they win, and get sent home after a loss.
The tournament begins with Selection Sunday (on March 17 this year), when the participating teams are announced and seeded by the NCAA Selection Committee. Teams qualify by either winning their conference tournament (thereby receiving an automatic bid), or by receiving an at-large based bid on their performance during the regular season.
After the committee announces the 68 teams for the tournament, they rank them from 1 to 68. Then, they group every four teams into seed lines based on their ranks. Note that the “first four” are the most unfavorable teams in the tournament. These eight teams consist of the four lowest-seeded automatic qualifiers and the four lowest-seeded at-large teams. They will play in qualifying games, kicking off the fight for the championship title.
After deciding each team’s seed, the committee places them in the best regional location. All the game locations are chosen in advance, and the higher a team’s seed, the better their game site location will be. After the first two days of the tournament, 32 teams will continue on. The next two days narrow the field down to the Sweet 16. These 16 are cut to the Elite 8, then lastly, The Final Four.
How to make your bracket
Fans predict the outcome of games by filling out their own brackets, aiming to guess the winners of each match-up. NCAA.com is the official source for blank March Madness brackets with ESPN as another common choice. NCAA’s Bracket Challenge Game will open immediately after the committee announces the teams on Selection Sunday.
Before the first round begins, the brackets will lock — so make sure to get your picks in quick! There are also various other platforms to create your bracket, so find one you like and coordinate with your friends. Keep in mind that lower-seeded teams can advance much further than expected (aka Cinderella teams) so take some risks and have fun with it!
Remember, before filling out a bracket, do some research on the teams, considering factors like regular season performance and their tournament history. You want to take chances but be careful not to predict too many upsets. Dramatic shocks and buzzer-beaters are a hallmark of March Madness, but stay strategic to boost your odds!
Hopefully this summary will urge you to join in this March and maybe even give you opportunity to brag a bit if your wild guesses turn out right! UCSB even made an appearance in the madness last year, (see 2023 UCSB Wrapped). You never know, if you follow along, you could be the first person to ever make a perfect bracket and go down in history!