How to Score for March Madness

Every March, homes, offices and schools across the country eagerly await the official brackets of the NCAA Basketball Tournament to be released. The NCAA Tournament pits 68 college men's and women's basketball teams against one another for a chance at the national championship, but viewers of the tournament are often in a competition of their own by trying to predict who will win it all. To win your next pool, whether for money or fun, there are a few tricks that can help you rack up points on the way to the Final Four.

Things You'll Need

  • Printable brackets
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Instructions

    • 1

      Watch regular season games to be familiar with as many teams in the field as your can. There are more than 300 Division I basketball teams in the nation who all are eligible for the tournament at the beginning of the season, so it's impossible to see every game. Watch games on television involving the major basketball conferences, such as the ACC, Big East and Big 10. If you miss a lot of the regular season, watching conference tournaments---in which teams that win earn an automatic berth to the tournament---can be a good indicator for teams that are on hot or cold streaks.

    • 2

      Understand your pools scoring system. A general scoring system is to double each round: first round wins are worth two points, second round four points, third round eight points, fourth round 16 points, fifth round 32 points and championship round 64 points. Other pools may not favor the later rounds as heavily, putting more emphasis on the early rounds. Knowing the weight of the scoring should make you more cautious of how you pick. If it's favored for later rounds, really try to figure out who may make the Final Four. If the later rounds don't count as much, you need to be wary of picking a lot of upsets.

    • 3

      Know some common tournament trends. Once the field of 68 is trimmed to 64, every team in one of four regional tournaments has a seed, one to 16. The No. 1 seed plays the No. 16 seed, the No. 2 seed plays the No. 15 seed, and so on. If you choose teams solely by higher seed, you won't end up doing well. One thing that has never happened in the tournament is a No. 1 seed losing to a No. 16 seed, so it would be unwise to make that prediction. A common "upset" pick is to choose one or two No. 12 seeds over No. 5 seeds. Since the 2001 tournament, No. 12 seeds have taken down No. 5 seeds 47.5 percent of the time. Other trends include picking a few No. 10 and No. 11 seeds. In 2010, three No. 10 seeds and two No. 11 seeds advanced to the second round.

    • 4

      Pick consistently. Once your devise a strategy for choosing your bracket round-by-round, stick with it. Don't simply pick schools because your know somebody who went there or your like the teams nickname or uniforms. Go with what team is playing the best at that point in the season.