How to Understand the March Madness Tournament Format

Anyone that loves basketball knows what March Madness is, but they may not understand the format. March Madness format is the way that the games are played in the NCAA Division 1 Championship playoffs. The format isn't difficult to learn but it is almost essential to know.

Instructions

    • 1

      Find out who won their conferences. Thirty-one of the 65 contestants are winners of their conference. The regular season winner for the Ivy League also gets to attend. The remaining 33 contestants are chosen by the NCAA Selection Committee.

    • 2

      Divide the country into four regions and you're following the path of the tournament.

    • 3

      Decipher the terms "pod" and "seed." Seeds are where the teams are to be placed. Pods tell how they are ranked or placed within the region. The decisions on these items are also made by the NCAA committee.

    • 4

      Feel sorry for the underdogs. The teams that are ranked lower must play the higher ranked teams in their region. The number one team gets to play the number 16 team. Number 15 plays the number 2 team and so on.

    • 5

      Watch the second game. The winner of the first game plays another winner. The pods are divided up into four sections of two games. The first section contains the game for the number 1 and 16 team and the game for the #8 and 9 team. The second section has number 2 and 15, and number 7 and number 10. The third section is number 3 and number 14, and number 6 and number 11. The last section is number 4 and number 13 and number 6 and number 12. The winner in each section play each other, leaving 4 winners.

    • 6

      Watch for the Sweet 16 and the Elite 8 on the second weekend. The 16 winners of the first two games play each other in an elimination game. Those 8 winners play leaving a regional champion.

    • 7

      Focus on the Final 4 on Saturday. The teams are matched as in the beginning, with the highest ranked team playing the lowest and the two in the middle playing each other. The winners of this game play the playoff game the following Monday.