How to Actually Enjoy the NCAA Tournament

If you are the poor sap trying to run an NCAA tournament office pool, and you are using a spreadsheet, pick sheets, or even software that you have to download, STOP the MADNESS! You can run one online, and enable yourself to watch the games instead of tallying scores.

Things You'll Need

  • The first thing you need to do is find a an online site that matches your needs. I've found that there are lots to choose from. Google "ncaa pool" and you'll see. We chose TourneyTime.com for ours.
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Instructions

    • 1

      Setup Your Online Pool: This can be done usually in just a couple quick screens. Create your id, login, and then create a new pool. You will then have to make decisions on the scoring for your pool. The most common scoring options for an NCAA pool is awarding points for each game that is picked correctly, with increasing points per round. In an exponential pattern, usually one point for the first round, two points for round two, four points for round three, eight points for round four, etc. This is based on the fact that it is increasingly difficult to pick a succession of game winners in a row. Some sites like TourneyTime offer bonus scoring for underdog picks (example a 12 seed beats a 5 seed) and regional perfect rounds. These options can add some flare to your straight pickem pool.

    • 2

      Invite Your Participants: Most sites will have a tool that allows you to send out an email invite to the people you want to participate. Remember who you are inviting. If you are mixing business and pleasure, please be aware of how the interaction between your customers and business could be effected if they win or lose. It can be a great thing though, and I've had friends who are marketing reps use an NCAA pool to have a touch point with their business. Invite more people than you expect to have in your pool, because most likely all won't accept the invite.

    • 3

      Communicate with your Users: It is always a good idea to have a guiding presence with your users. They should know that you are the person to come to if they have questions or disputes, and that you will be keeping them in line. Especially if your pool site offers message boards and trash talking forums. As a pool manager, you also want to remind your users of key dates, like when the brackets are released, and when their picks have to be submitted by. TourneyTime offers a contact manager to send notes to your users.

    • 4

      Enjoy the Games and Track Progress: This is the easy part and why you need to run your pool online. You don't have to do anything but watch the games. Just sit back, relax, and the scoring and reporting is all done for you automatically.

    • 5

      Close the Loops: After the tournament is complete, it's always nice as a pool manager to close the loop on the pool. Send out a congrats letter to the pool members and award any prizes that may have been up for grabs. This puts a nice finishing touch on the tournament and gives closure to the experience.