Ways to Choose Bracket Winners

March means a lot of things to a lot of people--it's national poetry month, for example. For many Americans, however, March is a month of college basketball fever also known as March Madness. To expand upon their enjoyment of the tournament, many fans get together to create brackets for the tournament (predictions over the winners and losers for each stage of the tournament). Despite the fact that much of any given bracket's performance will boil down to luck, there are many formulas used to pick bracket winners.

  1. Seeding

    • Consider the tournament's seeding, as these numbers are the result of hard work and reflect teams win-loss statistics. In fact, you might consider these numbers a map of expected performance through the tournament. High-ranked teams tend to have an easier route to later tournament rounds, as they're paired against teams which haven't performed as well. Making picks according to these rankings--while it may be less enjoyable than alternative routes--will often generate a bracket that performs moderately well.

    Favorite Team

    • If you're dying to see your favorite team perform well in the tournament, it might be fun to pick them through to a late round. This adds another level and incentive to cheer for your patron school, all while showing your true fan colors. Of course, this practice tends to be a lot easier when your favorite school is, coincidentally, a top seed.

    Go By Gut

    • Many people claim to have made their winning picks based off of "gut instinct"--an indescribable feeling that something is right. As you move through each pairing, ask yourself which team you "feel" will win. Trust your instincts, not necessarily logic. While there's no real rhyme or reason to this practice, many people find it a fun way and quick way to fill their bracket.

    Utilize Random Chance

    • Start at the top left of your bracket. For each pairing, assign a team "heads" and a team "tails." Flip the coin and record the winner based on the side which ends up. After completing all picks for round one in this fashion, you'll have created the pairings for round two. Repeat the coin-flip process through to the end of the tournament, and hope for the best! It may be unconventional, but many consider this strategy to be fun and exciting.