After a long winter, the time of year we love the most is finally here, Spring.
No, just kidding it’s MARCH MADNESS! Ok, so now comes the hard part filling out your bracket. We know you’ve been thinking about it for a month already, but if you’re anything like us you’re having second thoughts and we’re down to the wire to turn it in. For decades people have tried to figure out the secret to which NCAA basketball teams would end up in the finals of the tournament. It does take some knowledge of college basketball, some math skills, but let’s be honest mostly luck to have a perfect bracket. The chance of getting a perfect bracket is actually one in 9.2 Quintilian, but don’t get too discouraged the season is just starting and you still have a chance.
Here are some tips that will ensure you’ll have the best chance possible of having a winning bracket and not a busted one.
1. Do Some Research on Team History
We know its work, but sometimes you have to do it. Look up each of the team’s performance this year and in the last few years because past patterns can be a great predictor of future behavior. Do your homework, look at some sports websites and try to determine a pattern. If you aren’t a college basketball fanatic, you may want to use a little math to help your bracket perform a better and not rely on stats only. Multiple publications, websites and statisticians do the math each year and create extremely complicated algorithms, so don’t feel like you have to do it yourself. Esquire put together a nice breakdown of the stats of certain teams winning. So its math isn’t your favorite subject, just borrow from a few different sites.
2. Everyone is Going to Pick Kentucky
Let’s be honest, there is a reason that most brackets have Kentucky winning it all and that reason is they probably will. Kentucky has been one of the most dominant teams in college basketball, especially in the 2014-2015 season. They’ve gone 31-0 in the regular season and have remained No. 1 as a favorite to win. The Wildcats currently have even odds to win the title, which means that in some cases for every dollar you bet, you wouldn’t even win a dollar back. When filling out your bracket you have to decide–are you going to go with the crowd or against it? Some other favorites to win-Duke, Virginia, Arizona, and Wisconsin.
4. Find the Team that Nobody Thinks Will Win
There is a reason the term “Cinderella” is used when speaking about March Madness. Every year at least one team that NO ONE would have placed in the top 16 somehow manages to make it to the Final Four. This is great for that seed’s fanbase, but really BAD for your bracket. Usually these teams aren’t highly ranked, so it makes it next to impossible to predict who they are going to be. Best way to avoid this major bracket blunder, is not picking ALL favorites to be in your final four. There are tons of websites out there the predict which teams might experience a devastating loss (Gonzaga or Virginia anyone?) and which teams might experience an amazing win (what about Northern Iowa?). If you really can’t decide….just guess!
5. Use Some Technology
Its 2015– use an app, a website, really anything besides a pen and paper. Digital brackets are easier to fill out AND give you real time information about what the “experts” are saying.
6. Have FUN With It
Sure we know that most of you out there have something riding on the tournament this year it could be pride or it could be some cash, but either way March Madness only happens once a year so enjoy it!