How to fill out your NCAA Tournament bracket

By Big12-Fans Writer Jason Brooks


(Sung to the tune of The Sound of Silence by Simon and Garfunkle.) “Hello Madness my old friend. I’ve come to fill my bracket again. Don’t want my picks to be lacking. They entered my head while sleeping. And the visions that was planted in my brain. Still remain. Within the form of the bracket.”

Yes folks, it’s finally here. The season of insanity, profanity, and calamity. Yes, I am talking about March Madness. Right now, in offices and workspaces all across the country, millions are getting ready to fill out their NCAA Tournament Brackets with hopes of winning the office pool. It is a very important time of year for many hoops fans, but just how important are these brackets and office pools? It’s so important that Rick Neuheisel lost $100,000, and his job with the University of Washington, all over a simple tournament bracket.

When I started writing this article two weeks ago, I couldn’t wait for the brackets to come. So with that, I started to think about the mistakes that people would make while trying to fill out their brackets. I interviewed a few people about how they fill out their brackets, and I have compiled a list of ways to fill out your bracket. So without further ado here it goes: Big12-Fans Top Ten List.

1. The R.P.I. - Basically put, the lower your RPI the tougher the schedule, the more seasoned your team is. If your team has the lower RPI of the two teams, I would put money down that the team with the lower RPI wins. If the RPI’s are close it’s a toss up. So when I am filling out my brackets I usually take a look at the regular season RPI. I have a tendency to pick teams with a lower RPI, after all they did play the hardest schedule, so come tourney time it should pay off.

2. Conference - What conference has the team come from? Traditionally the toughest Basketball conferences have been the ACC, SEC, Big Ten, and might I even say the Big 12. While the NCAA has opened the tournament up to more Mid-Major schools, these power conferences still get the lion’s share of bids. I have a tendency to pick a team from the ACC over a team from say the Missouri Valley. While this doesn’t always work, it’s been a pretty stable form of success for me.

3. How did they finish the year? - Traditionally I wouldn’t take a team that has a losing streak to end the year. If a team won the Conference Tourney to get into the Big Dance and did not otherwise have a strong resume I will often bypass those teams. I also try not to pick teams that haven’t lost in a long time to go very far into the tournament. Personally I will pick a team that has won consistently all season and lost say in its final game of the regular season, or in the Conference Tournament. The reason for that is simple. Look at the teams that have won the National Title in recent years. Remember that Great Illinois team that went undefeated and then lost in the tournament? I look at teams like Duke, UCONN, North Carolina, and look at their record. Each of these past National Champions lost a game within a week of the Tournament starting. Yet they went on to win the National Championship. Why is that? I think that losing a game right before the Big Dance kind of puts everything back into focus. It forces your team to realize that "Hey we’re not invincible."

4. How did they get in? - Did your team have to win their Conference Tournament to get in? Or did it not matter how they did in the Conference Tournament? Most generally I steer clear of the teams that had to win the Conference Tournament to get in because this will mean their resume was not otherwise very impressive. Granted, that team may have a low RPI based on a tough schedule yet very few strong wins. What does that say about your team? Personally, I think it makes them scary. These kinds of teams can be the Cinderellas of the Tourney. These are the teams that you have to really watch out for.

5. Do they show resiliency? - A team that has shown resiliency throughout the year is much less likely to get rattled easily. These are the kinds of teams I personally like. Resilient teams can be down 10 with a buck thirty left on the clock and come back to win. These teams are calm, cool, and collected. They have their act together. One mission, one focus, so to say.

6. Is the team your team? - Is the team that you’re looking at your favorite team? While team loyalty is admirable there are times where you just have to face the facts. Hey they suck, or Hey they Rule! When picking your favorite team to advance in the tournament keep a level head, and face the facts. Some times facts lie, but not very often. So if the facts are pointing against your team, please keep a level head and pick accordingly. Unless you have a bad, bad, bad case of No. 9 which might be confused with a bad case of constipation.

7. What was last years record? - Believe it or not this matters more than you may believe. I read an article in ESPN The Magazine about “Giant Killers” or the Cinderella teams. Every Cinderella team that has a decent run in the tourney had a winning record the year before. Meaning what exactly? Meaning that while they were lucky to get in this year they are out to prove something. Most Cinderella teams have a chip on their shoulder, and it’s usually from something that has happened within the previous year or two.

8. The Voices in my head - If you pick them, they will win. - While this may have helped save Kevin Costner’s farm in Field of Dreams, this isn’t a very good way to pick your bracket. I tried this one time, and the only thing I got was a nasty cold.

9. Gut feelings - Sometimes, after I have finished filling my bracket and I am reviewing my choices, I get a knot in the pit of my stomach. This usually happens when I am undecided about a certain game. I take time to reflect upon the game. If I pick the right team the knot goes away. If not, well let’s just say I have lived to regret it on more than one occasion. While this doesn’t affect my overall bracket very much, it still upsets me that I didn’t pick that team. I like to win at everything. I listen to my gut feelings more than I listen to The Voices in my Head. So why is it lower on the list? I get these knots less than I get the Voices in my head. So therefore it is a less reliable way to fill out a bracket.

10. Who has the best mascot? - Call me crazy, but there are times where the previous nine are a wash. So it all comes down to this final question. Say Nebraska goes up against Georgia Tech. It’s kind of hard for me to imagine a Hornet beating up on old Herbie. Not only does Herbie win at High Stakes Old Maid, but hey who couldn’t kill a wasp. I mean Hornet. Purdue vs. Western Kentucky. How could a Boilermaker lose to a mascot that looks like it’s straight from Sesame Street? How can you lose with logic like this?

I hope that I have helped enlighten and entertain you with this little article. This time of year is about, above all things, fun. It’s meant to show us that it’s fun to pick teams and see how they do. It’s also meant for crowning the next National Champion. You know those kids had fun getting to that podium. The kids that lost in the tournament, well they had fun getting there. They will always have those memories of playing in the Big Dance, and that is something that no one else can take from them. So go out there, have fun, pick your teams, and if you need help refer to my guide for help.

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