A bracket how-to guide by a non-basketball fan
Sophia Jones
Staff Writer
Basketball is having its moment in the sun during March Madness, a tournament where 68 college teams compete against each other to win the national championship.
This year, March Madness started on March 13 and ends on April 4. In preparation for the event, people fill out brackets. Brackets consist of all the teams that qualified for the NCAA tournament, and by picking the winners of every game, participants whittle the 68-team field down to one winner. People often play in groups with friends to see who does the best. But how does one go about creating a bracket?
When making a bracket, three things must be brought to the forefront. First, a bracket name, something funky and fresh. Second, the teams, or who wins and who loses each game. And third, the enjoyment of the bracket maker!
When making a bracket name, one must think about what makes the name different from anyone else. Some ideas for bracket names include puns off of drama or controversy in the basketball community, alliteration, or making fun of a player/coach.
Once a name is picked, one must choose the teams that will move on. Picking teams can be done in a variety of ways. One general tip is to look at the seed of each team. Teams with lower number seeds are deemed to be stronger teams than those with higher number seeds. For example, if a game was to be played between a seed 3 and seed 14 team, it would be wisest to choose the seed 3 team, as they have a higher chance of winning the match. However, upsets, when a lower-ranked team beats a higher-ranked team, occur often, so don’t rely solely on playing it safe. Balancing favorites and upset picks is key to a successful bracket.
One does not need to be an expert in NCAA team statistics to participate in March Madness. There are all sorts of fun ways to choose what team advances each round, such as choosing between one’s favorite school colors, mascot, or name. Ask a pet to pick the teams! Roll a die. There are many scenarios where people who choose teams arbitrarily have better success than those who strategize endlessly about each time. Ultimately, the goal is to have fun. After all, that’s the real reason for making a bracket.
