Coming from a college sports fanatic, I am bursting at the seems with excitement about the most magical time of the year! March Madness (aka the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament) is one of my favorite times for sports! The thrill of healthy competition is in the air and I am soaking it all in. Now I know there are plenty of other ladies out there that are just as excited as I am about the craziness that is the next four weeks or so, but I also know there are plenty out there that don't know the difference between a slam dunk and a full court press. For these women, March Madness is a time in which boyfriends and husbands all circle around the TV, drink copious amounts of beer, and get way too upset over Cinderellas and bracket busters. So what's all the fuss about? This post is directed specifically towards you ladies out there who don't particularly follow college basketball and want to take their rightful place on the couch next to their male counterparts (or those who just want to learn what all the hype is about and keep up in conversation around the company water cooler).
Don't know a thing about filling out a bracket? You have come to the right place. I don't know ESPN is going to be calling me up for my expert opinion anytime soon, but I do think I have a better grasp on the Madness than the average American woman. So let's start with the basics:
What is March Madness?
March Madness is the nickname given to the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. It begins on Selection Sunday (which took place on March 15th this year) and ends with cutting down the nets at the National Championship Game (scheduled for April 6th this year). From the first tip-off on March 19th to the last tick of the clock on April 6th, there are 63 games to be played. That is 2520 minutes (not including any overtime played) full of talent, passion, and excitement. There are sure to be some upsets and maybe even the rise of a Cinderella. Any given game a top contender can fall and an unexpected star can arise. If that isn't exciting, I don't know what is!
What is a bracket?
In general, a bracket is a break down of a series of games played by various teams. In the NCAA bracket 64 teams are broken up into four different regions (Midwest, East, West, and South). There are 16 different teams within each region, each ranked #1-16 (also referred to as their seed) from best to worst. No one know exactly the reasoning behind the committees seeding decisions, but a number of different criteria are looked at before the final field is set (such as a team's strength of schedule, number of wins, etc). According to Wikipedia, there are 9,223,372,036,854,775,808 different outcomes that can occur, which makes the chances of making the perfect bracket pretty near impossible (not that that stops anyone from trying).
How does the tournament work?
The NCAA tournament is a single-elimination tournament. This means after a team loses, they are out of the competition. To win the championship, the team must win all 6 games they play. The tournament is broken down into rounds:
- Round 1: The first 4 games played are for either an #11 or #16 seed position in the tournament. In these games, the lowest four at-large teams and the lowest four automatic bid teams play. A team receives an automatic bid if they win their respective conference championship.These games happen earlier in the week. The 4 winners of these games then play their matched opponent in the second round.
- Round 2: This round is also known as the round of 64. In this round there are 32 games in just 36 hours! These games occur on the Thursday and Friday following Selection Sunday.
- Round 3: Since only half of the teams from the previous round move onto this round, this round is known as the round of 32. Teams that won in the round of 64 play in 16 games in 32 hours! These games are played on Saturday and Sunday.
- Round 4: This round is known as the Sweet Sixteen, as there are only 16 teams remaining after round 3. This year these games are held on March 26th and 27th.
- Round 5: This round is known as the Elite Eight. These games are between the final two teams from each region. These games are held on March 28th and 29th this year.
- Round 6: The semifinal game, also know as the coveted Final Four round. At this point, the winners from the Widwest and West regions play as well as the winners from the East and South for a chance to play in the national championship game. Both games are held on April 4th.
- Round 7: The National Championship. The one for all the marbles. This game is held on April 6th, 2015.
Why should I even participate in a bracket challenge?
ESPN is estimating 70 million people will fill out a bracket over the next few days. MSNBC reports that approximately $9 billion dollars is likely to be wagered during this year's tournament. What does this mean for you? This means that chances are, you know someone who is filling out a bracket and who is going to win some cash come April. Who says it has to be the alpha male of your office? Wouldn't it be fun if this year you got to watch the men squirm with annoyance as the dark horse blonde swept them all away? I think so. Don't tell ESPN I said this, but a big key to a successful bracket is pure dumb luck (part of what makes it so fun). Fill out a bracket. It's easy, pretty cheap (if not free), and you could end up winning a lot of money.
How do I even begin to fill out a bracket?
It is actually a lot easier than it looks. Depending on how much effort you want to put into it, filling out a bracket takes about 5 minutes. For those who want to make educated guesses, it will take a little longer. There is tons of information out about team stats, bracket trends, and even expert predictions. In fact, there is an entire science dedicated to the study of the bracket (cleverly deemed Bracketology). Don't care to look into the stats? That's fine, too! You can pick a fun theme to follow or just pick randomly.
No matter how you select your teams, I encourage you to give it a try! Join a bracket pool and win some money in the end or simply earn bragging rights with your friends for a whole year. March Madness is no longer just for the guys. If you do decide to participate, make sure to get your brackets in by this Thursday, March 19th. I'll be posting my official bracket when I finish it later this week (I'm one of those that spend a ton of time looking at stats and am trying to make the perfect bracket) so stay tuned to see my top picks! Will Kentucky make history and go 40-0? Or will a team finally be able to stop the wildcats and cut down the coveted nets on April 6th? Only time will tell! Buckle your seat belts and get set for a crazy couple of weeks!
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