When people think of March they think of many things. For some, it’s the start of spring. For others, it’s St. Patrick’s Day. But for over 60 million sports loving Americans, it’s March Madness — a three week long tournament resulting in the crowning of the college basketball National Champions.
Many girls hate this month long holiday when their guy friends and boyfriends are constantly making up excuses as to why they are always busy. They shouldn’t care about random college basketball games, right? Wrong. There is something so exhilarating about the Madness, and guessing who will win. The odds are never in your favor, but it’s still fun to fill out a bracket and cheer on your newly favorite teams.
I’m going to let you in on a few tips I have learned over the years, so you too can join in the fun this year, and maybe even make a few bucks. Did I mention about $12 billion dollars will be spent betting on March Madness?
1. Expect your boyfriend to have plans at 6:00 p.m. on Sunday March 15th this year.
The Sunday before the Madness begins is known as Selection Sunday, and it is just that. The selection committee is made up of ten athletic directors and conference commissioners from Division 1 basketball schools. The 31 teams who win their conference tournaments and the winner of the Ivy League regular-season championship receive automatic bids to the tournament, and the remaining 36 teams are announced on Selection Sunday.
2. You only have two days to fill out your bracket; if that stresses you out, flip a coin to pick each team quickly.
The first games are March 17th. After the teams are announced, go online to find a bracket. Print this out so you can fill it in, and keep it with you while watching the games. That way, you won't forget you picked IUPUI (commonly mis-pronounced oo-ee-poo-ee ) to knock off Gonzaga in the first round.
3. There are 6 rounds in the tournament, 7 if you count the play-in games but no one really cares about those.
The names of the rounds are straight to the point, and whoever came up with them must have liked alliteration — Round of 64, Round of 32, Sweet 16, Elite 8, Final Four, and then the Championship of course.
4. Sometimes you have to root against your own school (unless you're Duke).
Unless the school you love’s team is ranked high, the odds of them making it all the way are pretty slim. You are going to have to decide what is more important to you in this situation, pride or loyalty. If you have your team going far, you risk the chance that they might get knocked out first round and the rest of your bracket will be doomed. If you have your team losing early, you might have to choose between cheering on your bracket and your team. Personally, I think the second option is much worse, and I would rather cheer on my team, hoping they make it to at least the Sweet 16, but that’s a decision you have to make on your own.
5. To cheer or not to cheer for your conference rival.
Growing up in Maryland with parents who both attended the University of Maryland, I have always been a Terps and ACC fan. Every school has it’s sports rivals, and I grew up repeating my parents — Puke on Duke, Wake is fake, if you can’t go to college go to [NC] state. There is always a huge dilemma between hating your rivals and loving your conference. Realistically, you should cheer on your conference, because the stronger your conference is, the more respected your team’s schedule will be (think SEC football). However, now that I attend Florida State, I would have a hard time cheering on Miami or Clemson.
6. Cinderella doesn’t wear glass slippers at the Big Dance.
Everyone loves a Cinderella story. Flashback to 2013 when Number 15 seed Florida Gulf Coast beat Number 2 seed Georgetown, and then Number 7 seed San Diego State, shocking the nation and becoming the first ever Number 15 seed to make it to the Sweet 16. With one or two really good players, and a smart coach, anyone can "go deep" in the tournament.
7. You have to pick a few upsets.
It's simple; you won't win your bracket if you pick all the favorites. For some bizarre reason, number 12 seeds typically do surprisingly well in the first round. Sure, you can pick Kentucky to go all the way this year, it would be crazy not to, but only once in the last 30 years have all four number one seeds made it to the Final Four. Last year, a 7 seed played an 8 seed for the Championship.
8. Don’t take this too seriously.
It is just for fun (and bragging rights). You are never going to get a perfect bracket. According to Natasha Geiling from the Smithsonian, “the odds of it happening are one in 9.2 quintillion (a billion billon): you’re more likely to die an excruciating death by vending machine, become president, win the Mega Millions jackpot or die from incorrectly using products made for right-handed people (if you're a lefty) than fill out a perfect NCAA basketball bracket.” With that in mind, best of luck!
Geiling, Natasha. "When Did Filling Out A March Madness Bracket Become Popular?" Smithsonian. N.p., 20 Mar. 2014. Web. 21 Feb. 2015.
"March Madness Seeds: 5 vs 12." Odds Shark. N.p., 14 Mar. 2014. Web. 22 Feb. 2015.
