How to Setup and Run an NCAA March Madness Pool
The NCAA March Madness games are one of the most popular sports events of the year. Both college basketball and the March Madness games are one of the most college sports in the country, with March Madness attracting over 100 million viewers in a short amount of time.
In fact, the March Madness games are so popular that an estimated 73-million people filled out over 170 million brackets in an attempt to predict how the games will end and be decided. And although there is a 1 in 9.2 quintillion chance of picking the winner of all the games correctly, year-after-year, many of us attempt to do so.
If you are looking to get in on the bracket fun, then below we are going to teach you how to setup and run an NCAA March Madness pool. Whether you are setting up this pool for your office, family, or friends, we guarantee you that it will be a ton of fun and will be enjoyed by all participants.
What is March Madness?
Before you and your friends can enjoy the fun of a March Madness pool, it is important to understand what exactly March Madness is and why it is so popular. March Madness refers to the NCAA Division I men’s basketball tournament. It is a single elimination tournament, comprised of 68 college teams all vying for the championship.
The March Madness tournament is so popular, and exhilarating to watch, as it is a single elimination game. That means that if you lose, you are out of the tournament.
In addition, the tournament is so popular due to the upsets and underdog teams being able to advance to the next seed through hard work and tough play.
The March Madness tournament first began in 1939, with only eight teams competing. Today, 68 teams compete in 67 games to be crowned the victor and champion.
The games begin with 32 games, which is culled down to the “sweet 16” remaining teams in the second round.
By the third round, referred to as the “Elite Eight”, only sixteen teams are remaining. By the fourth round, the “Final Four” teams are still in contention.
From those four, only two teams will make it to the championship game, with the winner being crowned the champion.
Why is March Madness so Popular?
March Madness remains so popular for a number of reasons.
The first one is that, quite simply, March Madness is a single elimination tournament. This means that one loss, no matter how well a team played during the regular season, can lead to elimination.
This also means that underdog or so called, Cinderella teams, have as equal an opportunity to reach the championship game as any other team.
While skill and experience play a factor, the energy of March Madness can swing to either team and can lead to several upsets.
In addition, March Madness is typically played in a quick, hurried fashion. While rules and fouls are still enforced, there is an appreciation for the hustle and attempt to sway the game. Both players and fans understand this and appreciate the fast-paced nature of the tournament.
Lastly, March Madness is so popular because it occurs when there is little to no other sport competition to distract fans.
In between the football and baseball seasons, March madness dedicates an entire month to the NCAA men’s basketball teams.
How Are March Madness Matchups Determined?
March Madness games are determined by a team’s seeding through the regular season. Divided evenly amongst the West, Midwest, East, and South regions. The first round is determined by the NCAA selection committee on a seeding system.
This means that a 1-seed, which is considered the best team in its region, will play a 16-seed, considered to be the worst ranked in the region. Similarly, a number 2-seed will play a number 15-seed, a number 3-seed will play a number 14-seed, and so on.
What System to Run Your NCAA March Madness Pool?
With the advent of the internet, nearly all NCAA March Madness pools have been run online. Long gone are the days of submitting pools manually and by hand. With the internet, there are a plethora of options available to choose from that can handle the backend of a bracket for multiple people and players.
Personally, we enjoy the online bracket system provided by ESPN. However, both CBS Sports and Yahoo have comparable and well laid out websites that can handle your brackets.
How Are Points Scored in a Bracket?
There are actually a number of different scoring systems in an NCCAA March Madness bracket. However, by far, the most popular is as follows:
- 1 point for every correct prediction in the first round
- 2 points for every correct prediction in the second round
- 4 points for every correct prediction in the Elite Eight
- 16 points for every correct prediction in the Final Four
- 32 points for every correct prediction for the NCAA champion
This scoring method is not only the most popular but also places greater weight on correct predictions further into the tournament.
How to Choose Your NCAA March Madness Bracket?
Honestly, choosing your NCAA March Madness bracket is up to you! While there is, obviously, no guarantee of victory, many people simple choose the higher ranked teams.
However, due to the possibility of upsets, it is important to review specific matchups and choose accordingly.
It is, however, rare for a lower ranked team to make it too far in the tournament. So, do your due diligence and have fun picking your brackets.
Lastly, be sure to know that you can alter your bracket as many times as you’d like before the start of the tournament. However, once the games start you won’t be able to change your choices or bracket.
Running Your NCAA March Madness Pool
Once you have decided on a bracket system, whether ESPN, CBS Sports, or Yahoo, simply invite others to your pool. Most pools allow for hundreds of participants.
Let your participants know that they have been invited and to complete their brackets before the start of the games.
Similarly, as you setup the bracket, be sure to choose the point system you will be utilizing. Your participants will also be able to see this point system when they login.
Once all the pools have been submitted and the games begin, simply follow online to see who is leading. At the end of the tournament you will be able to declare a winner based on the point system you’ve chosen.