How to Win Your College Basketball Tournament Pool

You may need some extra cash. Or betting in pools may be illegal in your state, and you might just desire to feel like a college basketball guru and have bowing disciples wherever you walk. Whatever the case, to get anywhere you must first win your basketball tournament pool.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Increase your natural odds by entering more than one pool. Also, if your pool administrator allows it, enter more than one bracket in each.

2. Play with basketball neophytes. But, uh, don't tell them why.

3. Watch every installment of ESPN SportsCenter. Supplement with any network analytical sports show and syndicated newspaper columnists. After a while, you'll know who to believe.

4. Be smart about the rankings. Each team will be ranked from 1 to 16. As a general rule, pick the lower number.

5. Prepare for the upsets. Although no 16th-ranked team has ever defeated a top-ranked team, some No. 14s have stunned their competition in the past, and No. 10s regularly dump No. 7s.

6. Pay attention to where the teams play. Pick teams competing close to their fan base. Home support can make all the difference.

7. Research the past records of certain matchups. If teams have already met during the year (or if they've met in recent seasons or past tournaments, and personnel hasn't changed much), then note who won. What has changed since then?

8. Compare wins of other matchups. If, during the year, my team beat Stanford and Stanford defeated yours, then I'm betting my team defeats yours.

9. Keep an eye on teams that win their regional tournaments. Even the smaller schools, hot from their regional championships, can enter the big dance and grind up the floor.

Tips & Warnings

• Know the history of the tournament. The more you understand how teams deal with the echelons of pressure in the bracket, how they compete with one another, and how the best predictions can turn sour, the better you'll do.
• Picking the lowest-ranking number in every matchup is Boring with a capital B.
• Betting in a pool is illegal in many states. Don't do it. We mean it. Stop it right now.

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on 11/22/2005 Certain conferences are more basketball-oriented than others. I sometimes pick a lower ranked team from a strong basketball conference like the ACC over a higher ranked opponent from a non-basketball conference.