Things You'll Need:
- Blank Bracket (From any sports site)
- Pen
- Peace and Quiet
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Step 1
After you have printed out your bracket, start filling your picks by looking at the obvious matchups, such as 1 seeds versus 16 seeds, 2 versus 15, etc.
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Step 2
Upsets are always a part of March Madness, it's just a matter of figuring out which games to pick as upsets. The one first round matchup that almost always sees an upset, is the 5 seed versus the 12 seed matchups. This has been, historically, the most common spot for an upset in the first round, not counting 8 v. 9, or 7 v. 10, which aren't really upsets.
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Step 3
Don't pick too many upsets! While they are always part of the tournament, the higher seeds will still win the majority of the games. So try not to end up with four double-digit seeds in the Final Four. Odds are, it will kill your bracket.
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Step 4
Take a look at where respective games are played. For example, if a team plays a game close to their hometown, they will most likely have a advantage with the fans. And although it doesn't guarantee a win, having a "home-court advantage" in some sort can definitely help.
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Step 5
Tune out the experts. When it comes down to it, none of us are psychic, and so no one, even the experts will not have all the correct picks, or sometimes even close. In more cases that not, a regular fan or individual can score higher than the "experts" during any given tournament.
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Step 6
MOST IMPORTANTLY, don't spend every minute of your time between Selection Sunday and the first day of games making your picks. Chances are, you will do a lot of research in that amount of time, which, in the end, could hurt you as much as it could help you. Additionally, the longer you contemplate certain picks, the more you will be upset at yourself when you discover "I originally picked them, but this website said otherwise."
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Step 7
And finally, have fun with it, whether you are a sports fan or not. Millions of people each year compete in pools, with little or no knowledge of the tournament teams. Anything can happen. Also, chances are you are in a pool with a bunch of friends. You would be happy if you won, but don't go into a deep depression if you do not do well. Afer all, it's just a game.
