Lucas Englert

Staff Writer

    March is a time we associate with a few things; the beginning of Spring, St. Patrick’s Day, and of course the ending of the college basketball season. “March Madness” is such a fitting term, as everyone tunes in to see the heart of the kids playing for everything they have dreamed of their whole lives. To a die-hard fan, this is great basketball to watch. But to a casual fan that doesn’t necessarily care about basketball, these are fun to watch as well for one simple reason: the brackets.

     Bracketology is a growing interest, we now have experts year-round gaining the fans’ attention by throwing out mock brackets. By the time the actual one comes around in March, people can’t wait to fill out their own. The fun of the Madness is getting able to cheer for the teams you picked to advance far in the tourney, as well as being able to root for an underdog you might have sneaked out to get a few wins. This year over 8.6 million people had participated in filling out a bracket on ESPN. Though it was hard for anyone to stay perfect for long, here are a certain few tips that you can take into account next time you’re ready to fill out a bracket.

1. 1. Always pick at least 6 upsets in the first round.
   

2. 2.Never pick all four of the 2 seeds to make it to the Sweet 16.
   

3. 3.Rarely will all four 1 seeds end up being the last four in the tournament.
   

4. 4.Pick with your head, not your heart, don’t take your favorite team out too far.
   

    Those are just a few basic tips that I follow, but in my opinion take those into account and you are on the path to success against your competitors next year. Not only does filling out a good bracket allow you to be able to win your pool you’re in, it allows you to enjoy some of the best dramatic games you’ll ever see. Best of luck to you if you have some remaining teams in your bracket this year, and to your brackets in the future.