A GUIDE TO A GREAT BRACKET

NBA / Basketball

Written by Eddie Huband

Everyone’s favourite exercise in futility has arrived; March Madness. Oh, the pure joy of looking at a freshly crafted bracket with no blemishes is indescribable to the non-sports fan. But every year, no matter how much we think we have even the slightest idea of how it’ll play out, it ends in heartbreak for all of us. Whether it’s a day in, four days in, a week in, it’ll happen eventually. It always does. Having said that, there are some general rules that can help you avoid bracket busting, or at the very least maybe they’ll trick your mind into thinking that March Madness isn’t a total crapshoot. Spoiler alert, it is, but that doesn’t mean you can’t give it your best shot.

Chris Paul, Devin Booker | Source (Background Photo): Getty Images

Rule #1: Take the higher seeds for deep runs

Every March Madness aficionado knows all too well the feeling of finishing a bracket and realizing you have all #1 and #2 seeds in the final four, then going back to pick more Cinderella teams.

There’s a perception that March Madness is all about upsets, and that’s probably because the upsets are the games we remember first. In actuality though, the idea that you can’t go chalk is a myth.

If you look at how many times top-two seeds have made up three of the final four spots, it’s happened seven times in the last 13 tournaments.

The last four tournament winners were the #1 seeds.

So by all means, take your chances with the big horses. It’s a prudent idea to split the difference and make sure at least half your final four is top seed material. That way you have the other two spots to have a bit of fun.

This year, if you’re looking for a couple of blue chippers, a few good bets to make it to the final four are Gonzaga (#1), Kansas (#1) and Kentucky (#2).

Rule #2: Pick one Cinderella to back

There always seems to be that one team that comes out of nowhere. Funny enough, every year there are ‘Cinderella candidates’, but it usually turns out to be a team no one thought of.

The best games to target for quality Cinderella candidates are often in the 7/10, 6/11 and 5/12 range of first-round matchups. This is a sweet spot because the lower seeds are significant underdogs but not so much so that they don’t have a prayer at getting past the first round.

If you’ll recall back in 2018 when Loyola Chicago made one of the most improbable Final Four runs in history. They’ll look to do it again as a #10 seed time around, and they have plenty of Cinderella hype.

A 25-win team this year, they’re bursting with confidence and have a winnable first-round game against Ohio State to get the ball rolling, who come in losers of four of their last five outings.

Another Cinderella that’s worth looking at is also a #10 seed in their side of the bracket, the San Francisco Dons. They have everything you’d want in a potential Cinderella, they shoot a ton of 3’s (nearly half of their shots are from beyond the arc), they have a top-20 defence, and they have a special guard in Jamaree Bouyea.

One more team to watch is the #12 seeded University of Alabama Birmingham (UAB) who many are picking to upset Houston in their first-round matchup and make a deep run themselves.

All three are good options if you want to mix things up in your Final Four picks.

Rule #3: Sometimes your heart is smarter than your head

If you have a favourite college basketball team or even a favourite player that you’re following for the season, some would argue it’s wise not to put all your eggs in that basket.

Depending on how much you follow that particular team, it’ll likely skew your judgment against teams you haven’t yet seen, and you’ll end up overrating your favourite squad. Especially if there are high-profile one-and-done types on the roster.

That’s the argument, anyway.

But I say that’s a bunch of bolognas. If you have an emotional connection to a team with at least a decent shot at winning it all, then go with them, why the heck not.

Take it from a big Duke Basketball fan who successfully picked them as the winner multiple times over my life. It feels so much sweeter when you picked the tournament winner, and it’s your favourite team.

I get it, not everyone is a fan of a perennial top-five school in the country, but still. Unless you’ve spent the last six months meticulously following every NCAA basketball game and scouting each and every tournament team, you probably aren’t basing your picks off of a ton of insider knowledge anyways.

Go with your heart, it’s more fun that way.

So, now is the time to reveal my picks for the final four; I have Duke beating Purdue on one side, with Kansas beating Loyola Chicago on the other.

In the finals, give me my Blue Devils 69-66 over Kansas to win one more glorious championship before Coach K sails off into the sunset. As you can see, I’ve sort of combined all the rules together for my final picks.

Top seeds are represented well enough with the #2 and a #1 in Duke and Kansas. I’ve also killed two birds with one stone so to speak by going with my favourite team to win it all. On top of that, I have that one Cinderella pick in Loyola Chicago as my wild card.

There you have it, my guide to making a bracket that probably. That’s not to say my way should be taken as gospel, do what works for you.

We’re all going to have our brackets busted anyways.