Whether you're an experienced Basketball fan or this is your first season participating, filling out your bracket for March Madness can be intimidating.
There are a lot of slots to fill out, and once you're done placing your top favorite players, you might be at a loss for where to go next.
If this is where you're at right now and you need to enter your pool, here are some tips for getting your bracket filled out.
Try to Be Objective
One of the biggest pitfalls of the March Madness brackets is that you're going to be tempted to choose your alma mater's basketball team for your No. 1 position.
Now, if your alma mater just so happens to be a No. 1 seeded team, then by all means, that might be the best choice. But it's likely that there's another team, or two, or three that is objectively a better choice for that space in your bracket.
Think about the teams like rungs on a ladder—your favorite team or the one that you associate with college might be somewhere on the ladder, but it doesn't necessarily belong at the very top.
Beware the Underdog
Like the last tip, this one has to do with using your brain instead of your heart when it comes to choosing your brackets.
Choosing an upset team is a smart idea since there's usually going to be some predictably unpredictable winners during March Madness. However, you can't just choose the biggest underdog based solely on their status as an underdog.
Choosing a No. 1 seed is a boring choice and can often be a mistake, contrary to your natural impulse. But it's also a mistake to choose the No. 12 or No. 16 seed since they've made it to the top so few times that the odds just aren't in their favor.
Staying in the single digits is usually a good choice and still gives you plenty of options for making unexpected choices that could help you win your pool.
Opt for Home Teams
Since March Madness games are all meant to take place on neutral turf, it might seem like there won't be any teams with a home advantage during the season.
But there will inevitably be a few games that take place closer to some teams' home territory than others.
In the past, this proximity has proven to be a bit of an advantage, so voting for the teams that are playing closer to home can be a winning strategy.
Best All-Around
There might be teams in the running that have the best offensive players, and others with the best defense. What you want are teams that have a good combination of excellent offensive and defensive players.
They don't have to be the best in their category, but having a well-rounded team is going to make them more likely to stick around for longer.
Checking out a basketball stats site will help you choose the teams that have the best of both worlds.
Remember to Enjoy It
Betting any amount of money can be a stress-inducing situation, and March Madness is no exception. But it's important to maintain a healthy perspective about the results.
If being involved in March Madness brackets is going to keep you from enjoying the game, instead of helping you feel more like you're a part of the competition, it's time to rethink your reasons for participating.
At the end of the day, you can do the math and calculate probabilities all you want and something unexpected could still happen, so don't forget to have fun and enjoy the process.
