1. Create Account
  2. Login
StudyUSA
Match Me
  • Create Account
  • Login
  • School Search
  • Resources
    • All Resources
    • Articles
    • Student Voices
    • Videos
    • Magazines
    • Podcasts
  • Services
    • All Services
    • Accommodation
    • Support
    • Career
    • Financial
    • Testing
    • Other
  • Apply
  • Chat

A Beginner's Guide to March Madness

A Beginner's Guide to March Madness

Oct 3, 2021

Until recently, I didn’t know much about March Madness because I do not attend a school that ever qualifies for it and I am not a big sports fanatic. However, I did notice that people hype it up every year and have a good time filling out brackets and placing bets on their favorite teams. After being encouraged by a few friends to fill out a bracket, I decided to do a little research first. I found out that all in all, there is no wrong way to fill out a bracket.

There are some trends that tend to occur that are surprising to experts and fans and many claim that they have analyzed them to know for sure who will win the championship, but it is impossible to know. That being said, if you’re a beginner, here is all you need to know in order to fill out a bracket and sound like you know what you are talking about when discussing it with friends, family, colleagues, and/or peers.

Terminology

Before learning how to fill out your bracket, it’s important to understand some terminology that will for sure come up in conversation, online and on television.

Matchup: one team versus another team.

Seed: How a team is ranked in the tournament. The highest ranked team going into the tournament has a low seed number. For example, the number one team in each conference has a seed number of 1.

Upset: When a lower ranked team beats a higher ranked team.

Conferences: The regions of schools which participate in March Madness.

Creating a Bracket

The first step in creating a bracket is to go to www.ncaa.com/march-madness. Here you can make an account and fill out a bracket. You begin by selecting which teams you think will win in the first round matchups. The top-ranked, or seeded, teams will have an advantage and play lower seeded teams. The number next to each team indicates how they are seeded.

As you move on to each round, remember that upsets occur. At least a couple top-seeded teams will lose to lower seeded teams. When filling out your bracket, it's good to include some upsets and cheer for an underdog team. While it’s hard to tell which underdogs will prevail, just use your best judgment.

If you’re having trouble picking a team that’s pretty evenly ranked to move on, Sporting News has identified some strategies that may help. They suggest choosing the team with blue in their colors or the most blue in their logo/uniforms. A lot of schools’ colors include blue, therefore statistically, most of the March Madness champions have been blue.

Lastly, if you’re still having trouble choosing a team to win in a matchup, you could always choose the team with the fiercer mascot. For example, if in the first round, Wright State Raiders (or wolf) play the University of Tennessee, whose mascot is Smokey the dog. A wolf is much tougher than a domesticated canine, therefore Wright State could be chosen to beat the University of Tennessee.

Like I said, there is no wrong way to fill out a bracket. My suggestions might not be the most strategic or team-based, but they can be considered if you are a newbie to March Madness and college basketball in general. Remember, even the most knowledgeable basketball fans can do poorly on a bracket, so no matter how much you know, fill one out and have fun with it!

By Lauren Haan. From Uloop.com, Online Marketplace for College Life.

Follow us:
Written by

Lauren Haan

Get matched to the best program for you

Let us know what you're looking for so we can find the best school for you.

Get matched
Call to action background image. Decorative.

Useful Articles

Main image for the article titled Top Schools in California 2022
Top Schools in California 2022
Main image for the article titled Top 7 Tips to Overcome Language Barriers
Top 7 Tips to Overcome Language Barriers
Main image for the article titled Top Schools in New York 2022
Top Schools in New York 2022
Main image for the article titled Studying English at Grossmont College in California
Studying English at Grossmont College in California

Check Out These Schools

Study Wisconsin

Study Wisconsin

$1,000—$5,000 Session

English Programs Certificate/Short Term Masters
Contact
Lewis University

Lewis University

$15,000—$20,000 Year

Bachelor Degree Masters
Contact
St. Ambrose University

St. Ambrose University

$40,000—$45,000 Year

Online Masters Certificate/Short Term
Contact

Related Stories

Can I Work in the USA While Studying?

Main image for the article titled Can I Work in the USA While Studying?
Do I Need a Car While Studying in the USA?

Main image for the article titled Do I Need a Car While Studying in the USA?
Do I Need A U.S. Bank Account While Studying in the USA?

Main image for the article titled Do I Need A U.S. Bank Account While Studying in the USA?
Do I Need Health Insurance While Studying in the USA?

Main image for the article titled Do I Need Health Insurance While Studying in the USA?

Start your U.S. adventure with Study in the USA

What's your dream? We can guide, advise, and connect you with your perfect U.S. school. We can also help you with the application process.
More about us
Partner Services

Learn About U.S. education financing, housing, and more

Partner service logo for The Michigan English Test for Higher Education Admissions in the U.S.

The Michigan English Test for Higher Education Admissions in the U.S.

Prove your English and achieve your goals with the Michigan English Test – widely recognized and available on your own schedule at a test center or from home.

Read more
Partner service logo for Student Advantage

Student Advantage

Explore the American Dream with the ‘My Deals’ app from Student Advantage - save on car rentals, hotel rooms, and everyday essentials!

Read more
Partner service logo for Student loan for international students? Yes, it is real!

Student loan for international students? Yes, it is real!

MPOWER Financing is the top-rated lender offering international student loans without cosigners, collateral, or credit history for global citizens, PLUS international student scholarships & career coaching! Fully online application, 96% customer...

Read more

Testimonials

Quotation mark.

StudyUSA served good information to me to choose the school what I should go and it works well.

Mahiro Maehama Japan

I learned a lot about how to apply, how to make things easier at Study in the USA. That was a plus at the time of my application.

Md Nazmul Islam Bangladesh

StudyUSA is one of the only platforms which gave me credible and complete information about any and every college or university I wished to know about. The sense of preparedness it gave me, regarding my ability to know what a university wants, helped me a lot. Besides, the involved staff of StudyUSA made sure I did not feel lost or alone in this process.

Farheen Nahvi India

Resources

Learn about American culture and education direct from our experts at Study in the USA. Read more

Achieving Your Goal
Admissions and Placement Testing
Beyond the Basics
Education System in the USA
Financing Your U.S. Education
Frequently Asked Questions
Life in the USA
Resources
Student Experiences
For students age 10-18
Study in Canada
Podcasts
Magazines
Videos
Student Voices

Subscribe to get the latest from Study in the USA

You can unsubscribe at any time.


StudyUSA
Explore

  • School Search
  • Resources
  •   Articles
  •   Student Voices
  •   Videos
  •   Magazines
  • Partner Services
  •   Accommodation
  •   Career
  •   Financial
  •   Other
  •   Support
  •   Testing
  • Apply
  • Chat
Information

  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Course Index
  • Article Index
  • Create account
  • Sign in
  • For Educators & Institutions
Match Me
  • English
    العربيـة English Español Français Bahasa Indonesia 日本語 한국어 Português Русский ภาษาไทย Türkçe Tiếng Việt 简体中文 繁體中文

  • Privacy & Policy
  • /
  • Terms

Study in the USA logo

© 2022 Study in the USA. All Rights Reserved.

Global Study logo
A member of the Global Study network

When you visit or interact with our sites, services or tools, we or our authorised service providers may use cookies for storing information to help provide you with a better, faster and safer experience and for marketing purposes.