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Ah, March Madness. It is chaos personified. Every tournament, you are likely handed a bracket by someone in middle-management. You look down, slightly terrified, but begin completing the regions to the best of your ability.
Beginner’s luck is real, but with 64 teams in a massive tournament, you are unlikely to win your office pool without some understanding of the landscape. Here are the do’s and don’ts of the beautiful chaos that is March Madness.
Pace yourself: Avoiding March Madness burnout
Don’t do it. The first round is a marathon that requires extreme restraint. There is simply too much madness. March Madness fatigue is real; if you attempt to lock in for the entire tournament, your personal life will likely suffer.
There are 16 games on the slate today, starting at 12:15 pm EDT and running through a 10:10 pm EDT tipoff between No. 10 Missouri and No. 7 Miami. That accounts for more than 12 hours of basketball. Instead of trying to “iron man” the tournament, select a handful of games that spark interest—such as potential “upset alerts” or matchups between closely seeded squads. Your family will thank you.
Real upsets vs. “fake” Cinderellas
Upsets provide the “madness” in the tournament’s namesake. Every year features early-round shockers, like No. 16 Fairleigh Dickinson taking down No. 1 seed and tournament favorite Purdue in 2023. FDU required a win in the First Four just to make the bracket, then proceeded to top the Boilermakers 63-58.
It was bonkers, but it was also short-lived; FDU was eliminated in the second round by Florida Atlantic. That marks a true upset—the run is often unsustainable, a case of a team capturing lightning in a bottle for one day.
In contrast, Cinderella teams are defined by deep, unexpected runs. No. 15 Saint Peter’s embodied this in 2022, defeating Kentucky and Purdue to become the first 15th-seeded team to reach the Elite Eight.
However, some teams receive the “Cinderella” label without deserving it. These teams come from established, legacy programs that endured the tournament with a lower seed than usual due to a poor regular season but still made the Big Dance.
For example, No. 11 Texas upset No. 6 BYU on the tournament’s first day. While a significant win, Texas has reached the Final Four three times in its history. Should the Longhorns continue their run, they do not fit the Cinderella mold.
Sweet 16 stability: When the madness settles
The pure madness of the NCAA Tournament typically occurs in the first two rounds. This is where brackets are shattered and “sure-fire” point-spread locks result in angry exclamations at online sports betting apps. While you can never be truly confident, the Sweet Sixteen is where the tournament starts to settle.
If you are looking to add extra action to your March Madness viewing experience, the high-risk, high-reward lines happen in the opening rounds. The outcomes become significantly easier to predict once the field narrows to the final 16.
Streamline your strategy
As the field narrows and the stakes rise, staying organized is key to surviving the madness. Fortunately, technology is making it easier to track your picks. This year, DraftKings and ESPN have launched a new account-linking feature that allows fans to connect their Tournament Challenge brackets directly to their sportsbook accounts.
This integration offers a more personalized experience, providing “Bet Your Bracket” wagering options and tailored suggestions based on your specific picks. Whether you are chasing a perfect bracket or just trying to beat your coworkers, these tools can help you manage the beautiful chaos of the tournament with a bit more precision.
