March Madness is the time of year when the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division 1 Basketball National Championship tournament takes place. This tournament typically takes place in the middle of March and runs through the beginning of April, according to ESPN. 

     In order to qualify for March Madness, a Division I college basketball team must either win its conference tournament or receive an “at-large” bid from the NCAA tournament selection committee, according to the bleacher report. 

     A bracket is a form that can be completed both on-line and/or printed out and completed by hand where the participant predicts the outcome of each game in the tournament. Their predictions are compared against others in the pool. 

      Many people in the world participate in both public and private brackets in an attempt to predict the most accurate bracket. The person with the most accurate bracket wins. 

     Junior Alex Tobias says, “My dad and I usually have a competition every year. We fill out our brackets from pure heart. Usually there’s a ton of upsets, so we choose what college we like the most, and normally just by feeling.”

     He added “It’s the hardest thing in the world to predict. The thrill of the tournament is amazing. In my opinion, the greatest sporting event of the year. A month straight of watching competitive basketball, can’t beat it.”

     People can place wagers on March Madness basically anywhere anytime. The most popular bet is the winner of the next national championship, but there are other ways to wager as well. 

     Once the tournament matchups are set, betting companies release their odds and lines for all of the games, according to the sports report. 

     According to a survey conducted by AGA/Morning Consult, an estimated total of 45 million  Americans wagered a total of $3.1 billion on the tournament in 2020. This is a drop from last year’s projected 47 million bettors and 2019’s total wagers of $8.5 billion.

     Junior Allyson Kozak says, “I usually choose a few of the teams that I think are most likely to win and make my bracket based on that. I always pick at least one 12-5 upset and pick at least one number 13 seed to advance.”

     She also added, “You also need to account for the fact that a number 2 seed will likely fall early. A team seeded 7th or lower will likely make the Elite Eight. Another good practice is to pick an unconventional Final Four.”