Her Campus Logo Her Campus Logo
placeholder article
placeholder article

March Madness: $1 Billion for 1 Perfect Bracket

Danielle Tullo Student Contributor, Fairfield University
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Fairfield chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.

If you’re not typically into March Madness, we recommend you reconsider. Warren Buffett said he will give $1 billion to whoever fills out a perfect bracket. Sure, the chances are pretty unlikely but why not test your luck? 

If you don’t understand the tournament completely, we’re here to help. We’ve broken down the basics and have the information you need to know, including how to fill out a tournament bracket. This is one of my favorite parts of the year, and if you get into it, there’s a good chance you’ll start to feel the same way.

The Basics…To sum it up, the best Division 1 teams get to play in “March Madness,” which is actually the NCAA Division 1 Tournament. A team is ranked with a seed number of 1-16, which is decided based upon how well they do in their regular season. In total, 64 teams go into March Madness and there are six rounds including the National Championship game.

Since the tournament starts tomorrow, it’s time to get your brackets ready!

Note: Don’t get thrown off by the fact that Thursday and Friday games are called the “2nd Round.” The games played prior are called “First Four,” which is a game played between the two lowest-seeded teams for an automatic bid into the tournament.

Keep Calm and Make A Bracket…A bracket is broken up into regions, and the number next to the school’s name is their seed number. For example, on the left side of your 2014 bracket for the East region you will see #1 ranked Virgina, playing #16 ranked Coastal Carolina. Pretty much, the worst and the best teams play each other.

When making your bracket, you want to pick a winner for each game in every round. Naturally, you’re thinking you’re going to pick the higher seeded team over a lower seeded team, but stop right there. The beauty of March Madness is that it’s known for upsets and the underdog coming out on top.

I’m going to be honest, because as much as I love March Madness I’m not some fanatic who knows the stats of every team. When I don’t know enough information on two teams playing one another, I’ll pick by basing off which location I like more or something totally random. I know that sounds crazy but it also makes it pretty fun when the team you randomly picked ends up going far. While I admit to occasionally picking a random team, I always have a favorite and this year it’s Texas!

You can make your bracket here, good luck! 

The Rounds2nd Round: March 20 – 213rd Round: March 22 – 23Sweet Sixteen (Regional Semi-Finals): March 27 – 28Elite Eight (Regional Finals): March 29 – 30Final Four (National Semifinal): April 5National Championship: April 7

 

Sources:http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/march-madness/http://www.mercurynews….

Danielle Tullo

Fairfield '15

Danielle was previously the Deputy Editor at Her Campus, where she oversaw social and content strategy, lifestyle, beauty, fashion, news, and entertainment. Prior to joining Her Campus, Danielle worked at House Beautiful as Senior Lifestyle Editor, directing and producing feature videos and stories. Danielle also served as Snapchat Editor at Cosmopolitan, overseeing the brands daily Snapchat Discover channel. In 2016, she launched Cosmo Bites — which is now the official food and beverage vertical at Cosmopolitan. That same year, Danielle was named as a Rising Star in the digital media industry by FOLIO Magazine. Danielle got her start in digital media by launching the Her Campus chapter at Fairfield University in 2014, where she acted as Campus Correspondent for 2.5 years, before graduating with a degree in English and creative writing. She enjoys wine, food, and long walks through HomeGoods. Follow Danielle on Instagram!