For fans of college basketball, the NCAA Basketball Tournament in March is as exciting an event as there is in sports. For three weeks, teams battle it out to play in national championship game. But what has helped make the NCAA college basketball tournament especially interesting to hardcore and casual fans alike is the bracket you can fill out ahead of time to make your picks about who you think will win games. Casual and big-time college basketball bracket challenges exist all over.
Free Contests
Many websites run free NCAA bracket challenges every year. You can compete against millions of other fans online. Some sites even let you set up private pools with your friends and family members so it's easy to track how everyone is doing. Even the NCAA has a bracket challenge.
Pay Sites
Contests that have big prizes usually require you to pay to play. Some of them are operated by online gambling sites so be aware of information you're given out. It's always a good idea to go with sites that have been recommended by friends who can vouch for their legitimacy.
Tips
Pay attention to the hot teams going into the tournaments. For example, the 2011 winner Connecticut had a so-so year in the Big East, but got on a roll and won the Big East Tournament to close out the season and then outplayed everyone else in the NCAA tournament. Stay away from picking several teams from one conference to advance to the Final Four because the Final Four usually represents multiple conferences.
Warnings
Bracket pools are in place at many offices and places of work, but be careful your pool doesn't violate a company's policy about gambling. Some companies might not object to the contest, but might have a problem with everyone chipping in $1 or $5 per entry. Check out what your company allows, and in any event, don't let the bracket and tournament excitement intrude too much into your work day, or your boss may restrict all bracket activity and conversation.
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