For those ladies out there that happened to miss Selection Sunday, I have gathered together all the information you need to know to make your boyfriends do a double take. With attending a huge basketball school like I did with Indiana University (5 Seed), I gained my fair share of basketball knowledge. This also came with playing the sport from 6 years old to 18 years old. I have countless memories of my dad and I in the front yard in small town Indiana working endlessly on my jump-shot and playing HORSE until (he would let me) win. I will never forget the first time I watched the movie Hoosiers and knew how important the game of basketball was to the state of Indiana. There was no way getting around gaining sports knowledge of any kind. And although this is a fashion blog, I wanted to take time to share one of my other passions in college, basketball.
So please enjoy my easy to read, female oriented, back to basic ways and tips to filling out your bracket. Making all us women have a shot at winning that company bracket comp.
1) Stray away from choosing all four #1 seeds to be in the Final Four. Rookie move. This has only happened once in the history of the tournament, in 2008, and not likely to happen this year as the talent is pretty evenly space throughout the 1-3 seeds.
2) Stay above a 6 seed to win it all. Only one time has a team ranked lower than 6 won the whole tournament. This year with the strength of top seeds especially #1 seed North Carolina, it does not seem likely to have an underdog win the title.
3) Pay close attention to who won the conference tournaments. These teams are important because it is a preview to how they will play during March Madness, and under the pressure of a “one and done” type atmosphere. These teams are on a hot streak and high on their respective titles. So therefore, keep the below in mind while filling out your brackets.
American Athletic Conference – UCONN
Atlantic 10 – St. Joe’s
ACC – University of North Carolina
Big 12 – Kansas
Big East – Seton Hall
Big 10 – Michigan State
PAC 12 – Oregon
SEC – Kentucky
The Big West – Hawaii
4) Keep in mind the outright conference title holders. Although these titles will not determine how they will play in the tournament under pressure, it will give you more information on their depth and performance. The below teams have been playing strongly throughout the whole season and conference play, they have the players, coaching, and hard work to go far.
American Athletic Conference – Temple
Atlantic 10 – Dayton
ACC – University of North Carolina
Big 12 – Kansas
Big East – Villanova
Big 10 – INDIANA
PAC 12 – Oregon
SEC – Kentucky
The Big West – Hawaii
5) Upsets will happen. This is the most inevitable yet exciting part of the tournament. We are always rooting for that Cinderella Story and seeing a #14 seed beat a #3 seed, tbt 2012 Lehigh v. Duke game, are sometimes March’s best moments. Below I will highlight the upsets that should be on your radar!
#10 VCU over #7 Oregon State – VCU always comes into the tourney as an underdog, yet always comes ready to play. From the Shaka Smart days to now, they prepare better than any team for the Round of 64. I project this VCU team making it two wins before being knocked.
#10 Pittsburgh over #7 Wisconsin – With Wisco coming off last years NCAA Championship Finals appearance, it has quickly lost momentum throughout the season. They not only performed poorly in the Big 10 Tournament (arguably the toughest basketball conference) but also a loss of heart coming into the Round of 64. I do not see this team holding off a strong Pittsburgh squad.
#13 Hawaii over #4 California – Cal is coming off bad loses on the road and at home coming into March. Hawaii on the other hand is coming into the tourney with spirits high and hopes highs with conference tourney and out right titles (see above).
#12 University of Arkansas Little Rock over #5 Purdue – Purdue is coming off a crushing loss in the Big 10 Tournament Finals to Michigan State and Little Rock won the Sun Belt conference and out right titles, as well as winning 9 out of 10 of their past games. Momentum is truly key here and it may swing in the #12 seed’s favor. I am also an Indiana grad and love calling a big Purdue upset!
6) Where to enter your bracket. So now that you have your full brackets complete, you can enter them into website wide competitions or competitions with your company and friends. I have linked a couple of my favorite sites below!
As coming up with a bracket you are proud of is never easy for women that do not follow sports regularly, I hope this makes Bracketology easier and more fun to understand! Keep in mind where these games are being played as well as the proximity from the school to that city. As any sort of home court advantage in March is ideal for a W. Please reach out with any questions, comments or suggestions below!
xoxo
Courtney
I am SO pumped for March Madness. This post is great for those who are just getting into bracketology. I have to admit, I just kind of wing it (I like to pick upsets) but I always seem to do fairly well. Plus, I always do a bracket that has my team (WVU) winning it all, every. single. year. I hate Pitt (I mean, hate them) but I would LOVE to see a Backyard Brawl (WVU vs. Pitt) so I am, reluctantly, routing for them… for now.
Great post!
Darrian // http://www.ohshiftyall.com