NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament: Bracket Tips

Every March millions of people fill out their NCAA Men's Basketball brackets. Whether you're playing just for fun or in a competitive office pool there are some key aspects you should look at before making your selections. Believe it or not it's not just about picking the team with the coolest uniform. I've got a few tips to help you get those extra points that will help you win it all.

Tip #1: Big Conference = Big Upset

Why do we love March Madness so much? The upsets, of course. Every year we see those mid-major teams upset the big dogs and to win your NCAA pool you must get some of these right without the dreaded consequence of loosing a final four team on the first Thursday of the tournament. Tips 2-6 will help you determine which teams have the edge in these possibly upset match-ups.

Tip #2: Experience Matters

There are two facets of experience that must be viewed before filling in your bracket. First, have they been here before? Teams that have multiple players who have played through a few rounds of the NCAA tournament in the past will have a great edge over the competition. They tend to be more calm come game time, which equates to fewer turnovers. The second thing to look at is the team's upperclassmen. The more juniors and seniors a team has the more likely they won't fold under pressure. Experience is a key to picking those upsets during the first week.

Tip #3: How'd they Finish

Look at the team's last 10 regular season games and their production in their conference tournaments. Sports is all about getting hot at the right time and in the NCAA tournament this can put an average team into the sweet sixteen or elite eight.

Tip #4: Who's got Guards

Point guards are key to winning in college basketball. They are the coach on the floor as well as the first line of defense. Look for teams with experienced unselfish point guards. Those two player attributes are far more important than a high scoring guard that jacks up 20 shots a game.

Tip #5: Road Warriors

There are no home games in the NCAA tournament, well sometimes #1 seeds practically get home games in the first round, but they never lose that early anyway. Take a look at each team's win/loss record on the road and neutral sites. There are a lot of teams out there that aren't very good on the road, but they win all their home games so it looks like their a great team because their overall record is solid. Don't be fooled. More than likely a team that can't win on the road, can't win in the big dance.

Tip #6: Defense wins Championships

It seems that in every sport come playoff time you hear the phrase "defense wins championships". Well it's the same in men's college basketball. A great offensive team is bound to have a bad shooting game over this three-week tourney, but good defensive teams always show up and are always in games. Note that this tip is more focused on choosing your final four teams and champion.

Follow these six simple steps and you'll be sure to have bragging rights all year long.