Here's What You Need To Know About This Year's NCAA Tournament Brackets
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- An estimated 40 million people fill out a bracket every year, wagering around $2 billion.
So, grab a pen, and use our handy dandy guide to fill yours out.
If you think of the NCAA Tournament like the stock market, with predictive indicators and past performance as your investment guide, these tips could help you make some money.
Now, just like the stock market, past performance is not an indicator of future results. But recent history has revealed to us a winning formula.
First, move all the #1 seeds into the next round. A 16 has never beaten a 1.
A 15 or 14 has won a game eight times in the last six years, so pick one to win one in your bracket. Yes, I'm serious -- it happened TWICE last year.
Pick a 13 too. There have been seven first-round winners the last eight years.
Pick two 12's and two 11's. Those games are pretty much 50-50 over the last several years. Then slide one of each right into your Sweet 16. A 12 has made it six of the last eight years, and an 11 seven times the last six.
Pick only one 10 to win a game. 7-seeds have won three out of the four games in four of the last five years.
Pick three 8's and one 9, and then put one of them in your Sweet 16. They've knocked out a 1-seed five of the last six years.
And one more thing if you're looking for upset picks: Pick one of those "First-Four" play-in game winners to keep winning. In the five years those games have been the tournament, at least one has won another game as well, every year. Three made the Sweet 16. One even made the Final Four.
As for that Final Four? Pick just one #1 seed to make it. Only a total seven 1-seeds have made the Final Four the last six years.
But whichever you put in, pick 'em to win it. Seven of the last nine champs have been 1-seeds.
