Pool Rules

Entry:

Brackets are $5/each. Contestants may submit an unlimited number of brackets, provided each one has its entry fee paid. Contact me directly to coordinate the best way to pay your entry fee(s).

Deadline:

Brackets have to be submitted and paid for by the time the first games tip off on Thursday. Don't wait until the last minute!!

Prize Money:

Prize amounts are to be determined based on the number of entrants in the pool. Generally prizes are awarded for first, second, and third place, with third place usually getting $10. 100% of entry fees are paid back out to winners at the end.

Scoring:

1 point per correct pick, increasing by 1 point per round. That means 1 point for a correct first-round winner, 2 points for a correct pick in round 2, and so on up to 6 points for correctly picking the winner of the championship game, for a total of 120 possible points. If anyone manages to get all 120, we'll do something special (good luck with that one).

Tiebreakers:

To determine the outcome of ties in the standings, players must guess the combined final score for the championship game. The pick closest to the total wins. Tiebreaker picks must be submitted before the tournament begins. Please don't forget it! Once the tournament starts, I can't accept any more changes.

Play-in Games:

We do not award points for any of the "First Four" round of games. It gives us too little time to collect entries and start the pool. Also, it's not the real tournament

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

But what if I like those teams?

Since the NCAA started putting at-large bids in the play-in round, many play-in teams have gone on to see success in the tournament proper (and even an automatic qualifier! Shoutout FDU). As such, you may want to pick one or more First Four teams on your bracket even if your bracket is submitted before those games are decided. If you choose to do so, be advised: I will accept a pick where you've written "play-in," both team names, or the seed number of the play-in team, but not if you write in the school that lost its First Four matchup. For that reason, it's best to write play-in regardless of which team you think will win the First Four matchup.

Communication:

I will send out emails at the completion of each round with current standings.