"Last season, my bracket was chalky: I had all four No. 1 seeds reaching the Final Four, Houston and Florida advancing to the championship game, and the Gators cutting down the nets. The backlash was swift and unrelenting. I was criticized for not picking an underdog to reach San Antonio. But when the dust cleared, all four No. 1 seeds reached the Final Four, and the Cougars and Gators battled it out for the title."
"This season is different. Cinderella just took a year off. The top teams aren't so much better than the rest of the field, so there will be more surprises. Though picking a bunch of upsets might make you feel good when filling out the bracket, it is a much better feeling to be strategic and win."
"Pick only the upsets you feel strongly about, the ones you know the winner will lose in the next game. This strategy allows you the upside of early upsets, while limiting the downside if Cinderella's slipper doesn't fit later in the tournament."
An ESPN analyst shares bracket-picking strategy for the NCAA men's basketball tournament. The analyst previously filled out a bracket in under five minutes on air and achieved success by picking all four No. 1 seeds to reach the Final Four, with Houston and Florida meeting in the championship. This season differs because top teams lack significant advantages over the field, creating more potential surprises. Rather than selecting numerous upsets to feel good, the analyst recommends a strategic approach: pick only upsets you strongly believe in, ones where you're confident the winning team will lose in the next round. This balances the upside of early tournament surprises while limiting downside risk from unexpected Cinderella runs.
Read at ESPN.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]