Whether you’re a bracket expert or could care less about who is hitting the hardwood, this guide will bring you up to speed and level the playing field when it comes to America’s favorite tournament, March Madness.
Did you know?
The March Madness basketball tournament features 68 teams vying for the championship. For this year’s tournament, which is single-elimination, the NCAA will be hosting every game in Indiana, with most of the tournament's matchups in Indianapolis. The women’s tournament will take place in San Antonio. Usually, the tournament’s different stages are held nationwide but with COVID, limiting travel is essential for safety. But there will be fans. Arenas will be allowed to operate at 25 percent capacity when the men’s tournament starts on Thursday, March 18 and the women’s tournament on Sunday, March 21, in San Antonio.
There will be fans. Arenas will be allowed to operate at 25 percent capacity when the men’s tournament starts on Thursday, March 18 and the women’s tournament on Sunday, March 21, in San Antonio.
It’s a long-standing tradition that the national champions not only cut down the nets (yes, with a ladder, scissors and all), but the winning school also gets to take home the hardwood court where they won it all. It’s not only basketball season but snipping season.
Vasectomies increase up during March Madness because it’s doctor’s orders to be a couch potato, so men might as well heal while watching basketball.
Place your bets
When choosing your bracket in this single-elimination tournament, remember that the most likely upset is a No. 12 team over a No. 5. Only once in the tournament’s history has a No. 16 team upset a No. 1 seeded team.
Are you feeling blue about your men’s bracket? That might be the ticket to winning. Louisville is the only national championship team in the past 17 seasons that did not have blue as a school color. Want to pick your bracket by the mascot or best celebrity alum? Fine with us! Join our bracket and choose however you want. (There’s even autofill).
Does it feel like everyone around you is filling out a bracket? They are. The American Gaming Association expects the numbers of brackets submitted to decline (fewer office pools), but the number of people placing bets is expected to top 47 million. Your office pool is a significant piece of the illegal betting that’s part of the $8.5 billion bet on the tournament each year.
In previous years, we’ve seen more than $6.3 billion lost in workplace productivity. Who knows what that number will look like with so many people working from home. Many companies have turned the tournament into a team-building opportunity with various contests. Take Warren Buffet and his $1 million a year for life promise for an employee who picks a perfect bracket in the first round. The chances of picking a completely perfect bracket? 1 in 9.2 quintillions. You’re better off basing your retirement on winning the lottery.
Ladies first
The Stanford Cardinal team is the overall No. 1 seeded team with North Carolina State, South Carolina and Connecticut (i.e., UConn) wrapping up the final top spots in the bracket. The top-ranked Cardinal are pursuing their third national title.
An interesting fact to note. While the men play two-20-minute halves, the women play four-10-minute quarters.
Keep your eye on Page Bueckers, a freshman at UConn. She has had a phenomenal season but will be without her head coach Geno Auriemma for a few tournament games after he tested positive for COVID. Auriemma has coached UCONN to 11 titles. Chris Daley will step into his shoes, which she has done during the regular season, and hopes to lead the Huskies to a win (or two).
The men take the court
In a year where major basketball programs like Duke and Kentucky didn’t make the cut for the tournament, everyone’s favorite underdog Gonzaga is thriving. They’re looking to do something that hasn’t been done in 45 years – finish the season undefeated.
The top four ranked teams – Gonzaga, Illinois, Michigan and Baylor – are hoping they’re still in it when it comes to the April 5 championship game.
Let’s talk about the elephant in the room, COVID.
All players will wear a SafeTag device that will assist in contact tracing. Teams will function inside a bubble and daily PCR testing will also be in place.
Now, what happens if a team has a case of COVID and has to withdrawal? Well, this is where it gets a little complicated. The deadline for replacing teams in the men's and women's tournament is March 16 at 6 p.m. ET. After that, if a team is forced out for medical reasons, no replacement team will be named and its opponent will advance.
But what happens if a team withdrawals before the deadline? A replacement team will be named and they will drop into the slot of the team they’re replacing without changing the rankings. There are four teams on standby and they will fill any spaces that open up. The highest-ranked team out of the four will receive a spot first, and so on. These teams are required to continue testing protocols for COVID-19 in case they are considered a replacement.
