Building a March Madness Bracket for Dummies

If you’re anything like me, you associate March with the month’s simple pleasures: the first day the sun breaks through the thick blanket of clouds, switching your coffee order from a hot latte to an iced one, or just taking the long way to class to soak up a little sun. But a true American staple of March is the college basketball playoffs, more commonly known as March Madness. 

While my main source of basketball news comes from the occasional TikTok rabbit holes or flashy edits when the underdog upsets the No. 1 seed, the buzz around March Madness and the potential fame of a successful bracket beckon participation in the month’s tradition. So, to broaden my horizons, I am writing a reflection piece on this year’s storied basketball tournament and offering the key insights I gleaned from watching a total of zero games. And for those of you who are less athletically inclined (or perhaps you find James Naismith’s magnum opus less than tantalizing), I hope this (almost) post-scriptum analysis can help you make chit-chat with those around you just a little better.

First, I would like to address the elephant in the room: my qualifications.

As you may have astutely inferred, I have not spent extensive time following college basketball. I watched Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers play when they were all the rage in 2024. My betting experiences amount to losing $25 playing baccarat. I’m proud of my 0-1 nonetheless.

Still, I am always excited to try something new and have fun in the process, so I write this advice in that same spirit. Take everything with a fistful of salt. Unless you do well. Then, you should attribute all your success to me.

First, let’s start with what you need to participate: an empty bracket with each team’s seed numbers (rankings) and this handy dandy guide. Empowered with my insights, you’ll be sure to beat the odds for the 2027 tournament. And if not, at least you’ll have a great time watching your predictions come to fruition. 

Before you build your bracket, it’s also helpful to be aware of common misconceptions.

1. The most researched brackets are the best ones.

False. You’ll often see basketball followers on a high horse flexing their ball knowledge and how closely they’ve followed this season: “Cameron Boozer” this and “AJ Dybantsa” that (I Googled “Top Players March Madness 2025” and put some names that were high up); reflections on obscure games nobody cares about; obvious statements such as “Defense wins championships” delivered in an overconfident tone.

The worst “March Madness Messiahs” are the ones who ask you to name five players of the team you declare is your favorite. Naturally, you fail. But knowing anything about this sport has zero correlation (totally real stat) with a winning bracket. The most ardent fans pour hours into research and confidently fill out their brackets. Yet their lack of humility means that biases will necessarily seep in. Others will attempt to be clever and subversive, penciling in obscure upsets. Both will miss the mark. Your indifference is your superpower. 

2. You should only choose a winner based on basketball-related knowledge.

Now, the people who believe this misconception really suck the fun out of March Madness. They mistake the art of building a bracket for deterministic science. In bracket construction, they discount the value of palatable team colors, promiscuous school names (Oral Roberts in 2021!), or the power of friendship. You may just want to go with your gut or “suss out” a team’s vibes. Or maybe you’ll let chance take the wheel and flip a coin. If you’re really struggling, I’d suggest looking up the head coach and making a visual determination about a team’s success. Superficial? Yes. Likely to make a winning bracket? I’m too busy ogling Duke’s head coach to be sure.

Now, here’s the moment you have all been waiting for: my secret weapon, which will guarantee your success. 

Remember the acronym ABOI: always bet on Iowa. 

This advice applies to both the University of Iowa and Iowa State. In the last four years of men’s basketball, a team related to Iowa has made it to the Sweet Sixteen round all but once. The same goes for women’s basketball, though Iowa women’s players have an even more impressive track record, making it to the championship game in 2024, with Caitlin Clark breaking records left and right along the way. Sports analysts, quantum physicists, third-grade boys, and I have all tried to determine if this is a coincidence or a trend.

Answer: It’s something in the water. Literally.

Using my tremendous journalistic acumen, I have determined that Iowa’s water is abnormal, characterized by high nutrient levels and a hard quality. No wonder their players come out on top; their water is like a magic potion. And so, the only thing you have to keep up to date with is Iowa water quality reports, found here.

Taken together, the very scientific evidence I have uncovered, Iowa has my vote till the end. Or at least until the Sweet Sixteen. I mean, you have to choose a team either way, and I’m too lazy to research the other teams, so this seems just as good a reason as any. 

I wish you all the best of luck on your March Madness journeys, and may the odds be ever in your favor, for you are 410 times more likely to win the lottery (Powerball, of course) than to create a perfect bracket. Armed with my infinite wisdom and remarkable feel for the game, you will very likely find no success, but I hope to see your TikTok videos overcoming the odds in a year. 

Julia Bouchut ’29 (julia_bouchut@college.harvard.edu)is excited for this summer’s World Cup.