Expert Tips for Filling Out an NCAA Bracket

Step-by-step instructions on filling out a March Madness bracket as well as tips and strategies from our college basketball experts.

Jason Logan: Senior Betting Analyst at Covers
Jason Logan ? Senior Betting Analyst
Mar 12, 2024 ? 09:34 ET
Purdue Boilermakers center Zach Edey in NCAAB action.
Photo By - USA Today

If you're interested in sports, chances are you'll be invited to participate in a pool where you need to fill out a bracket for March Madness. And with 68 teams set to take part in the NCAA Tournament, we understand that filling out a bracket can be a bit daunting. But we're here to help.

Whether you're new to filling out a March Madness bracket or looking for tips to help your submission win your pool, we've got you covered.

How to fill out a March Madness bracket

Follow these simple steps to fill out your March Madness bracket:

1

Download a fillable or printable 2024 March Madness bracket (our version is both).

2

Start filling out which teams you think will advance. Start with the no-brainers (the No. 1 and 2 seeds almost always win in the first round) and come back to the difficult decisions later.

3

Now onto those difficult decisions. How do you decide if an 8 or a 9 seed advance out of the first round? It all comes down to how much research you're willing to put in! Check out our bracket resources and get tips from professional bettors below. 

4

Go through each round, picking a winner in every matchup until you've chosen the national champion. Don't forget to enter the tiebreaker (if your pool asks for it), which is usually the total combined score of the national championship game. 

5

Submit your bracket (and the stated entry fee) to the organizer of your pool! And while you're at it, take advantage of the best free bracket contests for more chances at big prizes. The deadline to enter bracket pools is the tip-off of the first game of Round 1. 

Bracket resources

Here are a few things you'll want to consider when filling out your bracket:

Trends

There are hundreds of trends that get surfaced as March Madness brackets are being built. The truth is, some of these trends matter, and some simply don't. Jason Logan takes a look at some of these March Madness trends and gives you three you can trust and three to avoid.

Upsets

You definitely need to include a few upsets in your bracket. We've taken a look back at some of the biggest March Madness upsets this century in an effort to help us identify which higher-seeded teams could be looking at an early exit this year. 

Bracket prediction

Another way to help you fill out your bracket is by looking at what the experts are doing. Covers' official bracket prediction will be posted the week following Selection Sunday on March 17, 2024.

Expert tips for filling out your bracket

Let's face it: there are a lot of tips and strategies out there on how to fill in a March Madness bracket.

Top seeds go far Top seeds go far

"Many office pool players work too much on picking the early round upsets and not enough on their Final Four teams. The vast majority of Final Four teams are top-seeded teams; No. 1, No. 2, or No. 3 seeds. I generally pick at least two No. 1 seeds to make the Final Four. They earned those top seeds because they've been the best teams in college basketball all season, which is why I rarely call for a No. 1 seed to get upset before the Sweet 16 round at the earliest in my own brackets.
 
"Additionally, remember the bigger pool that you are in, the more chances you’ll need to take and the more upsets you should pick, particularly upsets that build big points on the second weekend of the tournament, as we go from the Sweet 16 to the Elite Eight, then the Final Four. For smaller pools, a more conservative strategy is the superior choice.  You don’t have as much competition to worry about, and there’s much less of a need to pick a bunch of upsets to surpass your opposition." - Teddy Covers

"My one tip would be to remember this before filling out your bracket: Beyond the top three seeds, teams, for the most part, do not have a shot at the National Title. Whatsoever. In fact, only one title has been won by a No. 4, 6, and 8, respectively. No other seed in the history of the event has won the tournament." - AAA Sports

Tournament Bracket Mind the early upsets

"Avoid picking a ton of upsets in the First Round. It's tempting, but there have been fewer in the last few years because the mid-majors have gotten progressively weaker. When going for an upset, try and focus on teams from better conferences." - Power Sports

"My advice would be to focus on upsets in the 2nd Round or Sweet 16 as opposed to the 1st Round. I find that is often the difference between a winning and a losing bracket!" - Will Rogers

"I believe the secret to filling out a bracket (or even handicapping games during the tournament), is to be realistic about upsets. We all know that there will be some big surprises, but you don't want to overdo it. When a smaller school upsets one of the top-ranked teams, everyone talks about it. That tends to overshadow the fact that for every big favorite that loses, several others go on to win. I think you need to be careful not to fall in love with the dogs. " - Jesse Schule

Whiteboard Experience matters

"One of the things I look to do is seek out deeply experienced teams with five returning starters back from last year’s squad. These teams play with the calmness of a ‘been there, don’t that’ mentality." - Marc Lawrence

"Look for experienced teams to advance. Teams heavy with senior leadership flourish in these types of tournaments. That is also true of experienced coaches." - Larry Ness

Matchups Focus on the matchups

"Ignore the seeding. I believe a lot of bettors get hung up about what seed a team is. For example, some start worrying about how No. 4 teams have done against No. 13 seeds historically. Every matchup is unique though, so the fact that some No. 13 seed upset a No. 4 seed previously has no relevance to me. If you like the favorite, lay the points. If you like the underdog, take them. Likewise, when filling out your bracket. If you feel that underdog is going to win, don't let its seeding prevent you from taking it to advance." - Ben Burns

Avoid Contradictions Consider being contrarian

"For pools that are local, rather than national, my No. 1 Bracket Tip is to consider the team or teams that other entrants might pick for their Final Four (and eventual champion), and then avoid picking such teams. That is because it's difficult to win a Tournament pool if your entry is vastly similar to other entries. You have to separate yourself from the herd. So, if you live in ACC Country, avoid picking teams like North Carolina and Louisville. If you're in the heartland, steer clear of Kansas and if you're on the West Coast, select teams other than Gonzaga and UCLA." - Al McMordie

How to fill out a March Madness bracket FAQs

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Jason Logan Senior Industry Analyst Covers.com
Senior Betting Analyst

In his 20 years with Covers, lead NFL betting analyst “JLo” has seen it all and bet it all. Through the wild west of early Internet gambling to lobbying for legalized sports betting to our brave new wagering world, Jason has been a consistent source of actionable info and entertainment for squares and sharps alike.

Since joining the Covers team back in 2005, he’s honed his handicapping skills to provide audiences with the most thorough insights, blending traditional capping methods with advanced modelling and predictive analysis. Jason has studied the ins and outs of the sports betting business, learning from some of the most successful gamblers in the industry and the biggest sportsbook operators on the planet.

He is under center for Covers during NFL season as our top NFL expert, taking the points in his infamous “NFL Underdogs” column and representing the Covers Community at the Super Bowl. While he lives for football season, Jason’s first love is basketball and that shows in his in-depth NBA, NCAA, and WNBA betting breakdowns.

On top of being a mainstay in media from coast to coast – WPIX, PHL17, Fox 5 San Diego, WGNO, TSN, SportsNet, ESPN Radio – he’s had his analysis featured in USA Today, MSNBC, ESPN, the Wall Street Journal, CBS, Bloomberg, the L.A. Times, the New York Times and other major publications. You can also find JLo stuffing all the top picks and predictions he can into 10 minutes as the host of Covers’ flagship podcast, The Sharp 600.

His best advice for bettors new and old is “Handicapping isn’t a ‘one size fits all’ process. The impact and importance of information varies from bet to bet. Treat each wager different than the last.”

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