'Tis the season for what some call the greatest time of the year: March Madness. Every year, groups of friends, coworkers and yes, even BYU-Idaho students come together to fill out brackets for a chance to win cool stuff and get brownie points.

I will show you how you can put together a good bracket this March. If you are new to setting up a bracket, this is for you! If you want to have a better bracket this year, this is also for you!

What is March Madness?

March Madness is an NCAA basketball tournament that features six levels. It starts with 68 teams. Each team that wins advances to the next round. It goes from round 68 to 32. Then, from round 32 to the Sweet 16. From there, the Elite Eight, the Final Four and the Championship.

Step 1: Don’t follow seeding:

You need to be aware of seeding and how it works. Seeding refers to the placement of teams within the tournament. This includes the seed number. For example, a team with a strong winning record will be assigned a lower seed, such as No. 1, and the team that didn't perform as well throughout the season would get No. 25. Teams with the best records usually have the lowest seeds, but that’s not always the case. A selection committee assembled by various schools and conferences selects the seeds based on seasonal performance. They look at things like strength of record, wins and losses and team stats.

The 68-team bracket and selected seeds will be released on March 15, 2026, otherwise known as “Selection Sunday”.

Many novice bracketeers solely choose advancing teams based on their seedings. DON’T DO THIS. Sometimes the selection committee gets teams wrong. Sometimes higher-seeded teams have a deeper run than better-seeded teams. These are called Cinderella teams.

Step 2: Consider “Cinderella” Teams:

Everyone’s heard of the classic underdog story. When crafting a bracket, one must recognize the Cinderellas. The 2013 No. 15 seed, Florida Gulf Coast Eagles, were the first 15 seed team to make the Sweet 16 round in tournament history, defeating No. 2 Georgetown and No. 7 San Diego State. They fell to No. 2 Florida.

And just a few years ago, the No. 15 Saint Peter’s Peacocks made a run in 2022, beating No. 2 Kentucky, No. 7 Murray State and No. 3 Purdue. They lost to No. 8 North Carolina in the Elite 8 round. The Peacocks became the first No. 15 team in tournament history to make the Elite 8.

Step 3: Be different:

It’s tempting to follow revered sports analysts and copy their brackets. It’s also easy to follow friends who might know more than you but be different. Yes, it’s important to draw inspiration from those brackets, but they get things wrong, too. You could potentially have a better bracket percentage by being unique and staying true to your personal takes.

Let this March Madness bring you closer to the games, to your friends and your classmates. In a season of division, let this March Madness unify your friend group, school and our country. Now, let the games begin.