Time to iron your favorite jersey, slap some war paint on and dust off that foam finger: March Madness is about to begin! Whether you're an NCAA Basketball superfan or a casual bystander, everyone can get swept up in the magic and drama of the Big Dance. Of course, one of the best parts of the March Madness excitement is participating in a bracket challenge — by yourself or with a group of your friends or coworkers. And with Selection Sunday just around the corner, it's time to rustle up your pool and get in on the action.
Here's a round-up of some of the most popular bracket systems online right now. Some of them are ideal for different kinds of groups, so we're breaking each down by prize package and who would get the most out of each pool. The best part? All of them are absolutely 100% free to use for you and your friends, which means that more money can go into your home-grown pool if you're looking to high-roll. Some even allow multiple bracket sheets to be filled out at no extra fee — so you can develop an underdog-friendly strategy if you're hoping for an upset.
Is there a particular bracketing system you prefer to use? Let us know in the comments below.
1. ESPN Tournament Challenge
If you're looking for a large-scale, cross-platform bracket system that integrates smoothly with your social media, you really can't go wrong with ESPN's bracket challenge. Fill out up to ten different bracket sheets, invite your friends, and compete for the chance to win a $10,000 Best Buy gift card on top of it all. Even if you don't plan to be in the house much during March Madness (or are forced to keep your bracketing a clandestine secret), you can install ESPN's BracketBound app for both iPhone and Android, which not only tracks brackets but also gives handy updates and highlights of the games.
However, when you go big, you can't expect it to stay small. You can invite your friends to play Bracket Challenge, but the scale of ESPN's operation can be a bit daunting to those who just want to play with 10 other people. If you get involved, you're involved with the whole program.
2. CBS Sports Bracket Manager
For those who enjoy a much more hands-on approach to brackets, the CBS Sports Bracket Manager is one of two NCAA-supported apps — and it's the one with the most homegrown feelings. Rather than submitting your picks to a larger pool, CBS Sports Bracket Manager is a platform that helps conduct local pools without the extra layered distraction of the overall game. Simply set up a bracket hub, invite your friends and fill out your own. You can customize your group's page with a personalized name and abbreviation, and inviting people is as simple as giving them the group password to access the bracket page.
CBS goes the extra mile too. In case any sort of hiccup or malfunction happens in your system, you can call their customer service for guidance.
The downside, of course, is the extra bells and whistles. There's no larger prize at stake, and no social media integration for those who are looking to announce their winnings to friends.
3. NBC Sports Bracket Madness
The catch-all middle path of the bracket games offered up this year, the NBC Sports Bracket integrates a little bit of everything to attract all kinds of March Madness players. It offers the direct and simple pool management system for private group playing, complete with password protection and simple standings. Solitary bracket players will also be interested in submitting solo — especially since there's a handy feature that shows how you rank among all of the other registered pools in the game. It's also pretty beginner-friendly, with a cheat sheet right on the game's main page. So you can play for the big prize and organize a little prize for your pool as well.
This jack-of-all trades game just doesn't have any extra pop. Compared to ESPN's prize money, NBC's $2,000 grand prize seems a little paltry. There's also no way to manage brackets from a mobile device.
4. NCAA Bracket Challenge
The second official bracket system backed by the NCAA, this game is really the baby of the organization. Simply create your entries and join or create your own group to keep track of the action. With a layered system much closer to ESPN's Tournament Challenge, you can actually join any public group available with your entries. One notable group among them is the CNN Bracket Challenge, where all of the news network personalities are making their picks for the Big Dance. The added value of the official Bracket Challenge is its sanctioned integration into the streaming package available in the partnership with CBS. Not only can you access your brackets via the online streaming platform available for games, but also for iPhone, iPad, and Android.
But like its companion program, NCAA Bracket Challenge also has no overall prize for best bracket. This may turn off some solo players.
5. Yahoo Tourney Pick'em
Fully integrated with the overall Yahoo Fantasy Sports section, Yahoo's Tourney Pick'em allows for both private groups and public pools. If you're already in possession of a Yahoo account, joining is seamless and easy. Social media is also cleverly integrated through the "Like" system — just like your bracket and receive tailored updates throughout the tournament relating to your picks in your feed. You can make up to five brackets for submission to the grand-daddy of March Madness Prizes: Perfect Bracket gets a cool $5 million, and the best bracket wins $10,000. And if for some reason all of your brackets are toasted by round two, you can register on March 15 for the "Second Chance Game" — a chance to pick up $5,000.
Yahoo's shortcomings are rooted in its Fantasy system — while the prizes are excellent, it's simply better to be in a group where there's a dedicated commissioner rather than going solo. There's a free mobile app available, but it's not as slick or sexy as others.
6. Fox Sports Bracket Challenge
The Fox Sports Bracket Challenge really gives a solo participant an edge. The game only allows each user to enter a total of three brackets. However, those same three brackets can be submitted to five different groups in the system. The result is that any user can be involved in up to 15 different pools during the tournament — fit for a March Madness superfan.
Another great feature is the bracket simulator, which gives players a statistically-driven playthrough of the tournament to analyze chances of winning. And winning is key: A perfect bracket comes with a purse of $1 million and first place is a flat-screen TV.
But for a major bracket challenge, it seems fairly isolated. There's no meaningful social integration and no mobile app to speak of. If you're looking for cut-and-dry fantasy competition, this is the place to go.
BONUS: 16 Must-Follow Twitter Accounts for March Madness
Jeff Goodman is a CBSSports.com writer. His SiriusXM show, Inside College Basketball, regularly has interesting and timely guests as well. Follow his Twitter feed to find out who's on when.
Katz covers college basketball for ESPN and ESPN.com. He provides a non-stop stream of breaking news, tidbits and quick-hit analysis.
Ken Pomeroy is legendary in hardcore college basketball circles for his advanced team metrics and statistical analytics. Follow him to satisfy your geeky side or get an extra edge in your bracket pool. He also gets bonus points for the hoops-data thing being only a side gig; by day, he's a meteorologist in Utah for the National Weather Service.
One of the sweetest passers in recent college basketball memory, point guard Kendall Marshall steers the ship for title contender North Carolina. He's active and funny on Twitter, too, so worth a follow.
Can big man Jared Sullinger lead the Ohio State Buckeyes to the Final Four? Columbus Dispatch beat writer Bob Baptist will track their journey after covering the team all season long.
Bilas is a sentient college basketball analyst for ESPN and was a star player himself at Duke in the 1980s. And to help get each morning started, Bilas followers are treated to a daily rap lyric followed by the tagline, "I gotta go to work." Random? Yes. Funny? Also yes.
Mark Titus rose to prominence when he started the Club Trillion blog as a benchwarmer for Ohio State. (The name refers to a little used reserved's typical stat-line of a couple minutes followed by nine zeroes.) Now he works for the site Grantland, and brings a funny, unique perspective to the college basketball writing game. He even ranks current benchwarmers (see left).
Winn covers college hoops for Sports Illustrated and SI.com. His articles are especially cool for their advanced statistical analysis, charts and infographics.
Yes, this is an NCAA basketball list, but half the fun of March Madness is seeing future NBA players battle for glory against college stars destined to fade into obscurity. Jonathan Givony is a respected judge of pro talent, so follow him for the lowdown on how NBA teams see this March's college heroes.
No team in college basketball provokes a greater polarity of love and revulsion than Coach K's Duke Blue Devils. The blog Blue Planet provides a homer's perspective on the Devils, so follow them to either fan your fandom or further fuel your hate.
Kyle Tucker is the Kentucky beat writer for Louisville's Courier-Journal newspaper. Follow him for the local angle as the young Wildcats try to leverage their precocious talent into eternal NCAA glory.
Not everyone can be a Kentucky or a North Carolina. The Mid-Majority covers the college basketball world's many smaller conferences, bringing you scores from far and wide (see left). Follow them for insight on who might be this year's George Mason or VCU and crash the big boys' Final Four party.
Thamel does a stellar job covering college sports for The New York Times. He's sure to produce a cavalcade of interesting game stories and features throughout the end of college basketball's regular season and into tourney time.
Rob Dauster is a college hoops writer who founded the blog Ballin' is a Habit. He also contributes to NBCSports.com and SI.com. Follow him for solid stories from a passionate perspective.
The Syracuse Orange are a top contender for the March Madness crown. This feed provides analysis and insight on Syracuse hoops from the local Post-Standard newspaper. Reporters Mike Waters and Donna Ditota will provide the inside updates as Syracuse tries for its second national title in 10 years.
Davis covers the college game for Sports Illustrated and CBS. His feed will provide you with a heavy dose of information from all angles of the sport.
Jeff Goodman is a CBSSports.com writer. His SiriusXM show, Inside College Basketball, regularly has interesting and timely guests as well. Follow his Twitter feed to find out who's on when.
Katz covers college basketball for ESPN and ESPN.com. He provides a non-stop stream of breaking news, tidbits and quick-hit analysis.
Ken Pomeroy is legendary in hardcore college basketball circles for his advanced team metrics and statistical analytics. Follow him to satisfy your geeky side or get an extra edge in your bracket pool. He also gets bonus points for the hoops-data thing being only a side gig; by day, he's a meteorologist in Utah for the National Weather Service.
One of the sweetest passers in recent college basketball memory, point guard Kendall Marshall steers the ship for title contender North Carolina. He's active and funny on Twitter, too, so worth a follow.
Can big man Jared Sullinger lead the Ohio State Buckeyes to the Final Four? Columbus Dispatch beat writer Bob Baptist will track their journey after covering the team all season long.
Bilas is a sentient college basketball analyst for ESPN and was a star player himself at Duke in the 1980s. And to help get each morning started, Bilas followers are treated to a daily rap lyric followed by the tagline, "I gotta go to work." Random? Yes. Funny? Also yes.
Mark Titus rose to prominence when he started the Club Trillion blog as a benchwarmer for Ohio State. (The name refers to a little used reserved's typical stat-line of a couple minutes followed by nine zeroes.) Now he works for the site Grantland, and brings a funny, unique perspective to the college basketball writing game. He even ranks current benchwarmers (see left).
Winn covers college hoops for Sports Illustrated and SI.com. His articles are especially cool for their advanced statistical analysis, charts and infographics.
Yes, this is an NCAA basketball list, but half the fun of March Madness is seeing future NBA players battle for glory against college stars destined to fade into obscurity. Jonathan Givony is a respected judge of pro talent, so follow him for the lowdown on how NBA teams see this March's college heroes.
No team in college basketball provokes a greater polarity of love and revulsion than Coach K's Duke Blue Devils. The blog Blue Planet provides a homer's perspective on the Devils, so follow them to either fan your fandom or further fuel your hate.
Kyle Tucker is the Kentucky beat writer for Louisville's Courier-Journal newspaper. Follow him for the local angle as the young Wildcats try to leverage their precocious talent into eternal NCAA glory.
Not everyone can be a Kentucky or a North Carolina. The Mid-Majority covers the college basketball world's many smaller conferences, bringing you scores from far and wide (see left). Follow them for insight on who might be this year's George Mason or VCU and crash the big boys' Final Four party.
Thamel does a stellar job covering college sports for The New York Times. He's sure to produce a cavalcade of interesting game stories and features throughout the end of college basketball's regular season and into tourney time.
Rob Dauster is a college hoops writer who founded the blog Ballin' is a Habit. He also contributes to NBCSports.com and SI.com. Follow him for solid stories from a passionate perspective.
The Syracuse Orange are a top contender for the March Madness crown. This feed provides analysis and insight on Syracuse hoops from the local Post-Standard newspaper. Reporters Mike Waters and Donna Ditota will provide the inside updates as Syracuse tries for its second national title in 10 years.
Davis covers the college game for Sports Illustrated and CBS. His feed will provide you with a heavy dose of information from all angles of the sport.
Thumbnail image courtesy of iStockphoto, melhi
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