Bracketless Brackets
Because we all want to pick a 16-seed
Instead of picking the winner of each game, all you have to do is pick your favorite team from each seed line. You pick exactly one team—no more, no less—from each seed number. You like both UConn and Purdue? Too bad. Pick one.
Every time your team on the 1-seed line wins a game at any point in the tournament, you get 100 points. Every time your 2-seed wins, you get 110 points. You get the picture—if your 16-seed wins a game, you get 250 points.
Play-in games don't count, by the way, because they'd mess up the scoring. If you pick a seed line that has a play-in matchup, your pick automatically becomes whichever team wins the play-in. You don't have to think about it.
At the end of the tournament, the person with the most points wins.
The Points
| Seed | Points per Win |
|---|---|
| 1-seed | 100 pts |
| 2-seed | 110 pts |
| 3-seed | 120 pts |
| 4-seed | 130 pts |
| 5-seed | 140 pts |
| 6-seed | 150 pts |
| 7-seed | 160 pts |
| 8-seed | 170 pts |
| 9-seed | 180 pts |
| 10-seed | 190 pts |
| 11-seed | 200 pts |
| 12-seed | 210 pts |
| 13-seed | 220 pts |
| 14-seed | 230 pts |
| 15-seed | 240 pts |
| 16-seed | 250 pts |
So if your 12-seed pulls off two upsets, that's 2 × 210 = 420 points from that one pick. Not bad.
Champion Bonus
You also pick a champion. If your team wins it all—six games, confetti, the whole thing—you get a 150-point bonus on top of everything else.
Pools
Create a pool, set a password, and send the link to your friends. They join up, you approve them, and everybody fills out their bracket. Pool owners can track who's paid and who hasn't. No spreadsheets required.
The Fine Print
- You can change your picks any time before tip-off
- Once the tournament starts, picks are locked
- Nobody can see anyone else's picks until tip-off
- The leaderboard updates live as games are played