NCAA Bracket 2015: Early Advice for Bracket Challenges

Office bracket challenges for the NCAA tournament are a great source for bonding. I'm serious. Participants discuss their busted brackets routinely until a national champion is crowned. Sometimes you'll find yourself talking to a guy you can't stand in the name of your Sweet 16 bracket. (Click here to see a printable, blank bracket.)

Almost no one is overly upset when they don't win. Although there was this one time when a guy accused me of rigging the points system—and I didn't even win.

I digress.

The major games like the 2014 Billion Dollar Challenge from Warren Buffett and CBS Sports bracket games are simply get-rich-quick opportunities that don't cost any money to enter. That's actually pretty cool when you think about it. There are a few fundamental rules to which one must adhere if they hope to have any chance of winning their respective bracket challenge.

The bigger the bracket challenge, the more important it is to follow these rules. You're reading the words of a man who has won two bracket contests in his lifetime, so I feel more than qualified to drop a gem or two. Here we go:

Pick a Sensible National Champion

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Sometimes you want to be the guy who correctly predicts the improbable national champion. That's not bad when there's no monetary prize up for grabs. When prognosticating for dough, you'd be best served going with selections like the undefeated Kentucky Wildcats, the Duke Blue Devils or even the Pac-12 powerhouse Arizona Wildcats.

So what if you saw the Georgia State Panthers play this season and you really liked that Ryan Harrow and R.J. Hunter backcourt? The Panthers aren't going to win it all—or even reach the Final Four.

Don't try to be a genius, just make smart selections.

Pick One First-Round Upset per Region

USA TODAY Sports

Upsets are one of the biggest and most exciting aspects of the NCAA tournament. You have to anticipate them, but don't go overboard and try to predict this year's tournament to be overrun with them. It might happen, but it isn't likely.

Instead, pick just one upset per region. The aforementioned Georgia State team isn't a bad choice. Rant Sports identifies the Panthers as a team with the capabilities of pulling a major upset.

Here's what they said about the team that also stars former Louisville Cardinals player Kevin Ware: "Georgia State has a couple of players you may have heard of before. Those players are Kevin Ware and Ryan Harrow. The Panthers have two players who are averaging right around 20 points per game. Harrow is one of them."

If there is more than one upset in a region, chances are your competitors' brackets will be just as unprepared as yours.

Don't Overthink It

I've seen guys have busted brackets after doing all kinds of research with advanced statistics, looking at scouting reports and watching recorded games on the DVR. OK, I was one of those guys, but that's why I can tell you all that preparation doesn't necessarily mean you'll win your bracket challenge.

The NCAA tournament is one of the most unpredictable major sports events. Perhaps the only highly visible sporting event that is harder to predict is a Triple Crown horse race.

That said, you can't over analyze your selections. Look at the bracket, focus in on a couple of keys stats and make your selection. If completing your bracket takes you longer than 45 minutes, you're doing too much.

Do we all want to win some money for predicting college basketball? Absolutely, but at the end of the day, we're supposed to have some fun.

Follow Brian Mazique on Twitter. Basketball is awesome.