Printable March Madness 2015 Bracket: How to Make Picks for 2015 NCAA Tournament

The 2015 NCAA tournament bracket is set, and the main event of March Madness is ready to begin in a few short days. For the teams, it's time to prepare. For fans, it's time to start researching the landscape in order to make picks.

Of course, the popularity of filling out brackets has helped turn the Big Dance into one of the most highly anticipated sporting events of the year. Furthermore, there's nothing else in sports quite like the first two full days of action on Thursday and Friday.

Now that the opening matchups are set, let's check out all of the important details for the tournament along with a link to a printable bracket. That's followed by some words of wisdom to help on the path toward contending in bracket pools.

All Your Bracket Essentials

• Download the Printable Bracket
• Play the Free Bracket Challenge 

Key Tournament Information

Dates: March 17 – April 6

Channels: CBS, TBS, TNT, and TruTV

Live Stream: March Madness Live

Printable Bracket: Click Here

Bracket and Schedule

General Picking Guidelines

Decide Your Approach Beforehand

There are basically two different routes to take when filling out a bracket this year. Either join the likely majority of people by selecting Kentucky to win it all or pick a different team to give yourself less competition should they come out on top in the end.

This is a decision that should be made before diving into the individual matchups. That's because if you are going to take Kentucky, it's probably best to take a couple extra risks. If you're picking a different contender, there's room to play it a little safer.

For his part, Kentucky head coach John Calipari is very pleased with how his talented group of players has bought into the plan. He explained to Mike DeCourcy of the Sporting News why his team has been so dominant for most of this season:

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These kids had to allow this to happen. They had to trust that we had their backs. That's how this has worked. Part of that trust is the history. The last five years, how it has worked for everybody. You've got to explain it to them, what's in it for them. If you don't, they're going to have to look out for themselves. They trusted me, trusted our staff.

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Ultimately, there isn't really a better way to go about the bracket. Kentucky is the clear favorite but isn't a lock to win the national title. Many people will even fill out one bracket of each style to give themselves a rooting interest either way, which works nicely.

Don't Go Overboard With Upsets

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One of the biggest mistakes made while filling out a bracket is going all-in on upsets. Picking a handful of Cinderella teams to all make deep runs. One may actually come in, but the points lost in the other areas offset the good selection.

Last season, the only double-digit seed to reach the Elite Eight was Dayton. And the two highest seeds to reach the Final Four were No. 7 Connecticut and No. 8 Kentucky. Both big-name schools, which removes the Cinderella factor.

The best way to go about upsets is find one or two teams you really like and take your chances there. Maybe you like the way the bracket sets up for Wofford or are encouraged by the way Belmont finished the season.

Regardless of the reason, pick your spots carefully and don't risk wasting an outstanding call by sacrificing points elsewhere.

Current Form Over Complete Resume

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While the NCAA tournament selection committee looks at a lot of things while making its decisions, the group is ultimately looking at a team's full resume. They are ranked based on what they were able to accomplish over the entire season.

That's the best way to keep the process fair, of course. But in terms of looking ahead to make picks for a bracket, how a team is playing right now is far more important. A team getting hot at the right time is dangerous to any opponent.

One good tool is TeamRankings' last 10 power rating. It gives a general feel for how a team has played leading up to the tourney. It's bullish on a team like Arizona, which has also caught the eye of Jeff Borzello from ESPN:

Ultimately, the fun of filling out a bracket is that it features your personal picks. Everybody gets to play the role of expert, at least until the games actually start. Identifying your approach, picking out a few sleepers and sticking with teams in good form will put you on the path to success.