Printable NCAA Bracket 2016: Downloadable Sheet and Final Picks Advice

Filling out an NCAA tournament bracket is the final exam for college basketball fans who have been studying teams, players and trends all season long.

There are bound to be tournament-shifting upsets, top seeds fulfilling their roles as the regional bullies and players who catch a hot streak at just the right time in the single-elimination format. This year’s version of March Madness promises to be particularly maddening after a year of upsets that left every single team except Kansas in the Associated Press Top 25 with at least five losses.

Any worthwhile exam needs a last-minute cram session, so here is a link to a printable bracket, as well as a few pieces of advice before the ball is tipped at 12:15 p.m. ET.

"

Sign up and play Bleacher Report's Bracket Challenge now for a chance to win the Ultimate Sports Trip to four events of your choice. And click here for B/R's Printable Bracket.

"

Don’t Fall for the Exceptions to a Rule

Picking a No. 15 or even a No. 16 seed to win a game in the NCAA tournament is bound to turn some heads in the office pool, and you would have ultimate bragging rights if it actually happened. The problem is it rarely—if ever—does.

According to Jake Westrich of Fox Sports, No. 1 seeds are 124-0 in the first round since 1985, while No. 2 seeds are 117-7. That means a top-two seed has lost in the first round less than 3 percent of the time since the tournament expanded in 1985, which isn’t exactly an encouraging number to base your bracket on this year. 

What’s more, those you are competing against will surely advance the No. 1 and 2 seeds beyond the first round and likely deep into the tournament, which means they will gain points on you every time that powerhouse school wins down the line if you pull the trigger on a failed shocker. 

It’s just not a risk worth taking if you plan on winning your pool.

Pick a Powerhouse to Win it All

Rather than picking those top seeds to lose in the first round, you should have them cutting down the nets at the end of the Madness.

Westrich noted a whopping four teams that weren’t seeded as a No. 1, 2 or 3 have captured the national championship since 1985, with a No. 4, 6, 7 and 8 seed each winning one time. It may take some of the excitement away from the event to simply go chalk when picking a title winner, but it is the smart play.

Jon Solomon of CBS Sports pointed out a No. 1 seed has won seven of the last nine titles and 12 of the last 17, so you probably shouldn’t look much further than Kansas, North Carolina, Virginia and Oregon when picking your champion if recent history is any indication. 

A word of warning, though. The 2015-16 season was defined by upsets, which could lead to a rather unusual tournament. Don’t go picking a No. 13 seed to win the national championship, but this may be the year to avoid those historical trends up top considering Mike Rutherford of SB Nation said the 74 losses by teams in the Top 10 of the Associated Press poll this season was an all-time record. 

It’s still safer to go with the powerhouse schools, but there may be more risk than usual in 2016.

Look for Balance When Deeming the Champ

Maybe you don’t want to simply focus on the seed numbers when picking your title winner. If that’s the case, look to Ken Pomeroy's offensive and defensive efficiency rankings as an invaluable resource.

Solomon said each of the last 13 national champions except for the 2014 Connecticut Huskies ranked in the top 20 of both Pomeroy’s offensive and defensive efficiency ratings. 

Balance is incredibly important in a one-and-done tournament format where a team has to win six games in a row because there will likely be contests when shots aren’t falling or the defense slips. Counting both sides of the floor as team-wide strengths instead of just one is an ideal way to mitigate the risk of an off night ruining those title aspirations.

Solomon noted Michigan State, North Carolina, Kansas, Virginia, Villanova and Oklahoma are the six squads that ranked in the top 20 in both stats this season. Between the strong defenses and the star power on those teams (think Denzel Valentine, Buddy Hield, Brice Johnson, Perry Ellis and Malcolm Brogdon), any of those squads is a worthwhile pick to cut down the nets.

Pick a No. 12 Seed to Fall in Love With

You should focus on the top seeds when determining a champion, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have some fun in the first round.

History suggests you should find a No. 12 seed and fall in love with its chances against a No. 5 seed.

Neil Greenberg of the Washington Post highlighted the fact last year was the first time since 2007 at least one No. 12 seed didn’t win a game against a No. 5. He also said No. 5 seeds have lost to a No. 12 seed 44 times since the 1985 campaign, and Solomon added that at least one No. 12 seed has earned a win in 24 of the last 27 years.

Former senior vice president of the NCAA and organizer of the NCAA tournament Greg Shaheen attempted to explain why the No. 12 seeds have found so much success, per Greenberg:

"

The five-seed is where you lose natural geographic-area protection, because only the top-four line receives that protection. Once you go to the five-[seed], you could be playing those games anywhere.

That’s also where you start to see some of the second and perhaps third teams from the bigger conferences as well as the emergence of some of the so-called ‘mid majors’ that can make their way north in the field. That could make [the No. 5 seed] vulnerable because they’re good, but don’t have the same protections that a three- or a four-seed has. It’s the true middle of the field.

"

Maybe you like 26-7 South Dakota State against a Maryland squad that went 3-5 in its final eight games. Or perhaps 29-5 Chattanooga, 29-4 Arkansas-Little Rock and 22-6 Yale catch your eye.

If historical trends are to be believed, at least one of those schools will dance their way into the second round as a Cinderella tale.