Printable March Madness 2017 Bracket: How to Make Picks for 2017 NCAA Tournament

With Selection Sunday yielding the official release of the 2017 NCAA tournament bracket, March Madness is in full swing, which means everyone has an opportunity to become a college basketball expert by filling out their very own bracket.

While following college basketball over the course of the season can help in terms of making educated picks, the beauty of March Madness is that even a novice can step in and pick a winning bracket due to the unpredictable nature of the NCAA tournament.

Along with a link to a printable bracket here, the following is a look at the 2017 bracket, as well as tips to help you make winning picks.

NCAA Tournament Bracket Tips

Never Pick a No. 16 Seed to Beat a No. 1

There have been tons of huge and memorable upsets during the history of the NCAA tournament, but one thing that has yet to happen is a No. 16 seed beating a No. 1 seed in the opening round.

While it seems bound to happen eventually, there is little upside in picking against a top seed in the first round due to the fact that there is a strong chance that they'll reach the Final Four.

According to Brad Evans of Yahoo Sports, 40.6 percent of No. 1 seeds have made it to the Final Four since 1985.

Missing on what should be an easy pick is a surefire way to fall well off the pace in a bracket pool early on, and it's a decision that may be impossible to overcome.

The time when a No. 16 finally beats a No. 1 will be a total surprise that nobody will realistically be able to predict without getting lucky.

There is room for upsets in other parts of the bracket, but don't get cute by passing up four easy and virtually automatic picks.

Pick at Least One No. 12 Seed to Beat a No. 5

The most popular type of upset in the March Madness bracket is a No. 12 over a No. 5 since they seem to occur on a yearly basis.

Per Mike Benzie of NCAA.com, a No. 12 seed beats a No. 5 seed 36 percent of the time, which means it is wise to pick one or two No. 12 seeds to advance to the second round in your bracket.

The 2016 NCAA tournament saw a pair of No. 12 seeds waltz into the second round, as Yale defeated Baylor and Arkansas-Little Rock got past Purdue.

Middle Tennessee over Minnesota and UNC-Wilmington over Virginia stand out as strong upset possibilities on the No. 12 vs. No. 5 line this year.

No. 5 seeds are often ripe for an upset since they are power-conference teams on the fringes of the Top 25 going up against some of the best mid-majors the tournament has to offer.

The biggest question mark regarding the No. 12 seed is usually the level of competition it faced during the regular season, but it tends to be stacked with talent and is a major threat to the No. 5 seed dealing with deficiencies that prevented it from being among the elite teams in its conferences.

Pick a No. 1, 2 or 3 Seed to Win It All

Everyone loves a good Cinderella story, but picking anything other than a No. 1, No. 2 or No. 3 seed to win the national championship isn't advisable.

According to Brian Mull of NCAA.com, only one team seeded worse than No. 3 has won it all in the past 14 years, that being No. 7 UConn in 2014.

Mid-seeded teams with a superstar player can be dangerous in the NCAA tournament provided that player gets hot and takes over games like Shabazz Napier did for the Huskies, but that type of run is a rarity.

The smartest play is to stick with a team that is brimming with talent throughout its roster, such as Kansas, North Carolina or defending champion Villanova.

Teams with multiple scoring options tend to make the deepest runs, and there are plenty of those among the top three seeds in each region.

The 2016-17 season has been a tough one to predict with no single team standing out as being dominant, but there are several championship contenders at the top, and riding with one of them is your best chance to win your bracket pool.