Why you won’t pick a perfect bracket in 2023 March Madness

“Aaaaannnddd, click. There we go, that’s it. I’m definitely winning my group, my bracket is perfect.”

Stop, stop, stop. No it’s not. Stop kidding yourself. Your bracket for the 2023 NCAA Tournament is filled with flaws and it’s nowhere near as bullet proof as you think it is. Don’t believe me? I’ll explain:

Your “savvy” champion pick isn’t going to pan out

When getting to the Final Four, don’t try to outsmart yourself when picking the national champion. Go chalk, it’s fine.

Since the NCAA Tournament expanded to a field of 64 in 1985, a No. 1 seed has won the title 24 out of 37 times. That’s 65%! Two-seeds have won five times, three-seeds have won four times, with all other seeds have won a combined four tourneys.

People, those teams are ranked No. 1 for a reason. Pick one of them to run the table and history will be on your side.

Don’t spam 12 over 5’s

Yes, the famed “12 over 5” upset is a thing, but be very judicious in which one you pick. Most years, you only get one taking place and you don’t want your bracket to immediately get blown up because you saw the 12 next to Charleston’s name and picked them for that reason alone.

Better yet, don’t get cute with 13 seeds or below either

Some of you may have looked at what Saint Peter’s did as a 15 last year and thought to yourselves that someone in this field year’s will do the same. Again, err on the side of extreme caution. These upsets are rare for a reason and you’re more likely to see that underdog in you have making a Cinderella run in your bracket getting annihilated right out the gate.