Here's Five bracket-winning tips from a mathematician. One of his former students used these methods to score higher than 99.9% of ESPN's national pool. You can thank me later! Boxer
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1. Ignore a team's record
If they've played an easy schedule or have a lot of wins at home, a great record can be misleading. And if your team has some close losses against powerhouse teams, that's good as well!
2. Timing is everything
Teams that are hot leading up to the tournament tend to keep doing well. The math backs it up. Likewise, if your team was unstoppable in the fall but has since fallen apart, don't expect them to suddenly come back.
3. Find the Cinderellas
Some things the researchers have discovered: Cinderellas are more likely to be teams that create turnovers, give up very few threes and they take a high percentage of three-pointers. And if their opponent doesn't block shots well, need I say more?!
4. Don't let your emotions ruin it
Don't let that hatred for a certain team dictate your bracket, it's going to hurt you more than them.
5. Remember that it's called Madness for a reason
At the end of the day, data can only take you so far. "The reason it's called madness is because there's a lot of randomness," Data will help you to quantify a team's skill level, but can't account for a player's sudden stomach flu or maybe a girlfriend who broke up with them the night before. Good Luck!