March is here, and 2024 is rolling along, which means sports fans are getting hyped for March Madness. This is the time when college basketball teams from all over the U.S. go head-to-head in the NCAA Tournament.

If you’re not too familiar with the tournament’s history, you might find it interesting to know it kicked off in 1939 with just eight teams. It bumped up to 16 teams in 1951, then jumped to 32 in 1975, and hit 64 by 1985. Nowadays, 68 men’s basketball teams get picked, seeded, and slotted into the NCAA bracket each year by the NCAA Division I men’s basketball committee.

The term “March Madness” first popped up in 1939, but the NCAA didn’t start using it until 1982. This year, the madness kicks off with Selection Sunday on St. Patrick’s Day, March 17, when they announce the matchups for the men’s tournament. Just two days later, the games get going. Check it out below:

• First Four: March 19-20 (Four games)
• First round: March 21-22
• Second round: March 23-24
• Sweet 16: March 28-29
• Elite Eight: March 30-31
• Final Four: Saturday, April 6
• NCAA championship game: Monday, April 8

Games are happening at 12 venues nationwide all through March. The final four matches and the men’s championship game are set for April at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.

Selection Sunday for the 2024 NCAA women’s basketball tournament falls on St. Patrick’s Day, too — talk about lucky timing! The rest of the dates are just a day after the men’s, with the Elite 8 wrapping up on April 1. The Final Four for the women hits the court on Friday, April 5, and the big championship game is on Sunday, April 7. All these final showdowns will be going down at the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland.

Creating Your Own Office Bracket Pool

If you’re keen on setting up an office bracket pool, just wait till Selection Sunday rolls around and then hand out the 2024 brackets to everyone. Or, you could go digital and set up an online pool on sites like ESPN.com, cbssports.com, Yahoo.com, and OfficePoolStop.com, among others.

You might also consider the following:

• Encourage participation. Consider a no-entry fee or a small fee to join.
• Create a 10 x 10 box pool (like with football squares).
• To make things more interesting, consider prizes. One for the biggest winner and another for the person with the worst bracket, you know, the one with the most losing teams.
• There are plenty of ways to score. One method recommended by Doc’s Sport Services (check it out at DocSports.com) goes like this:
  • Players get one point for each correct team that wins in each of 32 games.
  • In the Round of 32, each correct team projection earns two points.
  • In the Sweet 16, each win earns four points.
  • In the Elite 8, each win earns six points.
  • In the Final 4, 10 points are awarded for each win.
  • In the Championship game, a win means 16 points.
  • The deadline for picks is a half-hour before top-off – or if online, when the game begins.
• Make a video or use social media to hype up your tournament. Shout out your winners as you go – after the first round, second round, Sweet 16, final four, and when you crown your champs.
• Some March Madness pools swear by picking their top winning team first. This strategy can help steer the rest of their bracket picks.
• March Madness is famous for its surprises, so don’t shy away from picking some lower-seeded teams to snag a few wins. Last year, we saw two No. 1 seeds get knocked out in just four days.

The aim is simple: have a blast and maybe spark a bit of friendly competition between departments or teams in your organization.

ESPN.com, YouTube.com, and cbssports.com all offer additional resources, discussions on “bracketology,” and videos to help you set up your 2024 office brackets.