Building a NCAA College Basketball March Madness bracket is a grueling task. In the history of the tournament no one has ever created a perfect bracket in the Capital One Bracket Challenge. 

Each matchup is determined by the best 16 teams in each division. There are many ways to pick winners such as rankings or personal favorites. Teams like UCLA and Alabama are favorites to win because of their high ranking and offensive capabilities. 

“I chose UCLA because I think their defense is really well-rounded. They just look like a really good team,” said Daniel Munaretto (‘26).

The odds of predicting a March Madness bracket perfectly are about one in 120 billion. However, many online resources and college basketball experts give students a better shot at making a more accurate bracket. 

“You can just look up (information) on Google. You can find what sports analyzers said and you can put that in your bracket. You can always just pick the higher seed too,” said Alex Baltazar (‘25). 

Every year, “sleeper teams” or lower-seeded teams often pull off major upsets against higher seeds and make a deep run in the tournament. 

“I’d probably say Texas A&M seems like a good sleeper team to me. I think they’re very talented, and they definitely have the ability to put up a lot of points,” said Munaretto.

Some schools have a reputation for dominating in college basketball, so picking powerhouse schools can be a safe option when forming a better bracket. 

“I think Gonzaga has a good chance to win it all. Obviously, they’re just a good team overall. They always come close to winning every year,” said Baltazar.

Many Amador students  created their own bracket at the NCAA Bracket Challenge and ESPN. The bracket challenge allows students to compete with each other and with people around the world. 

“Last year, my friends and I did a bracket challenge, and I came in second, so I chose a lot of good picks,” said Baltazar.