How to Run a March Madness Pool

A March Madness pool is the easiest office pool of the year to fill – the NCAA tournament sells itself – and the most compressed to run: brackets go from empty to locked in the four days between Selection Sunday and the first tip-off. This guide covers the three pool formats that work (full bracket, Pick 8, and Sweet 16), the scoring decisions that matter, and the setup timeline that keeps a commissioner sane during the shortest week in sports.

Pick your format

Full bracket – the classic

Everyone predicts all 63 games from the first round through the champion before the tournament starts. Points are awarded per correct pick, usually escalating by round. It is the format everyone expects, and it works from 5 entrants to 500. Runs as a bracket pool.

Pick 8 – the five-minute entry

Members choose just 8 teams before the tournament and score points every time one of their teams wins – seed-weighted so a 12-seed's win pays more than a 1-seed's. Perfect for people who will not fill out 63 games, and nobody is mathematically dead by Friday night. Runs as a Pick 8 pool.

Sweet 16 – the late-start rescue

Starts when 16 teams remain: members predict the final 15 games. Ideal when the office wants in after the first weekend, or as a second-chance pool for everyone whose bracket died early. Runs as a Sweet 16 pool.

Scoring decisions for bracket pools

  1. Points per round. The standard doubling scheme is 1-2-4-8-16-32 per correct pick by round. It makes the championship pick decisive. Flatter schemes (for example 1-2-3-4-6-8) keep early-round accuracy meaningful – better for groups that hate seeing one Final Four pick decide everything.
  2. Upset bonuses. Adding the winner's seed number (or the seed difference) to upset picks rewards bold brackets and is the single most popular house rule. Decide before brackets open.
  3. The play-in games. Most pools ignore the First Four and open picking from the round of 64. Say so explicitly.
  4. Tiebreaker. Predicted total points in the championship game, closest wins. Nearly universal – do not skip it, exact ties in bracket scores are common.

The commissioner's timeline

  1. Before Selection Sunday: pick your format and scoring, write the rules, and invite the group. People need runway to forward the invite.
  2. Selection Sunday (evening): the field is set; brackets open. Send the link immediately – enthusiasm peaks tonight.
  3. Monday to Wednesday: reminder cadence. Half your entries will arrive in the final six hours; automatic reminders beat personal chasing.
  4. Thursday, first tip-off: brackets lock. This deadline must be enforced by the platform, not by trust – a bracket edited after the first upset invalidates the whole pool.
  5. Through the tournament: publish standings after every session. The best part of a bracket pool is the "who can still win" chatter in the Sweet 16 – a what-if or scenarios view keeps eliminated players watching.

Keeping busted brackets watching

By the second weekend, most brackets are mathematically wounded and half your pool has lost its rooting interest. The pools that stay loud through the Final Four build second chances into the structure up front:

  • A what-if view. The question that keeps people watching is "who do I need to win tonight?" A scenarios or what-if report answering it is the most-clicked page in any bracket pool's second week – if your platform has one, tell the pool it exists.
  • A parallel Sweet 16 pool. Open a Sweet 16 pool after the first weekend as the official second-chance game. Dead brackets get a fresh start, and people who missed the sign-up window get in.
  • Last place with dignity. Recognition for the worst bracket (decided only after the championship) keeps the bottom of the standings checking in – finishing last is surprisingly hard to do.

Winners

Typical splits award the top three overall, with some pools adding a last-place winner to keep the bottom of the standings entertained. Remember that SimplySportsWare charges only a hosting fee and never touches entry fees.

Running it online

March Madness is the format where online hosting pays off most, purely because of the timeline: 68 teams announced Sunday, entries due Thursday noon. SimplySportsWare March Madness pools are free until after round 1 – you can run the whole sign-up rush and the first day of games before paying anything. Bracket pools start at $9.95 and Sweet 16 and Pick 8 pools at $6.95, each including your first 10 members, with customizable scoring by round, upset bonuses, live standings, and what-if views. Start your tournament pool.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does scoring work in a March Madness bracket pool?

Each correct pick earns points that typically double by round: 1 point in the round of 64 up to 32 points for the champion. Many pools add upset bonuses, such as extra points equal to the winning team's seed.

When do March Madness brackets lock?

At the first tip-off of the round of 64, typically midday on the Thursday after Selection Sunday. Most pools exclude the First Four play-in games so entrants have the full field to pick from.

What is a good March Madness pool for people who won't fill out a bracket?

A Pick 8 pool: members choose just eight teams before the tournament and earn points whenever those teams win, weighted by seed. Entries take five minutes and stay alive deep into the tournament.

Can people join a March Madness pool after the tournament starts?

Not a bracket pool, but that is exactly what Sweet 16 pools are for: they start when 16 teams remain, with members predicting the final 15 games.

Is it free to run a March Madness pool online?

On SimplySportsWare, March Madness pools are free until after round 1 of the tournament, so you can set up, collect every bracket, and start the games before deciding to pay. Bracket pools then start at $9.95 including the first 10 members.

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