🏀 Welcome to March Madness 2026

Build your dream team. Trust your gut. Blame the refs.

📋 Instructions
  1. Create an account — it only takes a minute
  2. Create an entry under your account
  3. Venmo $20
    • To @TheDerekBlum
    • Comments: Your Email
    • Comments: Bracket Name
    Please follow this so payment can be matched.
  4. You can edit your picks and tiebreaker anytime until the tournament goes live — after that, all entries are locked

Submission and payment must be sent BEFORE Thursday 3/19 at 11:30 AM!

Feel free to pass this on to others who are interested.

💰 Cost & Payouts

Entry Fee: $20 per entry

🖥️ $20 covers web services to run the site — it's not a payout, more part of the entry fee.

Payouts:

🥇
1st Place — 70% of pool money
after 3rd place payout
🥈
2nd Place — 30% of pool money
after 3rd place payout
🥉
3rd Place — $20
your entry fee back
Current: 37 entries: $740 pool. $20 covers web services. Remaining $720: 1st takes $490, 2nd takes $210, 3rd gets $20.
📖 Rules

You select:

  • 6 Players from Seeds 1–4
  • 5 Players from Seeds 5–8
  • 4 Players from Seeds 9–12
  • 3 Players from Seeds 13–16
  • 4 Teams (coaches)

Each player earns 1 point for every point they score in a game. Each coach earns 10 points for every win their team picks up. Your total score is the sum of all points accumulated by your players and coaches throughout the tournament. The entry with the most points wins.

Tiebreaker: Predict the total combined points scored in the Championship game (both teams). Price is Right rules — closest without going over wins. If all tied entries go over, the lowest score wins.

📌 Other Rules
  • You can pick any 4 teams — they can even be in the same region!
  • After paying, check the Paid Entries page to confirm your submission is listed.

Any questions? Text Derek: 610-517-5744

I started a new job on 3/16, so I will not be responsive until at least 6 pm during the week.

Reports
🏆 Standings (Results)
Every entry ranked by total points scored so far. Select two entries and hit Compare to see them head-to-head.
📋 Details (Results)
Expand any bracket to see every player picked, their round-by-round points, and total score. Filter by player status or sort across all open entries at once.
⚖️ Compare (Results)
Pick two entries side by side — see what's shared, what's unique to each, and how the points stack up.
🔮 Predict (Results)
Projected final scores for every entry — an educated guess based on player PPG during the season and team seed. Completed rounds use actual points, in-progress games project forward, and future rounds use season averages. Sorted by projected total.
📊 Player Data (Tourney)
Every player's points by round, seed, and how many entries picked them. Click a count to see which brackets picked that player.
💰 Submitted (Tourney)
Confirm your entry is in the pool — shows bracket name, submitter, and payment status.
🔄 Last Update (Tourney)
Results of the most recent score run — which games are final, in progress, or pending.
⚠️ A Few Words of Wisdom Before You Pick
  • Past performance of your gut feeling is not indicative of future results.
  • Your spreadsheet cannot help you here. Neither can your lucky socks. Pick anyway.
  • The #1 seed loses every year — until it doesn't. Good luck with that.
  • Picking your alma mater is always emotionally correct and statistically questionable.
  • Even the experts are wrong. Especially the experts. Don't ask G. Rob — he has no clue!
  • May your players stay healthy, your coaches stay calm, and your bracket survive the first weekend.

Ready to play? Create an account or log in to submit your entry.