There are brackets, there are pick 8s, there are even calcuttas. But there is one March Madness contest format which truly reigns supreme. And that my friends, is a Survivor contest.
How does it work?
Most of you already know the style, as it mimics that of an NFL survivor contest, there are just a few twists and strategies to keep in mind.
Here’s the basic layout – pick teams to win each round. No spreads, just outright. If they win you survive and advance. But remember – you can never choose a team twice, which is where things really get interesting in a knockout style tournament.
Here’s a great way to think about it- Imagine NFL survivor but it’s for the playoffs instead of the regular season.
Why is that so important?
Well, imagine you’re down to the final four. Let’s take last year’s tournament as an example. Auburn vs Florida, Houston vs Duke. You have two of the four selections still available. If you’re lucky enough to have made it this far, you’ll be ecstatic.
You already chose Duke and Auburn last round because you thought it was the best way to survive and advance which leaves you with Florida, and Houston.
Easy choice right? Florida is the favorite, Houston is a heavy dog. Let’s go with Florida.
As Lee Corso would say….NOT SO FAST MY FRIEND.
You see what just happened there? If you choose Florida, and you’re correct that means that you MUST choose Houston to win the finals. OH BABY. It’s just one big parlay here. You essentially need to handicap every game so you set yourself up exactly as you want it in the end.
And as the format goes, you’ll have to select two teams in the elite 8, one team in the final four, and one team in the finals. If you’re following the math with me, you just about have to get every game correct from the elite 8 on to have a chance.
Mmmmm. spicey.
So, sure, the basic concept is survive and advance, but survive and advance can’t get you there alone. You have to plan ahead.
So what’s the real game you’re playing?
After entering a few times, I’d say your best strategy is that you want to choose teams that you think will lose their next game out.
Set yourself up with as many options as possible as it gets to later rounds.
…and lastly – why do I think this is the best tournament format available?
Because the fun you’ll have while playing this game of “OK if I take X here, that means I’ll have to take Y here, which means I’ll need to use Z in the elite 8” and so on and so forth is just a blast. You’ll laugh at yourself while doing the mental gymnastics.
You’ll think you’re Wallace Shawn in the Princess Bride engaging in the battle of wits.
You’re analyzing so many games, so many scenarios… I promise you, you really don’t know how great it is until you give it a go. It’s INCONCEIVABLE.
