It's unlikely — yet not impossible — to fill out a perfect bracket for this year's March Madness women's tournament. Here are Autumn Johnson's five bracketology tips to note before filling out yours:
1. Double up on No. 1 seeds
A 16-seed over a 1-seed upset is extremely unlikely. In fact, it has only happened once in the history of the women's tournament: (16) Harvard women's hoops upset (1) Stanford in 1998. That's why you'll want to pick at least two 1-seeds teams in your Final Four. In 36 of the 41 women's tournaments, two or more 1-seeds have made the semifinals — that's 88% of brackets. As for champions, 31 of the 41 (76%) have been 1-seeds. However, of course, anything can happen. 3-seed LSU and 2-seed Iowa faced each other in the national final since last year, with the Tigers winning the women's championship.
2. Focus on Elite Eight
Before picking your Final Four, begin with constructing your Elite Eight with a mix of 1, 2 and 3-seed teams. The most common quarterfinal matchup is a 1-seed vs. a 2-seed, which has happened 51 times in the tournament's history so far. A 1-seed vs. a 3-seed are the second-most common matchup in 27 Elite Eight games. There's a huge drop outside of those matchups, so be sure to create some seed diversity in the quarterfinals of your bracket.
3. Don't get Cinderella-happy
Princeton women's basketball beat (7) NC State as a 10-seed in the first round of the 2023 NCAA March Madness women's tournament.Let your Cinderella teams have their upset runs, of course, but you can have them fizzle out come the Elite Eight. The 2022 tournament saw the most upsets since the 64-team expansion with seven (an upset meaning a 5-seed or lower losing to a higher seed). However, the clock must strike midnight at some point; tournament Cinderellas typically get beaten by the Sweet 16, and no double-digit seed has ever made it past the Elite Eight in the women's tournament, let alone complete a championship run.
4. 11 and 12-seed upsets are key
Those two seeds have won a total of 62 games in 41 tournaments. 11-seed teams have amassed 36 wins in the first round compared to 12-seeds' 26 first-round wins.
▶️ PLAY: NCAA March Madness women's bracket challenge
5. Fill out multiple brackets
It's not impossible to fill out a perfect bracket — follow these tips and create multiple scenarios for higher chances of getting it right. Find a happy medium between early upsets and chalk and ultimately, go with your gut. Happy picking!
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