ContestsEvents

Ways to Enjoy March Madness After Your Bracket is Busted

Brunette woman with long hair holding a basketball. This story is about how to enjoy March Madness even when your bracket is busted.

Getty Images / Alexandr Screaghin

You've spent hours and hours crafting the perfect bracket. You looked at the teams, the odds and their stats. You did the math and picked the best teams based on the numbers, and maybe you went with some gut choices, too. Now, the Big Dance is here. But, then something unexpected happens. A No. 1 or No. 2 seed falls early in the tournament. Or, maybe the team you picked to win it all somehow loses early on. We've all been there. But, there are ways you can still enjoy March Madness after your bracket is busted.

March Madness fun, even after your bracket is busted

One way to keep enjoying March Madness even after your bracket has bit the dust is to remember that it's almost impossible to craft a perfect bracket. So, don't be too hard on yourself. The odds of making a perfect bracket are one in 9.2 quintillion, according to the NCAA. So, yeah, not very good. That said, just know that you're in the good company of everyone else in the world who wasn't able to put together a perfect bracket.

Another way to keep having fun with March Madness is to support your friends who still have brackets doing well. I did my own bracket pool this year, and it shows everyone's standings. So, I'm having fun following along and seeing who's rising to the top.

Finally, embrace the underdogs and Cinderella teams. Sure, they totally screwed up your bracket. But, who doesn't love a good underdog story? Enjoy watching the upsets and seeing teams that usually don't go far in the tourney rule. In the end, it's a game. Yes, it's a very important game. But, it's a game, and you should have fun with it. So, if your bracket is busted, rip that baby up and just watch some fun games.

Anne Erickson started her radio career shortly after graduating from Michigan State University and has worked on-air in Detroit, Flint, Toledo, Lansing and beyond. As someone who absolutely loves rock, metal and alt music, she instantly fell in love with radio and hasn’t looked back. When she’s not working, Anne makes her own music with her band, Upon Wings, and she also loves cheering on her favorite Detroit and Michigan sports teams, especially Lions and MSU football. Anne is also an award-winning journalist, and her byline has run in a variety of national publications. You can also hear her weekends on WRIF.