Play Our NCAA Tournament Prediction Game (Without a Bracket)
A typical N.C.A.A. tournament bracket requires you to pick winners in 63 games. How time-consuming! In our challenge, you only need to make a few simple predictions, and you don’t need to be a college basketball expert to give it a shot.
Submit button after each question to lock in your answers. Then, compare your choices to other readers’ picks.
Voting closes at noon Eastern time on Thursday. Once the men’s and women’s tournaments are underway, we’ll keep you updated on how your score ranks among other Times readers’ results. Let’s begin:
How many game-winning buzzer-beaters will there be in the round of 64 in the men’s and women’s tournaments, combined?
0%Three or more. (Bring on the madness!)
Among the teams that reach the round of 16 in both tournaments, will there be more team nicknames that are related to animals (Cougars, Gamecocks), or more names unrelated to animals (Crimson Tide, Hoosiers)?
At least one No. 12 seed usually upsets a No. 5 seed in the first round of the men’s tournament. How many No. 12 seeds will beat No. 5 seeds this year?
0%Zero. (Good news for fifth-seeded San Diego State, Miami, St. Mary’s and Duke.)
0%Four. (I’m all-in on Charleston, Drake, V.C.U. and Oral Roberts!)
How many teams seeded No. 1 through No. 4 will miss the round of 16 in the women’s tournament?
0%Three or fewer. (The top seeds dominate.)
0%Four or more. (Let’s mix it up.)
In the men’s tournament, how many teams seeded No. 10 or lower will win games in the round of 64?
0%Five or fewer. (A sleepy year for upsets.)
0%Eight or more. (This is why we watch.)
Will any team come within 15 points of the South Carolina women’s team during the first two rounds?
0%No. (Sorry, Norfolk State and South Florida/Marquette.)
Which conference will send the most teams to the round of 16 in the men’s tournament? (Assume one conference will top the others.)
0%Big Ten (eight teams in the tournament).
0%Another conference. (The Pac-12 and Mountain West are the next most represented, with four teams each.)
Will any No. 1 or No. 2 seeds lose their first-round games this year, in either tournament?
0%Yes, at least one. (Bust those brackets!)
0%No. (St. Peter’s was just an anomaly!)
Will anyone correctly pick all 32 men’s first-round games in the ESPN, CBS Sports or Yahoo bracket challenges?
0%Yes. (It’s happened before.)
0%No. (Do you know how many possible combinations there are?!)
In the first two rounds of the women’s tournament, how many games will be won with a score of 100 or more?
How many teams from Texas will make the round of 16 in the two tournaments combined?
Men’s teams from Texas: No. 1-seeded Houston, No. 2 Texas, No. 3 Baylor, No. 6 Texas Christian, No. 7 Texas A&M, No. 16 Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, No. 16 Texas Southern.
Women’s teams from Texas: No. 4-seeded Texas, No. 7 Baylor.
Bonus: Twenty-six schools have both their men’s and women’s programs in the tournaments. Which school will have the most combined tournament wins this year?
