College basketball has always held a special place in my life and my heart. As a kid, one of my favorite activities was going to a Maryland Terps game with my father. Visiting the now extinct Cole Field House, and seeing Gary Williams was a surreal experience for a skinny country boy for the first time.

As I grew older, I’ve continued my passion for college basketball to this day. I rarely get the time to watch as many games as I like anymore, and to be honest, my interest in the sport isn’t what it once was. With all the conference changes, and players using the NCAA as a one year springboard to enter the NBA, the game is not what it used to be.

One aspect that has remained constant, is the excitement of the March Madness tournament. I can go an entire season without seeing one college game, yet always be sure to watch every moment, of what I consider to the most thrilling month in all of sports.

March Madness couldn’t come at a better time either. Very little is going on in the world of sport. The weather in my area is always cold and wet. As I write this, the wind is whipping, there’s snow on the ground, and it feels like my skin would freeze on contact upon stepping outside. March Madness is the perfect reason to stay indoors and not have to brave the elements.

Perhaps the best part about March Madness is filling out the bracket. I find every place offering one of these addictive brackets, and fill out as many as I can. The method to my madness ranges from science to picking the better-looking uniforms. Despite my best efforts, my bracket is almost always busted halfway through the first day of play.

Experts like to force their picks down your throat, and love picking the upsets, but the fact is, picking winners on an NCAA bracket, is one of the hardest things to do in life. If you notice, every year there’s always some lady who has never seen a college basketball game (and probably doesn’t even know what a basketball is) get the highest score in some bracket challenge. Proving, that doing well, is almost pure luck.

The odds are stacked against you from the beginning. Your chances of picking a perfect bracket are around 1 in 9.2 quintillion. If you like those odds, I’d like to place a few bets with you. You’re more likely to find a four leaf clover, bowl a perfect game, or even win an Emmy, before ever coming close to picking the perfect bracket.

This year, one of the richest men in the world – Warren Buffet, has offered a bounty of $1 million to anyone who can pick every winner from the first round! You may be thinking this is a piece of cake, but you would be terribly wrong. Your chances of picking a perfect first round only, are a meager 1 in 4.2 billion. Give or take a few decimal points. It’s become even more difficult with the addition of play-in games that are in my opinion, the worst addition to sports ever, but I digress.

What I can say with almost 100% accuracy is this. There will be a number 12 seed upset a 7 seed. A number one seed will not be upset in the first round. And I will watch every game with the same passion and love I have every year.

If you’re ready to move beyond the office pool and have a  green light in your jurisdiction try some American sports. Most of the betting sites offer guides as well as inside tips and tricks to get the most out of your game. You might even be able to pick up some bonus bucks to extend you bankroll.