It’s time for March Madness and all of the excitement that comes with it.  This year we have been on the lookout for great bracket contest for our viewers to get involved with and we have found some great deals.  If you are interested in proving yourself with the best of the best then you should sign up at Bodog for Jimmy Boyd’s bracket contest.  He is an expert college basketball handicapping champion and is ready to prove it.

By signing up at Bodog you get a chance to win $1,000,000 for a perfect bracket or by finishing near the top of the pack you can also win cash, iPods, and other great gifts. If you want more details then take a look at Bodog now and check out the details.

Jimmy Boyd is one of the services that we personally follow during the NCAA basketball season, and we definitely recommend you do so as well.  He is even offering some great gifts of free premium service for joining his league and taking a chance at knocking him off.  Here is the list of prizes he is offering at his personal league:

1st Place: Free Premium Service through the end of August
2nd Place: Free Premium Service through the end of the NBA Finals
3rd Place: Free Month of Premium Service

As an added bonus, anyone who beats Jimmy in the bracket contest will get a free week of premium service as well. All you have to do is join the league:

If you already have a Bodog Nation account, simply sign in using your account information. If not, signing up is simple and fast. Once you’re signed in, create your team name, and then start researching the teams to find out their strengths and weaknesses, and how they’re likely to fare each week.

If you are not a Bodog member, just click here to join!

To join Jimmy Boyd’s Contest please click or paste the following link into your browser:
http://fantasy.bodoglife.com/pickem/confirm.php?id=587&hash=04c15cc2960c0b43fe9c91f64392f3d3

Popularity: 91% [?]

Tournament time is fast approaching and there is going to be a lot of you out there who will be rushing to fill out brackets in the hopes of winning your office pool.  Of course, there is going to be a lot of luck factoring in to who wins and who loses, but we want to make sure you are as prepared as possible for the big dance and March Madness.  We have put together a solid list of tips and tricks that we use in order to put out a quality bracket and embarrass our friends by dominating them.

Rule #1 - 12 over 5

Everybody knows this one, so it almost goes without saying.  Just how good of a guideline is this to follow?  Well consider that since 1989 only 1 time has there been a tournament in which a five didn’t get upset by a 12 seed.  You should stick to the odds here and find your favorite matchup, then ride the 12.

Rule #2 - Advance the #1 seed

A 16 seed has never beaten a one, so don’t think that you are some great prophet who is going to see that this is the year.  Not only are you going to lose the first round, but you are going to keep losing since 85% of the time 1 seeds advance to the Sweet 16.  Don’t ruin your bracket before it begins, hop those four #1 seeds into the third round.

Rule #3 - Cinderella at Midnight 

Remember Cinderella, at midnight the princess turns into a dud.  Well think the same way about your upsets that you pick out in the early rounds.  Take them to the Sweet 16, but remember that the buck pretty much stops there.  The better teams succeed in the second weekend with a rare exception.

Rule #4 - Your two best teams make the Championship game

Think about recent history.  The best teams have been making the Championship game.  2005 it was Illinois and North Carolina, last year it was Florida and Ohio State.  As soon as you pick out the two teams that you think are the best in the nation, chalk them up in the Final Four.

Follow these four NCAA tournament bracket tips and you should be on your way to making it near the top of your pool.  With a little luck you’ll be bringing home the cash and bragging rights.

Popularity: 95% [?]

The Big East tournament is always one of our favorites to watch. There is a deep pool of quality teams and there is always one bubble team that seems like they are poised to make a run.

No. 1. Georgetown Hoyas - This year the number one seed belongs to the Georgetown Hoyas and deservedly so. They have won five straight games to end the regular season and seem to be slightly better than the rest of the league. Let’s see who else stacks up.

No. 2. Louisville Cardinals - I really like Louisville’s chances here, especially when they got their wakeup call in the loss to Georgetown. Plus, it’s hard not to love a team that cashed 14 out of their final 17 tickets to end the year. The start of the year was rough, but this team is peaking at the right time and will be dangerous down the home stretch.

No. 3. Notre Dame Fighting Irish - Notre Dame went under the radar a little bit and only lost six games all year. They seem to beat the teams they should, and loss to the teams at the top of the bracket, so we’ll see them go deep but not to the championship game.

No. 4. Connecticut Huskies - UConn had a down year last year and they also lost a couple of key games in the last part of the season so they were stuck with the four seed. The Huskies though have a balanced offense and should have the potential to make it to the semifinals as there doesn’t appear to be a team that poises the threat of an upset.

No. 5. West Virginia Mountineers - The Mountaineers are most likely one and done since they don’t have the defensive skills to go deep into the tournament. The run and gun might not work well going on consecutive days, and a probable matchup with UConn isn’t favorable.

No. 6. Marquette Golden Eagles - This is a team that needs to win a few games. They had one solid five-game stretch but other than that were up and down all year long. They get Notre Dame after beating up on Seton Hall and that could be a good match-up for them. The Golden Eagles beat Irish handedly at home before losing a close one down in South Bend.

No. 7. Pittsburgh Panthers - The Panthers struggled with injuries all season long and then won three of their final four games to slightly salvage their season. The bad news was they cost bettors some cash in going 3-7 ATS down the stretch, and shouldn’t make it past Louisville even if they manage to beat Cincy in the first round.

No. 8. Villanova Wildcats - Going against Villanova has been profitable for us all year long, so why not continue that stretch in the tournament. The Wildcats were 1-12 ATS from mid-December til the February before winning six of their last nine games. Too bad they get matched up with Syracuse in the first round and will likely be bounced immediately.

No. 9. Syracuse Orange - Syracuse seems to have this system down pat. They get off to horrible starts and make a late season run. Then they fall off the edge. This year it was a big win against the Hoyas before losing three straight. They’ll most likely beat the Wildcats before succumbing to a Hoyas squad looking to avenge that loss.

No. 10. Cincinnati Bearcats - The Bearcats don’t have a lot of talent, as was evidenced when they lost their last five games. Pittsburgh is going to be too much to stop that streak as Cincy goes home early.

No. 11. Seton Hall Pirates - The Pirates have gone 2-8 in their last 10 conference games and we have a tough time seeing them beating Marquette in the opener.

No. 12. Providence Friars - About the only good thing Providence did this year was beat Connecticut twice. They struggled away from home so heading to Madison Square Garden shouldn’t be easy for them. West Virginia will score a lot of points in this game.

Popularity: 100% [?]