March Madness!

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bookworm
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March Madness!

Post by bookworm »

Image March Madness Bracket Contest! Image

It's almost that time again! Our group is renewed, go join it right now so you're ready to go when the brackets unlock!
ESPN Tournament Challenge Password: thetoo

Even if you don't really follow the games go ahead and do a bracket anyway! Even if you don't follow at all! The more participants there are the more fun it is, it doesn't matter if you actually know what you're doing. I don't! \:D/
This doesn't take any commitment after entry, it's a one time thing. You just join the group, fill your bracket, and that's all there is to it! No further involvement is required, or even possible. The brackets lock when the tournament begins, all that's left to do is sit back and watch how it plays out.
If you don't care or don't know anything about the sport that's absolutely fine! Just join to be nice to us who would like a big group playing! :) It's nothing to you; just advance random teams, it takes less than three minutes, then you can forget all about it. There's no reason not to do one!

This is the ToO's longest running unofficial annual event; we've done a bracket competition for all but the very first year of this community's existence! (2005 doesn't count because the site wasn't opened until April.) This is our 12th straight year! Be a part of this great tradition!

2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017

Expand below for how to join the group if you need help:
You will need an ESPN account. Make one now if you don't have one already, it's very easy and fast. You don't have to provide identifying information.
PM me if you have trouble or concerns making an account and I can make one for you.
  • Log in to your ESPN account and go to the page for our group linked above. Click on "Create a Bracket Now"
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  • Set a name for your bracket (it's nice if it has your ToO username in it somewhere) and enter the group password. Click "Create Bracket"
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  • If you are doing this after Selection Sunday you may recieve offers from other contests. Just leave them unchecked, unless you want to enter them. Click "Continue"
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  • It should automatically select ToO Madness as the group to join. Click "Continue"
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  • Don't need to do anything at the next screen, just click "Continue"
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  • If the brackets have not unlocked yet this is all you can do right now; log back in when they open to make your picks!
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  • If you are doing this after Selection Sunday then continue directly from here to filling out your bracket!
Expand below for instructions if you're confused about how to do the bracket:
It can be a little hard to understand what you're doing here at first because the website layout isn't the best, but actually it's really simple. You're predicting (or just randomly choosing) how the tournament's bracket will play out by selecting one team in each game to win and advance until there are only two left and you pick the ultimate winner.
  • If you had joined the group while the brackets were locked and are now coming back, log in to your ESPN account and go to the link for our group. Click on the name of your bracket in the list to start filling it out.
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  • If the brackets were already unlocked when you joined the group you should be taken straight to yours to start filling it.
How to fill out the bracket:
(These pictures are just examples of the process, the teams you see will be different.)
  • Start with the outermost layer of games and click on one team in each game. (The one you think will win.) That team will be moved up into the next round.
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  • Scroll down for the other half.
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  • When you have picked winners for all the games in that first layer there will now be a second level of new games between the teams you advanced. Repeat the process, clicking one team in each game in this new layer.
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  • Scroll down for the other half.
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  • Repeat for the third layer of games that is created.
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  • Scroll down for the other half.
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  • And repeat for the fourth layer.
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  • Scroll down for the other half.
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  • There are now just four teams left. In the middle of the page choose one on each side to advance into the final game.
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  • Choose which of the final two teams you think will be the ultimate champion. Then guess how many points each team will score in the final game. (This is used for the contest tiebreaker if one is needed.)
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  • Uncheck the extra offers, unless you want to enter them, and save your picks!
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That's it! You're all set! \:D/
PM me if you have problems or questions with anything.



Image March Madness Live Chats! Image

I've also set up a Chatroom channel for live chatting the Tournament! \:D/
Join #Madness if you're able to be online while you watch, especially if you are rooting for a team due to fandom or bracket picking! If you are watching but can't chat during the game you can at least come by to check in during commercial breaks!

This is a ton of fun when people come by! It's great sharing real time reactions as games go final, comparing the effects on our brackets. I really hope people come by this year again! Everyone is welcome to come hang out of course, even if you didn't do a bracket.
I should be in there for Selection Sunday to kick things off, so come by if you're watching that, then once the tournament is underway stop in if you have one of the games on and see if anyone else is there. :) Or if you don't have a game on but want to follow what's going down.

Schedule of games, dates, times, and channels
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NatetheGreat
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Post by NatetheGreat »

Got me a bracket, even though I've never watched a game in my life. Whoopee! \:D/
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Post by bookworm »

NatetheGreat wrote:Got me a bracket, even though I've never watched a game in my life. Whoopee! \:D/
That's the spirit! \:D/
I do this every year, but I'm still entirely clueless about what I'm doing! That's actually part of the fun, seeing how your bracket does when you have no real reasoning behind it. :P
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Post by American Eagle »

I'm in! \:D/

Do we have a list somewhere of past winners?
he/him | attorney | spartan | christian | bleeding heart type

Note: My past posts do not necessarily reflect my values. Many of them were made when I was young and (in retrospect) misguided. If you identify a post that expresses misinformation, prejudice, or anything harmful, please let me know.
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Knight Fisher
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Post by Knight Fisher »

2 Hours to brackets. \:D/
To LGBT ToOers: The world is so much wider than your family and church. There are accepting people out there.
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Post by bookworm »

American Eagle wrote:Do we have a list somewhere of past winners?
Not all in one place, but the first post links to the threads for every previous contest and somewhere in each at least the winner should be announced, and for at least the ones I have managed the full final standings of all players are posted.
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Old Brad
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Post by Old Brad »

Bam, first bracket.
“For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him."
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Post by bookworm »

Old Brad wrote:Bam, first bracket.
You did one last year. :)
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NatetheGreat
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Post by NatetheGreat »

I designed my bracket based entirely on whose logo I preferred. :yes:
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Post by bookworm »

NatetheGreat wrote:I designed my bracket based entirely on whose logo I preferred. :yes:
Excellent! \:D/ I like to hear the pseudostrategies people use to make their picks when they don't have traditional reasoning behind them.
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Post by shnoodlec »

I clicked randomly. So my strategy is UNBEATABLE. 8-)
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NatetheGreat
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Post by NatetheGreat »

lol Good way to choose a password (loosely speaking), so what could go wrong?
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Old Brad
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Post by Old Brad »

bookworm wrote:
Old Brad wrote:Bam, first bracket.
You did one last year. :)
I meant first as in mine was the first one made in the group. :pp
“For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him."
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Post by bookworm »

Just two days left to enter; everyone reading this please join if you haven't yet! :pray:
It legitimately doesn't matter if you actually think about your picks or just do them randomly, it means a lot to me to just have lots of people playing at any level of interest!
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Knight Fisher
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Post by Knight Fisher »

I get worse every year. \:D/
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Post by NatetheGreat »

Knight Fisher wrote:I get worse every year. \:D/
=D>
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Post by bookworm »

Begin the madness! :mad:
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Post by Woody »

That upset tho :shock:
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Post by bookworm »

The first ever #16 to take out a #1 team!!! :mad: :mad: Incredible!!

And with that one of my Final Four, and the champion of two brackets goes out in the very first game! \:D/ (Two other champs are also out already, but they were longshots so not surprising.)
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Knight Fisher
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Post by Knight Fisher »

That's... a new low for me. xD
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